Unable to delete or move files of folders!

[indianarchie]

When I try to delete or move some of my personal files and folders, that i myself have created, i get the message 'cannot delete: Access is denied'. Make sure the disk is not write-protected, or that the file is not currently in use'. I can however copy these files.

I have checked all tht, and no one else accesses the file. It does not hav any kind of password protection or any settings that may prevent deletion or moving. I saw a reply to this problem in this or some other forum long back, but am unable to find it.

It involved pressing ctrl+alt+del and endtasking explorer.exe. Then there was something like opening a command prompt and attempting to delete the file thru tht. I had even tried this out when i had found the steps earlier, and it had worked then! only thing is i did not save these steps!

If anyone has the precise steps, i would be really grateful if they could post it here! I need to remove these files from my computer ASAP!!

[MCT]

put this in a batch file

taskkill.exe /IM /F explorer.exe

del /q path\to\file.ext

replace path\to\file.ext with the patch & extension of the file

[indianarchie]

mct..it didnt work:(

[Stusteel]

Almost there.

Start > Run > Command (not cmd) and keep window open

kill explorer.exe process

Go back to to command window and browse to the file you want to delete. Once you have done the deeds just restart explorer.exe

[indianarchie]

what is the difference between cmd.exe and command?

[Zigi]

May be you should run scandisk to check your disk before you want to remove this files? Also check if all programs are closed. And try to re-start Windows XP in safe mode: press F8 during Windows booting and then select safe mode.

[enuffsaid]

what is the difference between cmd.exe and command?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The file CMD.EXE is the Microsoft Windows NT command line shell and is more compatible and portable between different hardware platforms when compared to the original COMMAND.COM, which has been used as the command interpreter with DOS for several years. COMMAND.COM is included for backwards compatibility and is recommended that it be used when old MS-DOS programs may not be able to be run in Windows NT.

One of the most noticeable things a user is going to notice when using CMD to access MS-DOS is the ability to use long file names. When a user is using COMMAND they will need to use the short 8.3 name. For example, if a user wanted to access "My Documents" in COMMAND they would need to type "cd mydocu~1". However, a user who wanted access the same directory through CMD could type "cd my documents".

HTH

[ChunkDog]

Try this Program , it's for deleting files and folders with illegal characters, but it will work in your case. The only reason it wouldn't work is if there is a program in memory that is located in the folders you are trying to delete. Just restart your computer, then delete the folders with this program.

[indianarchie]

Thanks guys for all your help and replies!! The problem is now solved.