A file I downloaded (which doesn’t work) refuses to be deleted. When I hit delete on it, it says that it’s in use or write-protected. I ran norton 2003 on it found no infections. What can I do to delete it? (I’m using windows XP)
I’m sorry, but almost immediately after posting this someone pointed out how to fix this (I had to ctl alt del it and turn off the actual process before deleting it.) SO there’s no need to respond to this thread.
Well, my work here is done.
For future ref:
Sometimes files flag as non-deletable even when a process doesn’t appear to be running. In that situation a reboot will usually clear the problem up. If a reboot doesn’t work, right click the file and look at the flags at the bottom. Untick them all, including ‘Archive’ and the file should now be fully deletable.
If you’re dealing with a server where a reboot is going to cause some widespread distress, try the second option first =)
Sometimes I have to resort to my Windows98 to delete some file created by WindowsXP. It’s really handy to dual-boot, so that one operating system can sometimes troubleshoot the other, and for compatibility purposes too.