Clean task fails with "Could not normalize path for file" on Windows

My build works fine on Linux, but on Windows the “clean” task fails with the error:

Could not normalize path for file ‘C:\javaProjects[project directory]***’
This also occurs when I run “clean” without any other task. Other tasks alone or combined with seem to work ok (to the extent that they don’t need “clean” of course).
I don’t know enough about the “clean” task to understand what is happening. Does anybody have any suggestions or pointers? Thanks!
This is gradle 3.3 on Windows 7 Enterprise SP 1. Here is the stack trace:

org.gradle.api.tasks.TaskExecutionException: Execution failed for task ‘:clean’.
org.gradle.api.internal.tasks.execution.ExecuteActionsTaskExecuter.executeActions(ExecuteActionsTaskExecuter.java:84)
org.gradle.api.internal.tasks.execution.ExecuteActionsTaskExecuter.execute(ExecuteActionsTaskExecuter.java:55)
org.gradle.api.internal.tasks.execution.SkipUpToDateTaskExecuter.execute(SkipUpToDateTaskExecuter.java:62)
org.gradle.api.internal.tasks.execution.ValidatingTaskExecuter.execute(ValidatingTaskExecuter.java:58)
org.gradle.api.internal.tasks.execution.SkipEmptySourceFilesTaskExecuter.execute(SkipEmptySourceFilesTaskExecuter.java:88)
org.gradle.api.internal.tasks.execution.ResolveTaskArtifactStateTaskExecuter.execute(ResolveTaskArtifactStateTaskExecuter.java:46)
org.gradle.api.internal.tasks.execution.SkipTaskWithNoActionsExecuter.execute(SkipTaskWithNoActionsExecuter.java:51)
org.gradle.api.internal.tasks.execution.SkipOnlyIfTaskExecuter.execute(SkipOnlyIfTaskExecuter.java:54)
org.gradle.api.internal.tasks.execution.ExecuteAtMostOnceTaskExecuter.execute(ExecuteAtMostOnceTaskExecuter.java:43)
org.gradle.api.internal.tasks.execution.CatchExceptionTaskExecuter.execute(CatchExceptionTaskExecuter.java:34)
org.gradle.execution.taskgraph.DefaultTaskGraphExecuter$EventFiringTaskWorker$1.execute(DefaultTaskGraphExecuter.java:236)
org.gradle.execution.taskgraph.DefaultTaskGraphExecuter$EventFiringTaskWorker$1.execute(DefaultTaskGraphExecuter.java:228)
org.gradle.internal.Transformers$4.transform(Transformers.java:169)
org.gradle.internal.progress.DefaultBuildOperationExecutor.run(DefaultBuildOperationExecutor.java:106)
org.gradle.internal.progress.DefaultBuildOperationExecutor.run(DefaultBuildOperationExecutor.java:61)
org.gradle.execution.taskgraph.DefaultTaskGraphExecuter$EventFiringTaskWorker.execute(DefaultTaskGraphExecuter.java:228)
org.gradle.execution.taskgraph.DefaultTaskGraphExecuter$EventFiringTaskWorker.execute(DefaultTaskGraphExecuter.java:215)
org.gradle.execution.taskgraph.AbstractTaskPlanExecutor$TaskExecutorWorker.processTask(AbstractTaskPlanExecutor.java:77)
org.gradle.execution.taskgraph.AbstractTaskPlanExecutor$TaskExecutorWorker.run(AbstractTaskPlanExecutor.java:58)
org.gradle.execution.taskgraph.DefaultTaskPlanExecutor.process(DefaultTaskPlanExecutor.java:32)
org.gradle.execution.taskgraph.DefaultTaskGraphExecuter.execute(DefaultTaskGraphExecuter.java:113)
org.gradle.execution.SelectedTaskExecutionAction.execute(SelectedTaskExecutionAction.java:37)
org.gradle.execution.DefaultBuildExecuter.execute(DefaultBuildExecuter.java:37)
org.gradle.execution.DefaultBuildExecuter.access$000(DefaultBuildExecuter.java:23)
org.gradle.execution.DefaultBuildExecuter$1.proceed(DefaultBuildExecuter.java:43)
org.gradle.execution.DryRunBuildExecutionAction.execute(DryRunBuildExecutionAction.java:32)
org.gradle.execution.DefaultBuildExecuter.execute(DefaultBuildExecuter.java:37)
org.gradle.execution.DefaultBuildExecuter.execute(DefaultBuildExecuter.java:30)
org.gradle.initialization.DefaultGradleLauncher$3.execute(DefaultGradleLauncher.java:196)
org.gradle.initialization.DefaultGradleLauncher$3.execute(DefaultGradleLauncher.java:193)
org.gradle.internal.Transformers$4.transform(Transformers.java:169)
org.gradle.internal.progress.DefaultBuildOperationExecutor.run(DefaultBuildOperationExecutor.java:106)
org.gradle.internal.progress.DefaultBuildOperationExecutor.run(DefaultBuildOperationExecutor.java:56)
org.gradle.initialization.DefaultGradleLauncher.doBuildStages(DefaultGradleLauncher.java:193)
org.gradle.initialization.DefaultGradleLauncher.doBuild(DefaultGradleLauncher.java:119)
org.gradle.initialization.DefaultGradleLauncher.run(DefaultGradleLauncher.java:102)
org.gradle.launcher.exec.GradleBuildController.run(GradleBuildController.java:71)
org.gradle.tooling.internal.provider.ExecuteBuildActionRunner.run(ExecuteBuildActionRunner.java:28)
org.gradle.launcher.exec.ChainingBuildActionRunner.run(ChainingBuildActionRunner.java:35)
org.gradle.launcher.exec.InProcessBuildActionExecuter.execute(InProcessBuildActionExecuter.java:41)
org.gradle.launcher.exec.InProcessBuildActionExecuter.execute(InProcessBuildActionExecuter.java:26)
org.gradle.tooling.internal.provider.ContinuousBuildActionExecuter.execute(ContinuousBuildActionExecuter.java:75)
org.gradle.tooling.internal.provider.ContinuousBuildActionExecuter.execute(ContinuousBuildActionExecuter.java:49)
org.gradle.tooling.internal.provider.ServicesSetupBuildActionExecuter.execute(ServicesSetupBuildActionExecuter.java:44)
org.gradle.tooling.internal.provider.ServicesSetupBuildActionExecuter.execute(ServicesSetupBuildActionExecuter.java:29)
org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.exec.ExecuteBuild.doBuild(ExecuteBuild.java:67)
org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.exec.BuildCommandOnly.execute(BuildCommandOnly.java:36)
org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.api.DaemonCommandExecution.proceed(DaemonCommandExecution.java:120)
org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.exec.WatchForDisconnection.execute(WatchForDisconnection.java:47)
org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.api.DaemonCommandExecution.proceed(DaemonCommandExecution.java:120)
org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.exec.ResetDeprecationLogger.execute(ResetDeprecationLogger.java:26)
org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.api.DaemonCommandExecution.proceed(DaemonCommandExecution.java:120)
org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.exec.RequestStopIfSingleUsedDaemon.execute(RequestStopIfSingleUsedDaemon.java:34)
org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.api.DaemonCommandExecution.proceed(DaemonCommandExecution.java:120)
org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.exec.ForwardClientInput$2.call(ForwardClientInput.java:74)
org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.exec.ForwardClientInput$2.call(ForwardClientInput.java:72)
org.gradle.util.Swapper.swap(Swapper.java:38)
org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.exec.ForwardClientInput.execute(ForwardClientInput.java:72)
org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.api.DaemonCommandExecution.proceed(DaemonCommandExecution.java:120)
org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.exec.LogAndCheckHealth.execute(LogAndCheckHealth.java:55)
org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.api.DaemonCommandExecution.proceed(DaemonCommandExecution.java:120)
org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.exec.LogToClient.doBuild(LogToClient.java:60)
org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.exec.BuildCommandOnly.execute(BuildCommandOnly.java:36)
org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.api.DaemonCommandExecution.proceed(DaemonCommandExecution.java:120)
org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.exec.EstablishBuildEnvironment.doBuild(EstablishBuildEnvironment.java:72)
org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.exec.BuildCommandOnly.execute(BuildCommandOnly.java:36)
org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.api.DaemonCommandExecution.proceed(DaemonCommandExecution.java:120)
org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.exec.StartBuildOrRespondWithBusy$1.run(StartBuildOrRespondWithBusy.java:50)
org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.DaemonStateCoordinator$1.run(DaemonStateCoordinator.java:297)
org.gradle.internal.concurrent.ExecutorPolicy$CatchAndRecordFailures.onExecute(ExecutorPolicy.java:54)
org.gradle.internal.concurrent.StoppableExecutorImpl$1.run(StoppableExecutorImpl.java:40)
java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor.runWorker(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:1142)
java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor$Worker.run(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:617)
java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:745)
Caused by: org.gradle.api.UncheckedIOException: Could not normalize path for file ‘C:\javaProjects\rdacs***’.
org.gradle.api.internal.file.FileNormaliser.normalise(FileNormaliser.java:90)
org.gradle.api.internal.file.AbstractFileResolver.resolve(AbstractFileResolver.java:81)
org.gradle.api.internal.file.AbstractFileResolver.resolve(AbstractFileResolver.java:61)
org.gradle.api.internal.file.collections.DefaultFileCollectionResolveContext$FileCollectionConverter.convertInto(DefaultFileCollectionResolveContext
java:173)
org.gradle.api.internal.file.collections.DefaultFileCollectionResolveContext.doResolve(DefaultFileCollectionResolveContext.java:134)
org.gradle.api.internal.file.collections.DefaultFileCollectionResolveContext.resolveAsFileCollections(DefaultFileCollectionResolveContext.java:92)
org.gradle.api.internal.file.collections.DefaultFileCollectionResolveContext$FileCollectionConverter.convertInto(DefaultFileCollectionResolveContext
java:157)
org.gradle.api.internal.file.collections.DefaultFileCollectionResolveContext.doResolve(DefaultFileCollectionResolveContext.java:109)
org.gradle.api.internal.file.collections.DefaultFileCollectionResolveContext.resolveAsFileCollections(DefaultFileCollectionResolveContext.java:92)
org.gradle.api.internal.file.CompositeFileCollection.getSourceCollections(CompositeFileCollection.java:172)
org.gradle.api.internal.file.CompositeFileCollection.getFiles(CompositeFileCollection.java:55)
org.gradle.api.internal.file.AbstractFileCollection.iterator(AbstractFileCollection.java:68)
org.gradle.api.internal.file.delete.Deleter.delete(Deleter.java:60)
org.gradle.api.tasks.Delete.clean(Delete.java:67)
sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke0(Native Method)
sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(NativeMethodAccessorImpl.java:62)
sun.reflect.DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.java:43)
java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:498)
org.gradle.internal.reflect.JavaMethod.invoke(JavaMethod.java:73)
org.gradle.api.internal.project.taskfactory.DefaultTaskClassInfoStore$StandardTaskAction.doExecute(DefaultTaskClassInfoStore.java:141)
org.gradle.api.internal.project.taskfactory.DefaultTaskClassInfoStore$StandardTaskAction.execute(DefaultTaskClassInfoStore.java:134)
org.gradle.api.internal.project.taskfactory.DefaultTaskClassInfoStore$StandardTaskAction.execute(DefaultTaskClassInfoStore.java:123)
org.gradle.api.internal.AbstractTask$TaskActionWrapper.execute(AbstractTask.java:632)
org.gradle.api.internal.AbstractTask$TaskActionWrapper.execute(AbstractTask.java:615)
org.gradle.api.internal.tasks.execution.ExecuteActionsTaskExecuter.executeAction(ExecuteActionsTaskExecuter.java:95)
org.gradle.api.internal.tasks.execution.ExecuteActionsTaskExecuter.executeActions(ExecuteActionsTaskExecuter.java:76)
… 73 more
Caused by: java.io.IOException: Invalid argument
java.io.WinNTFileSystem.canonicalize0(Native Method)
java.io.WinNTFileSystem.canonicalize(WinNTFileSystem.java:428)
java.io.File.getCanonicalPath(File.java:618)
java.io.File.getCanonicalFile(File.java:643)
org.gradle.api.internal.file.FileNormaliser.normalise(FileNormaliser.java:54)
… 98 more

It was not related to the clean task after all.
I solved that particular problem by removing any use of “**/*” to refer to files, including in specifying files to delete by the clean task.
I also replaced “/” with “${File.separator}” in properties since the paths came out with a mix of “” and “/” as separators – although I don’t know if that was necessary.

I don’t think wildcards is supported in Gradle. The way forward in getting files would be to use fileTree. Something like this:

fileTree(dir:"/folder/").matching{ include: ‘*.xml’}