Great answers.... I'm enthused that I have options ! Bit I think I might not have phrased the question correctly 🙂
1. LAYMRG command can be used in the files where those layers exist not-as-xref-layers to get rid of if LAYDEL command can't delete them.
2. You can try LQM in LAYER.vlx to merge these layers automatically.
3. try attached fixbind.lsp routine I found awhile back which gets rid of those pesky $#$ symbols everywhere.
Unfortunately, I don't remember where I found it so cannot give credit to whom credit is due.
The concern here of course with all 3 is... will there be any data loss associated with any of these fixes ? The only time I open an xref in place is when I want to find out what layer it is so I can get rid of the cacophony of colors used by the xref creator ....like why does a 'door' need to be drawn in 3 colors ? 🙂 I never edit an original Xref, just do view port color changes or freeze. I would just try any one of them on a saved copy but comparing the two I'd be hard pressed to detect what was lost.
Here's the real odd part ....I have a site plan showing the work at 50 scale and then 3 others with match lines at 20 divining the 30 scale into 3 drawings. The minor contours are not visible on the 50 scale, they are on the 20 scale.
Opening the Xref that are labeled as CONT-MNR (NEW) and they are Green. Now opening my drawing, I see them as gray (20 scale). Opening the Xref in the editor creates a new layer while it's open called $0%CONT-MNR (NEW) and it's still listed as green but looking at the actual xref itself shows it as gray (as desired). There's over 100 $0$ layers as well as many $0$ layers , $1$ layers , $2$ layers up to 20 or so. Clicking on "Discard Changes" drops me to just 12 $0$ layers. It as if opening the X-ref creates all these layers... and then when you exit, tries to get rid of them and leaves few behind.
So now to the oddball thing ... Looking at the CONT-MNR (NEW) with a locked viewport in paper space on the 20 scale drawing I see that the layer correctly shoes in the Xref with a green color and a viewport over ride as gray. On the viewport override at 50 scale it said green and when I changed it to gray, I'd come back and it would be green again.
On the bright side, I fixed it or thought I did ... I saved the override to yellow, saved, opened and changed it from yellow to gray and that worked.,,, well i thought it did.... not sure now.
I had been having continued problems with every few days, having to go into the Licensing Manager and re-register, I a;so would crash occasionally when opening ACAD that and my son ( a pilot) would us the puter at night to check out approaches and practicing landings to air ports he's never been ... and would crash.
In the previous few weeks I was literally crashing in ACAD 4-5 times a day ... I was blaming the old puter. But the licensing manager fix from a few days ago, changed everything.... no more having to re-register, no crashes and even the pilot hasn't crashed since then .... the puter not the plane :). So whatever it did... I'm glad whomever figured it out did so.
But back to the extra layers... I saved the file to an isolated place where it wouldn't get lost in the twice daily backups. Then did the following... Turned off all layers by 0 and the $X$ stuff ... drawing was empty except for 0 layer stuff ... feeling safe, Deleted $0$.... $1$... $2$ one set at a time. they were basically the same 12 layers recreated over and over again.
Save and opened ...checked to identify a layer on the Xref.... it created 12 layers just cause I had clicked on the one ... didn't edit or do anything else. and the same 12 layers were created. ... they were not deletable... but if you exit and come back they are. I thot I was "safe" never editing or saving the xref bat apparently not.
Thx again all.
Thanks for all the answers, was surprised I didn't have to employ anything but rt click / delete
