# Rebellion in the File System! **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 30, 2004, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rebellion-in-the-file-system/226828 "2004-01-30T20:54:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Phage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a4c791/32.png) [@Phage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phage)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2004, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rebellion-in-the-file-system/226828/1 "2004-01-30T20:54:29Z")
I have both a file and a folder (unrelated) which refuse to be deleted! When I try they inform me that they are in use by another program and cannot be removed. Perhaps as a related issue when I so much as right-click on the file or folder, the McAfee On Access scanner starts not so much a memory leak as a memory hemorrhage in the style of Kill Bill. It manages to grab all of my 512 megs in just a few seconds, and must be shut down from the task manager. What could be causing this, and how do I fix it? McAfee (home edition) is updated regularly, and I run a complete system scan every day at 4:00AM so I don’t think I have a virus, etc. ---
**Author:** ![sleestak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/919ad9/32.png) [@sleestak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sleestak)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2004, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rebellion-in-the-file-system/226828/2 "2004-01-30T21:29:58Z")
> [@Phage](#): > > I have both a file and a folder (unrelated) which refuse to be deleted! When I try they inform me that they are in use by another program and cannot be removed. Perhaps as a related issue when I so much as right-click on the file or folder, the McAfee On Access scanner starts not so much a memory leak as a memory hemorrhage in the style of Kill Bill. It manages to grab all of my 512 megs in just a few seconds, and must be shut down from the task manager. > > What could be causing this, and how do I fix it? McAfee (home edition) is updated regularly, and I run a complete system scan every day at 4:00AM so I don’t think I have a virus, etc. What type of files is it? What is the file name? What OS are you using? You can try restarting the computer in MS-DOS mode and then using del c:\directory\filename to delete the file that is giving you a problem. Note, be careful with this 🙂 As far as the memory leak goes, csall McAfee. I looked on the McAfee website and couldn’t find anything about it. It sounds like a bug. Slee ---
**Author:** ![Phage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a4c791/32.png) [@Phage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phage)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2004, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rebellion-in-the-file-system/226828/3 "2004-01-30T23:16:18Z")
> [@sleestak](#): > > What type of files is it? What is the file name? What OS are you using? > > You can try restarting the computer in MS-DOS mode and then using > del c:\directory\filename to delete the file that is giving you a problem. Note, be careful with this 🙂 > > As far as the memory leak goes, csall McAfee. I looked on the McAfee website and couldn’t find anything about it. It sounds like a bug. > > Slee Could you give me a little more info on restarting in DOS mode, and on how to restart after I have deleted the files? I am running XP Pro. ---
**Author:** ![Frankovich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/73ab20/32.png) [@Frankovich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frankovich)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2004, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rebellion-in-the-file-system/226828/4 "2004-01-31T03:44:52Z")
I don’t think XP can restart in dos mode. I had a smiliar problem happen before, and I just deleted it like that other poster mentioned. However, instead of restarting in dos, I just deleted it through the command prompt. Start menu \> Programs \> Accessories \> Command Prompt That’s with the classic start menu, mind you. I don’t like that new fangled xp one. ---
**Author:** ![Phage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a4c791/32.png) [@Phage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phage)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2004, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rebellion-in-the-file-system/226828/5 "2004-01-31T03:52:57Z")
> [@Frankovich](#): > > I don’t think XP can restart in dos mode. > > I had a smiliar problem happen before, and I just deleted it like that other poster mentioned. However, instead of restarting in dos, I just deleted it through the command prompt. > > Start menu \> Programs \> Accessories \> Command Prompt > > That’s with the classic start menu, mind you. I don’t like that new fangled xp one. I already tried that way, but got the same error message (in the command line). There must be some way of deleting it… ---
**Author:** ![typhoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ed8c4c/32.png) [@typhoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typhoon)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2004, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rebellion-in-the-file-system/226828/6 "2004-01-31T04:25:44Z")
You can still start XP in the recovery console (boot from the XP disc or run “d:\i386\winnt32.exe /cmdcons” with the disc in the drive to install it onto your hard drive) or create a bootable MS-DOS 7 floppy (check the box in the Format dialog box that says something about bootable MS-DOS disks and throw [this](http://www.sysinternals.com/ntw2k/freeware/NTFSDOS.shtml) on it). ---
**Author:** ![Nanoda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Nanoda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nanoda)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2004, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rebellion-in-the-file-system/226828/7 "2004-01-31T05:01:14Z")
You can boot to cmd line in WinXP, right? Hit F8 on boot, and choose “Command Line” or “Prompt” or something, then delete it that way. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2004, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rebellion-in-the-file-system/226828/8 "2004-01-31T05:09:58Z")
You can also try [this](http://forums.techguy.org/t193280/scdba855b974cca43126717658acec6a6.html) to delete undeletable files and folders. ---
**Author:** ![Art\_Barber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/edb3f5/32.png) [@Art\_Barber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Art_Barber)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2004, 10:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rebellion-in-the-file-system/226828/9 "2004-01-31T10:59:14Z")
I dunno about command line deletion (worth trying, I guess), but what always works for me is rebooting. Then, delete the undesired files immediately. Win XP, btw. Art