can't delete file in windows xp


Recommended Posts

There's a folder with a couple files in it I wanted to delete.

Error I'm getting is access denied.

Ok, I've tryed the following.

1. Restarted computer, tryed to delete as soon as I got in. - doesn't work

2. Boot into safe mode, tryed to delete file. - doesn't work

3. Tryed to delete single files in the folder - doesn't work

4. Tryed to delete the whole folder - doesn't work

5. Tryed third party software to delete the folder (MoveOnBoot) - doesn't work

6. Tryed to rename the files in the phone - wouldn't work

7. Tryed deleting through cmd with /q /s flags - doesn't work (access denied)

8. Started running checkdisk, but at 4/5 I think it stopped or it took too long so I canceled it.

9. used killbox

I can rename the folder that contains all the files but that's about it.

The folder holds about 10gigs, that's why I pretty much wanna get rid of it.

Also, it's a slave drive. 120gig Seagate.

Link to comment
https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/278843-cant-delete-file-in-windows-xp/
Share on other sites

Press delete for a file and the confirmation dialog appears. Wait from 10 secs to a minute and after that press ok. Works for me.

This could also be a sign of the HD getting corrupted or some serious malfunction. My external Lacie HD first had these symptoms and they got worse and after two weeks the HD was totally ruined.

  permissionToExterminate said:
Press delete for a file and the confirmation dialog appears. Wait from 10 secs to a minute and after that press ok. Works for me.

This could also be a sign of the HD getting corrupted or some serious malfunction. My external Lacie HD first had these symptoms and they got worse and after two weeks the HD was totally ruined.

585390022[/snapback]

Oh.. this is new for me :huh: fortunately not happening for me :D

Take a look at Process Explorer (http://www.sysinternals.com/ntw2k/freeware/procexp.shtml). You might be able to see what has that file locked.

The most common reason for not being able to delete a file is it's probably being used by a process and cannot be deleted until the process frees the file. I use a utility called WhoLockMe which flags up the process locking the file and shows an option to terminate the process to free up the file. This works for me 99% of the time. Failing that, download MoveOnBoot which allows you to flag a file for deletion next time your computer reboots. However, I've only ever had to use this once. Good luck!

  spfdz said:
I'm gonna assume that if it doesn't work in command, it won't work in that aswell

585390038[/snapback]

perhaps, perhaps not. since knoppix doesn't touch anything on your harddrive and isn't windows-based, there's pretty much a 0.00% chance that anything will be accessing/using the folder and you should be able to delete it pretty easily.

as for how to use it... it's not rocket science. downloading the .iso will probably take longer than the deletion process.

I had a problem like this, I couldnt delete some .exes of DOS games I had...

I went into the task manager, and ended explorer. Afterwards, I opened up a command prompt and deleted the offending files that way.

I dont know if this will work for you, since you want to get rid of an entire folder O_o

  AV0X said:
Is it a porn file? (seriously)

585390568[/snapback]

hehe. yeah he never told us what type of folder/files. in most cases the file is locked by explorer. if the explorer end task i mentioned above does not work, it's obviously being locked by some other process :p

  Xerus said:
I had a problem like this, I couldnt delete some .exes of DOS games I had...

I went into the task manager, and ended explorer.  Afterwards, I opened up a command prompt and deleted the offending files that way.

I dont know if this will work for you, since you want to get rid of an entire folder O_o

585390601[/snapback]

How do you delete files with command prompt?

  AV0X said:
Is it a porn file? (seriously)

585390568[/snapback]

No not porn.

Couple exe files and iso images I made of my games.

And as for safe mode. Although it seems your trying to help, you should at least read the first post throughly. (points at#2)

EDIT: Deleting files with command prompt.

"del" or "rmdir"

in command prompt, use del /? and rmdir /? before actually using it so you don't screw something up..

i have been asked this several times, and every time the following method works.

ok do the following exactly as i am about to tell you, and your problems should be gone.

this is assuming no other program is keeping your files open, and that its windows that is just acting up.

1. ctrl alt del, then in task manager, right click on explorer.exe and terminate it. (your desktop icons will dissapear, that is normal)

2. Now MAKE SURE, you dont close task manager. keep it open.

3. go to file, then run and type cmd

4. now go to your file that you want to delete and delete it in dos. ( from your previous posts i assume you know how to use dos)

5. when you are done close command prompt.

6. go back to task manager and file, then run, and type explorer

7. your desktop should re-appear, and now you can close task manager.

this works almost every time. Hope it helps you.

This seems to be a common enough problem in windows xp, since i have been asked this question several times by people i know, and i have experienced it myself on a few computers. In my experience, this has nothing to do with bad harddrive etc.. it seems to be somthing corrupt in windows, and tends to happen on old installations which have been heavilly used.

  interested said:
i have been asked this several times, and every time the following method works.

ok do the following exactly as i am about to tell you, and your problems should be gone.

this is assuming no other program is keeping your files open, and that its windows that is just acting up.

1. ctrl alt del, then in task manager, right click on explorer.exe and terminate it. (your desktop icons will dissapear, that is normal)

2. Now MAKE SURE, you dont close task manager. keep it open.

3. go to file, then run and type cmd

4. now go to your file that you  want to delete and delete it in dos. ( from your previous posts i assume you know how to use dos)

5. when you are done close command prompt.

6. go back to task manager and file, then run, and type explorer

7. your desktop should re-appear, and now you can close task manager.

this works almost every time. Hope it helps you.

This seems to be a common enough problem in windows xp, since i have been asked this question several times by people i know, and i have experienced it myself on a few computers. In my experience, this has nothing to do with bad harddrive etc.. it seems to be somthing corrupt in windows, and tends to happen on old installations which have been heavilly used.

585395842[/snapback]

yep, that's my preferred method aswell ;)

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Posts

    • So, do nothing basically, as long as you deploy Windows Updates? Pretty much yeah. Some Linux distros distribute update the secureboot certs as well, assuming you do use SecureBoot.
    • On one hand, YouTube videos are filled with so much fillers and the Youtubers intentionally speak slowly to increase video time and "engagement" metrics. On the other, Google's asking you to not stay on their site for longer. That's a win-win for viewers. So, I think it'll be axed or de-emphasised in the near future.
    • They'll just repurpose that for their AI trainings. Its never enough for LLMs.
    • Ubuntu gets second-ever snapshot release for Questing Quokka by Paul Hill Canonical has announced the release of Ubuntu 25.10 Questing Quokka Snapshot 2, a monthly development build that gives testers and developers a base from which to work on software for the upcoming release. Snapshot 1 was released at the end of May and Snapshot 3 is scheduled for July 31. Notably, the release date of Snapshot 2 and 3 have moved since last month. The Snapshot 2 update is available for various Ubuntu spins, such as Kubuntu and Lubuntu. To download, head to Ubuntu CD Image and go to the link for the version you want, such as ubuntu/. Once you’ve picked, go to releases/ > 25.10/ > snapshot-2/ and download the appropriate image for your computer - most people will want ‘64-bit PC (AMD64) desktop image’. The announcement mentions that these snapshot builds are not production ready, so you should not be installing them on a machine you use to do your work and daily computing. Canonical said that these builds should be seen as “throwaway artifacts”, whatever that means. If you’re an Ubuntu developer, you should submit your changes in the Ubuntu archive by July 28 to see it in the third snapshot. If you make any changes, Canonical asks you to update the Release Notes with the updates that you have worked on, so everyone knows what changed. Speaking of release notes, Canonical has been updating them incrementally. So far, we know that GNOME 48 is being used alongside the Linux 6.14 kernel. The use of GNOME 48 means that Ubuntu 25.10 only supports Wayland sessions as X.org has finally been dropped. Wayland has been used for a while on Ubuntu, so most people shouldn't have any issues as a result of the switchover. If you want to try out Ubuntu 25.10 Snapshot 2, you can find the download links over on the Ubuntu website. Just remember, these are not intended to be used on production machines!
  • Recent Achievements

    • Week One Done
      Marites earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • One Year In
      runge100 earned a badge
      One Year In
    • One Month Later
      runge100 earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • One Month Later
      jfam earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • First Post
      TheRingmaster earned a badge
      First Post
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      559
    2. 2
      +FloatingFatMan
      177
    3. 3
      ATLien_0
      168
    4. 4
      Michael Scrip
      125
    5. 5
      Xenon
      118
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!