How to get XP to release a locked file

[R. L.]

No, I did not drag and drop. Followed your step-by-step
instructions, and used Ctrl + X / Ctrl + V

What OS are you running. No problems at all on WinXP here.
Also, can you replicate this behaviour everytime, or does
it happen randomly?

It happens randomly here.

I did not try it this time, but I clearly remember I had
similar problem with that cut and paste thing. I was guessing
that it was related to the clipboard function in XP, but it
was still like that after I clear the clipboard.

Another situation here I found is that file will get lock
when:
I download a program, extract it, run the exe file in it
directly in explorer, exit the program (and it is not shown up
in the task manager anymore), go up one directory and try to
delete the folder - locked - again, happens randomly.

Then, another situation related to file folder lock seems to
involve XP zip capacity. Don't remember how it happen exactly
but is related to a newly extracted folder cannot be deleted.





--
RL
Unofficial Adaware Updater (+other goodies)
http://home.earthlink.net/~ringomei/page2.html
********************************
Pricelessware:
http://www.pricelessware.org,
http://www.pricelesswarehome.org,

 

[R. L.]

1) Kill explorer.exe using Task Manager.
2) Launch a Command Prompt, and delete the locked file
using the 'del' command.
3) Restart explorer.exe (Win + R -> Type explorer.exe).

This is a usual solution I read. However, based on my
personal experiences I really don't recommand killing
explorer.exe. Unless you are definitely in a very critical
situation and you have to kill it (logoff and logon again will
usually solve the deleting problem).

I don't usually kill explorer, but among the couple times I
that I did, I one time actually corrupted the explorer file
extension context menu registry and took me a few hours to
figure the right entries out and fix them. One time I also
loss some shell settings after killing explorer. Really not
recommand it.








--
RL
Unofficial Adaware Updater (+other goodies)
http://home.earthlink.net/~ringomei/page2.html
********************************
Pricelessware:
http://www.pricelessware.org,
http://www.pricelesswarehome.org,

 

[Alexander Grigoriev]

If it's really an application you've closed, then the app may be still
undead. You'll need to find it in Task Manager and terminate the process.

Sometimes, when you select a file in Explorer, it's trying to analyse what's
in the file, and during that, the file is locked.
If you're just trying to delete an AVI file in Explorer, and it gives you an
error, highlight the file with mouse, wait a few seconds (the stupid
analyser should be done with it by then), and then press Shift+Del.

 

[Antoine]

No, I did not drag and drop. Followed your step-by-step
instructions, and used Ctrl + X / Ctrl + V

Thanks for confirmation.

What OS are you running. No problems at all on WinXP here. Also,
can you replicate this behaviour everytime, or does it happen
randomly?

I am running WinXP SP1 home edition - french.
It happens systematically.

 

[Svend Cr]

QUESTION: Are there some utilities or some procedures which
-- snip --

But such an app *does* exist.

It's called Process Explorer, from SysInternals:
http://www.sysinternals.com/ntw2k/freeware/procexp.shtml

"Ever wondered which program has a particular file or
directory open? Now you can find out. Process Explorer shows
you information about which handles and DLLs processes have
opened or loaded." -- snip --
Besides showing this information, this amazing app does a lot,
lot more. Highly recommended for advanced users.

How do I use this software, Process Explorer, so that I start with
a file in a a particular folder and then it tells me which process
or program is holding on to it?

From what I see, Process Explorer starts with a program and tell
you what files it is using or locking.

Any info welcome please.

 

[David Candy]

Use oh.exe from the windows 2003 resource kit tools http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...69-57ff-4ae7-96ee-b18c4790cffd&displaylang=en

Type
oh +otl
reboot
then
oh /t file <filename>
or leave filename blank to see all.

EG to see what program has inbox.dbx open (OE's inbox file)

oh /t file inbox.dbx
which returns

//
// TIME: 2004-03-30 19:50
// MACHINE: SERENITY
// BUILD: 2600
// OH version: built by: dnsrv_dev(v-smgum)
//
//
00000CF0 msimn.exe File 050c \Documents and Settings\David Candy\
Local Settings\Application Data\Identities\{E6E1A8F2-C885-46A5-975E-94A4A1F8C788
}\Microsoft\Outlook Express\Inbox.dbx

[Microsoft Internet Mail And News (MSIMN.EXE) is the real name of Outlook Express rather than the marketing name. Office's Outlook internet features is a copy of Outlook Express. OL stole OE's code while OE got OL's name.]

 

[Gert van der Kooij]

How do I use this software, Process Explorer, so that I start with
a file in a a particular folder and then it tells me which process
or program is holding on to it?

From what I see, Process Explorer starts with a program and tell
you what files it is using or locking.

Any info welcome please.

You can use (menu option) Find --> Handle to search for the file.
You can use the 'handle' utility, also from the Sysinternals site, if
you need a commandline progam.

 

[tully]

The problem is that I can't always identify the most likely culprit
and so I have no idea which process to kill. I use Taskinfo
http://www.iarsn.com/taskinfo.html which seems very clever but I
can't see how to start with the file or folder and see what
process is locking it.

I use Process Explorer from Sysinternals. It lets you check the file
handles and what process has which file, or dll open, and lets you
terminate the handle individually if you so choose. It has helped me
out several times when Explorer has kept a file locked for some unknown
reason.
www.sysinternals.com