Help Cannot delete video file off HD even in safe mode

#1 pr-man

old hand

Group: Members
Posts: 1030
Joined: 19-February 00

Posted 22 August 2002 - 03:26 PM

Keeps saying that file is being used by another program or process. Then after i tried to delete it CPU use of explorer.exe goes to 99%

#2 Four and Twenty

Pooh-Bah

Group: Members
Posts: 1623
Joined: 25-March 00

Posted 22 August 2002 - 11:50 PM

kill explorer.exe and delete the file from the command line
that should work
if it doesn't let me know
the other way is to boot to the recovery console and delete it from there although that is a little more trick as you will have to use the policy editor to alow browsing of folders outside the windows directory first. My theory is that it is an invalid file that explorer.exe is trying to read and that explorer is what is causeing this error.

#3 Jerry Atrik

addict

Group: Members
Posts: 694
Joined: 10-June 02

Posted 23 August 2002 - 12:17 AM

ive seen that happen occasionally
i deleted file permissions and took ownership
but that doesnt always work.
the explorer thing works too... mostly

#4 iks

member

Group: Members
Posts: 134
Joined: 02-August 01

Posted 23 August 2002 - 04:16 PM

Quote:

Keeps saying that file is being used by another program or process. Then after i tried to delete it CPU use of explorer.exe goes to 99%

Yeah ist's because Explorer is really "using" this file - as you know Explorer always tries to open media files in it's preview mode (bottom left side of Explorer's window)...

Just close the Explorer and try deleting the file in Console:
Start | Run... | cmd.exe -> OK |
CD x:\folder\with\your\video\file
DEL your_video_file.avi

Hope it helps...