What to do if a file cannot be deleted

It often happens that while trying to delete a file or a folder, your system tells you that this particular file cannot be deleted at that time. These errors occur currently with video or music file formats. This can be due to a number of factors, such as:

• Someone else is accessing the file/folder on the network or on a shared computer
• You are trying to delete a system file that is being used by another program
• You are trying to delete an infected folder or your system has been infected and prevents you from deleting this file
• You have access restrictions on this particular file/folder
• The file/folder has been saved in “Read only” format
• Your system is not compatible with this kind of file and is hence displaying error messages.

How to get rid of the file?

Solution 1: Ensure that the file/folder is not in use

If you are using a shared computer, another user or program on the user’s account might be using the file/folder that you are trying to delete.
1. Ask the other user/s to close all the programs that they might be using
2. Make sure that they have log off from their account.
3. Restart your computer, log in to your account and try to delete the file/folder again.

Solution 2: Run your system on Safe Mode

If your system or the file has been infected by a virus, using the Safe Mode can allow you to delete it as most viruses get active while running the normal mode. Hence
1. Restart your system and when the first screen is displayed, press the F8 key on your keyboard.
2. Various booting options for your system should now be listed on the screen. Using your keyboard arrows, choose “Safe Mode”.
3. When the loading is done, choose the file/folder that has to be deleted, right-click on it and choose the “Delete” option.
4. Don’t forget to empty the Recycle Bin by right-clicking on the icon and choosing the option “Empty Recycle Bin”.

Solution 3: Download or update your Antivirus program

If your computer system has been infected, you should first download an antivirus if you do not already have one. If you do, think about upgrading the current version of the software and run the scanning process again. You can get a very good antivirus from the list below:
BitDefender
An antivirus / Antispyware that protects against phishing attacks.
Type: Commercial/Free trial
System Requirements:

• Windows 2000 with Service Pack 4
• Windows XP with Service Pack 2 (32/64 bit)
• Windows Vista (32/64 bit)

Download Link: http://www.bitdefender.com/site/Downloads/
Kaspersky 7
An antivirus / Antispyware that protects against worms and Trojans.
Type: Commercial/free Trial
System requirements:
Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional (Service Pack 4 or higher), Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition (Service Pack 2 or Higher), Microsoft Windows XP Professional (Service Pack 2 or higher), Microsoft Windows XP Professional x64 Edition, Microsoft Windows Vista, Microsoft Windows Vista x64.
Hardware and Software Requirements:
50 MB free space on the hard disk, CD-ROM (for installation), Internet connection (for activation and updates), Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5 or higher (for updating signatures and the program), Microsoft Windows Installer 2.0.
Download Link: http://en.softonic.com/s/kaspersky-7
ESET NOD32
Antivirus
Type: Commercial
System Requirements:

• Processors supported: 32-bit (x86) and 64-bit (x64) Intel®, AMD® or 100% compatible
• Operating Systems: Microsoft Windows 2000, Microsoft Windows XP (32 and 64-bit editions), Microsoft Windows Vista (32 and 64-bit editions)
• Memory: 33 - 38 MB on average
• Disk Space (download): 16MB
• Disk Space (installation): 78MB

Download Link: http://zelectronicz.com/p-17871-eset-nod32-antivirus-home-edition-v30.aspx
AVG Anti-Virus 8
Antivirus
Type: Commercial/ Free
System Requirements:

• CPU Intel Pentium, 300 MHz
• 30 MB free hard drive space
• 256 MB RAM
• MS Windows 2000
• MS Windows XP
• MS Windows XP Pro x64 Edition
• MS Windows Vista
• MS Windows Vista x64 Edition

Download Link: http://free.avg.com/

Solution 4: Use Notepad

You can try to use Notepad to open the file that you want to remove to bypass Windows Explorer and its indexing.
1. Open Notepad and go to the “File” and “Open” options
2. Ensure that the “File Type” option is set to “All files” and not only “Text documents”.
3. Once you have located the file that you want to delete, DO NOT double-click on it. Instead, use the right-click feature and choose “Delete” from the list.
4. Don’t forget to empty your Recycle Bin after this process.

Solution 5: Deactivate the Indexing service

1. Go to your Start button and choose “Control panel”
2. Select the “Administrative Tools” option and then “Services” tab.
3. When you find the “Indexing” option in the lower section of the window, select the “Stop” button.
4. Without closing the window, try to delete the file again.
5. When done, you can set your configuration to its initial settings or choose to disable the indexing option.

Solution 6: Use MoveOnBoot

MoveOnBoot is a simple freeware utility that will let you to delete the files that you want to remove before your computer system locks them. Before your system even starts, changes are done to your hard drive. Thus, you should ensure that your system gets restarted after using MoveOnBoot.
1. Download the software from http://www.softwarepatch.com/software/moveonboot.html
2. After installation of the program, run it and browse for the file that you want to delete.
3. Select the “Delete” option and click “OK”.
4. You can now restart your system or choose to do it later.