Help Cannot delete video file off HD even in safe mode

[pr-man 1]

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%

[Four and Twenty 0]

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.

[Jerry Atrik 0]

ive seen that happen occasionally

i deleted file permissions and took ownership

but that doesnt always work.

the explorer thing works too... mostly

[iks 0]

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...