How to delete a file that wont DELETE!!!!!???????

This seems to happen to me more and more,, POS computer !!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rant.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif

I get a file, most the time a movie, that wont delete, and it says another program is using it. But, I have checked everything I can, and nothing is using it. You can even reboot, and it still wont.

Is there a small easy program out there I can use to delete these files?

Thanks for the help, my harddrive is getting full! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon15.gif

~John

start the pc in safe mode or hold shift while booting (with momentary releases) so if any non system program is using it, it wont load and then you can delete the file. Works most of the times.


Pablo

Re: How to delete a file that wont DELETE!!!!!????

If you have XP and are viewing movies it is a bug in the way it handles the video files... it doesn't release the file when it caches it to view it. try searching google for XP delete (file extension) and you will probably find the fix for it

Re: How to delete a file that wont DELETE!!!!!????

Well.. I'm using Win2K. I do get it occasionally. Just reboot to safe mode and delete the files...

Re: How to delete a file that wont DELETE!!!!!????

i have things i can't delete too.

"KGhost"
"ServerSide"
"QuickBrowser"

what a pain!

Re: How to delete a file that wont DELETE!!!!!????

If you can't delete them ... join them /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crackup.gif

Sorry ...

... but why won't you just let it sit there? If it won't comply, I'll just ignore it. Unless of course, this vid was of a compromising nature ... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

bernhard

Re: How to delete a file that wont DELETE!!!!!????

There is a freeware program called Move On Boot, that when installed creates a shell extension that allows you to move copy or delete a program during the next time you reboot. You just right click on the file, select the delete on boot option, and reboot.

Re: How to delete a file that wont DELETE!!!!!????

I had the problem with incomplete or bad avi files and lynx arc is right, there are xp fixes available. The problem for avi's is that windows attempts to read the entire file before performing any operationa and cannot do so with certain avi files. You can easily edit the registry with one of the posted fixes to prevent this from happening. In other files I can't delete, I boot up into command prompt and delete them from the dos interface. A bit of a pain if you are not familiar with dos. Never thought of just trying it in safe mode first.

Re: How to delete a file that wont DELETE!!!!!????

get a program called "wholockme". It'll tell you the name of the process that has a specific file locked (it ends up in the context menu for files, so right-click on a file). If it ends up being explorer, log out, then log back in. Otherwise, fire up task manager and kill off the offending process.

Re: How to delete a file that wont DELETE!!!!!????

Time to break out the old MSDos 6.2 book and reboot to the command prompt after you find the filename and location.
Change it from read only to archive.
Then only rename it, but don't delete it.
If the computer comes up properly to windows for real, then you won't have a problem getting rid of that file if you want to.

If the compooter won't reboot properly or at all next time,
Then come back to the command prompt and you can still change the file in question back to the way it was until a different resolution can be found. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon3.gif

Re: How to delete a file that wont DELETE!!!!!????

[ QUOTE ]
BlindedByTheLite said:
i have things i can't delete too.

"KGhost"
"ServerSide"
"QuickBrowser"

what a pain!

[/ QUOTE ]


All of those are spyware. Get rid of them ASAP. Use AdAware and/or Spyware Serach and Destroy.

Re: How to delete a file that wont DELETE!!!!!????

I was tempted to make a snide remark about just booting into linux, but stopped myself.

I have, on occasion, booted a linux rescue disk (CD or Floppy, as needed) to allow me to delete a file or partion that Windows would not touch. Slackware7 had a nice, small kernel that would boot on smaller systems too.


Daniel

Re: How to delete a file that wont DELETE!!!!!????

thanks alot guys!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

I applied the fixs so hopefully it doesnt happen any more, and I used moveonboot to remove it

THANKS AGAIN !!!!

Re: How to delete a file that wont DELETE!!!!!????

Jtice, that's under windows xp, right?
Ok, do the ctrl+alt+del and go to the process tab and kill a process called explorer. Then, use the function "new task(run)" in the file menu (top left of the window) and type in "explorer" and okay that.
Try deleting the file again.

Re: How to delete a file that wont DELETE!!!!!????

I have heard you can delete the avi files in XP but here is the catch... you have to reboot XP, do NOT go into explorer but use the command prompt, I believe cmd.exe? (I am a 98se user on an obsolete K6 for now). From the command prompt goto the directory and delete the file from there. Using explorer will relock the file I believe there is a quickview feature that even the avi file showing will cause it to be hung up and undeletable.

Re: How to delete a file that wont DELETE!!!!!????

[ QUOTE ]
evan9162 said:
[ QUOTE ]
BlindedByTheLite said:
i have things i can't delete too.

"KGhost"
"ServerSide"
"QuickBrowser"

what a pain!

[/ QUOTE ]


All of those are spyware. Get rid of them ASAP. Use AdAware and/or Spyware Serach and Destroy.

[/ QUOTE ]

nothing can pick them up. i can uninstall them but they reinstall themselves when the computer is restarted.

i've tried just about everything i've heard of here.

Quick Browser doesn't even show up on my list of programs. *shrug*

they don't seem to be bothering my computer too bad tho.

Re: How to delete a file that wont DELETE!!!!!????

Win XP has a system restore feature that needs to be turned off before you run spyware app's.

if you don't system restore will put files back after it's deleted.

Also some spyware has features to defeat spyware removers, by having surving pieces restore what was deleted.

anyways.. right click on my computor, go to properties, then system restore. turn off, run your adware and spybot. then turn restore back on.

Please note spyware is extremely persistant. the best spyware removers will leave some behind.

Re: How to delete a file that wont DELETE!!!!!????

Yeah, these spyware removers are useless... I spent an afternoon hunting in the registry manualy and stepping out files with his hard drive on another pc to clean my father's pc.
Boy, that was an understatement for pain! Things I do for family...
You start with something clean and try to keep it that way for as long as you can.

Re: How to delete a file that wont DELETE!!!!!????

The solution is simple. Open Command Prompt (be it in 2000 (Start-Run-cmd) or XP), navigate to the directory where the file is, type del file.avi.

Nothing to it. Just don't forget to press Enter. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/caution.gif

Re: How to delete a file that wont DELETE!!!!!????

spybot is free, cleaned my computer of spyware, went a lot faster after that...