Unable to delete exe files - even my own

[Ed Farrow]

I have a fully patched, SP2 XP Pro OS.
I have become aware of this problem only today.
I installed SP2 about a week ago and the latest service patches yesterday.
I cannot delete any exes.
I first noticed it when I downloaded a BIOS exe to the desktop and could not
cut and paste it, only copy.
If I open notepad and save a few lines of text as, say, test.exe, I am
unable to delete or rename it. I can copy it and the copies are not
alterable either.
I get the error that another program or person is using it.
I have checked the security tab and I own the file and have all the
necessary permissions, as an administrator, to delete it, but to no avail.
If I open a command prompt I get the same error.
The only attrib set is the Archive bit.
If I reboot to Safe Mode, I still get the same error.
If I reboot to Safe Mode Command Prompt, I can delete the file.
This happens if I save the file to the desktop or to a folder.
Can anyone help, please?

Martin.

Sorry if this has already been answered, I did Google for it but nothing
quite like it came up.

 

[tjones]

do a chkdsk on the drive where this undeletable file resides. i.e. "chkdsk
/f". I guess you cant even defragment the disk? Just do a chkdsk.

 

[Ed Farrow]

do a chkdsk on the drive where this undeletable file resides. i.e.
"chkdsk /f". I guess you cant even defragment the disk? Just do a
chkdsk.

Thanks for the quick response.
I can copy the file to a different drive and still have the same problem.
I can defrag the drive, in fact, did it yesterday.
It only happens with an exe file, a txt file deletes normally.
If I find another exe file on the drive, one that has been there for a
while, I can copy, rename or delete it without trouble.
I forgot to mention, I installed Windows Media Player 10 a day or two ago.
Maybe not relevant.
I will run chkdsk /f any way.

 

[Ed Farrow]

do a chkdsk on the drive where this undeletable file resides. i.e.
"chkdsk /f". I guess you cant even defragment the disk? Just do a
chkdsk.

chkdsk /f runs clean.
Still can't delete my new exes.

 

[Ed Farrow]

I have a fully patched, SP2 XP Pro OS.
I have become aware of this problem only today.
I installed SP2 about a week ago and the latest service patches
yesterday. I cannot delete any exes.
I first noticed it when I downloaded a BIOS exe to the desktop and
could not cut and paste it, only copy.
If I open notepad and save a few lines of text as, say, test.exe, I am
unable to delete or rename it. I can copy it and the copies are not
alterable either.
I get the error that another program or person is using it.
I have checked the security tab and I own the file and have all the
necessary permissions, as an administrator, to delete it, but to no
avail. If I open a command prompt I get the same error.
The only attrib set is the Archive bit.
If I reboot to Safe Mode, I still get the same error.
If I reboot to Safe Mode Command Prompt, I can delete the file.
This happens if I save the file to the desktop or to a folder.
Can anyone help, please?

Martin.

Sorry if this has already been answered, I did Google for it but
nothing quite like it came up.

OK, I think this might be a bug.
The exes in question are just text files saved as exes and thus, have no
icons etc associated with them.
If I look at the properties, I have the same set of 9 tabs as a shortcut
has. A 'proper' exe file saved to the desktop has just 5.
If I try to change the icon associated with the file, and OK out of the
properties, then a seperate shortcut is saved to the desktop folder with all
the same properties as the exe.
The exe file now shows the chosen icon on its General Tab in place of the
empty window.
If I delete the shortcut, then the icon goes back to the empty window.

Wierd?

 

[Alex Nichol]

Thanks for the quick response.
I can copy the file to a different drive and still have the same problem.
I can defrag the drive, in fact, did it yesterday.
It only happens with an exe file, a txt file deletes normally.
If I find another exe file on the drive, one that has been there for a
while, I can copy, rename or delete it without trouble

What is happening is that you are trying to make an exe file that is
clearly *not* an executable. When explorer first looks at one it looks
inside for various additional information (is it 16 bit of 32 bit? Is
it for Windows or DOS? for example) and you are just totally confusing
it.

Go to All Programs - Accessories - Command Prompt, navigate to the
folder where the file is with the
CD
command
and then delete it with
DEL test.exe
or whatever

 

[Ed Farrow]

What is happening is that you are trying to make an exe file that is
clearly *not* an executable. When explorer first looks at one it
looks inside for various additional information (is it 16 bit of 32
bit? Is it for Windows or DOS? for example) and you are just
totally confusing it.

Go to All Programs - Accessories - Command Prompt, navigate to the
folder where the file is with the
CD
command
and then delete it with
DEL test.exe
or whatever

Tried that yesterday.
Didn't work.
Tried it today.
Worked.
Don't you just love computers ;o)

Actually, I discovered it when I tried to delete a BIOS upgrade file from
Abit. I never had the problem in the past, so this confusion seems to be a
recent event?

Thanks for the advice, Alex

Ed

 

[Alex Nichol]

Tried that yesterday.
Didn't work.
Tried it today.
Worked.
Don't you just love computers ;o)

Difference probably is that the first time explorer had got its hands on
the file, so had it locked; second time you had rebooted so got at it
fresh. Sometimes in these circumstances it is easiest to bring up the
command window, then use Task Manager and End Process on explorer.exe to
free things. Once you have done the deletes, use Task Manager's File -
New Task to run explorer.exe again

Glad you are rid of the thing

 

[Martin Prentice]

Difference probably is that the first time explorer had got its hands
on the file, so had it locked; second time you had rebooted so got at
it fresh. Sometimes in these circumstances it is easiest to bring up
the command window, then use Task Manager and End Process on
explorer.exe to free things. Once you have done the deletes, use
Task Manager's File - New Task to run explorer.exe again

Glad you are rid of the thing

Yes, I'm sure your right.
I had a look in Process Explorer and it was only explorer.exe that had a
grip on it at the time.
This could become a problem, couldn't it, as quite a few files, such as BIOS
upgrades, don't necessarily contain all the details that explorer might
demand from a conventional executable file?

Ed

 

[Alex Nichol]

Yes, I'm sure your right.
I had a look in Process Explorer and it was only explorer.exe that had a
grip on it at the time.
This could become a problem, couldn't it, as quite a few files, such as BIOS
upgrades, don't necessarily contain all the details that explorer might
demand from a conventional executable file?

Such files are to the standard of one or other type of executable; if
not a Win32 then a Win 16 or DOS one. What can cause trouble are some
of the multimedai/graphics types, especially AVI encoded with DivX
(which came out after XP). Explorer looks in those for such things as
resolution; frame rate' codec used; Artist and so on, and can lock, or
in the case of DivX and SP2 actually crash.

It may be best for people with a lot of these files to do without the
extra property info - Start - run - regedit.exe, open to

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\SystemFileAssociations\.avi\shellex\PropertyHandler

highlight that and delete it

 

[Ed Farrow]

Such files are to the standard of one or other type of executable; if
not a Win32 then a Win 16 or DOS one. What can cause trouble are some
of the multimedai/graphics types, especially AVI encoded with DivX
(which came out after XP). Explorer looks in those for such things as
resolution; frame rate' codec used; Artist and so on, and can lock, or
in the case of DivX and SP2 actually crash.

It may be best for people with a lot of these files to do without the
extra property info - Start - run - regedit.exe, open to

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\SystemFileAssociations\.avi\shellex\PropertyHandler

highlight that and delete it

Thanks for that, Alex.
This is the file that alerted me to the problem. I downloaded it to the
desktop and there it stuck.
This one must be of the type that doesn't conform as well as the above.

ftp://ftp.abit.com.tw/pub/download/bios/nf7-s2/nf7213.exe