# Windows XP insists a file is in use when it isn't **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 21, 2008, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-xp-insists-a-file-is-in-use-when-it-isnt/473881 "2008-11-21T18:47:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2008, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-xp-insists-a-file-is-in-use-when-it-isnt/473881/1 "2008-11-21T18:47:16Z")
Over the last several months I have made repeated attempts to delete a large video file taking up space on my drive. Each time it has insisted that the file is in use and therefore cannot be deleted. However, not only am I not using the file, I have actually never used it at all. Is there any way to overrule this? ---
**Author:** ![Noelq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/noelq/32/16438_2.png) [@Noelq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noelq)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2008, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-xp-insists-a-file-is-in-use-when-it-isnt/473881/2 "2008-11-21T18:49:37Z")
1. Try an absolute delete - hold down the shift key when you press delete to delete the file. 2. If that doesn’t work, reboot your computer into safe mode. That should let you delete the file. ---
**Author:** ![Gfactor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@Gfactor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gfactor)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2008, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-xp-insists-a-file-is-in-use-when-it-isnt/473881/3 "2008-11-21T18:50:16Z")
Unlocker [http://www.download.com/Unlocker/3000-2248\_4-10493998.html?tag=mncol&cdlPid=10838644](http://www.download.com/Unlocker/3000-2248_4-10493998.html?tag=mncol&cdlPid=10838644) ---
**Author:** ![Sparky812](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Sparky812](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparky812)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2008, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-xp-insists-a-file-is-in-use-when-it-isnt/473881/4 "2008-11-21T19:53:33Z")
If it is a large video file you dowloaded via a torrent client, such as Bit Comet, you must remove/delete the task from there before you can delete it. ---
**Author:** ![ChadVader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ba0ec/32.png) [@ChadVader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChadVader)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2008, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-xp-insists-a-file-is-in-use-when-it-isnt/473881/5 "2008-11-21T21:19:41Z")
Here’s an easy fix without having to download anything. Open up Notepad File-\>Save As For “Save as type” change it to “All Files” Now navigate to the file you can’t delete. Click on it and overwrite it as a blank Notepad document. Exit Notepad. You should now be able to delete the file. ---
**Author:** ![LilShieste](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9f8e36/32.png) [@LilShieste](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LilShieste)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2008, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-xp-insists-a-file-is-in-use-when-it-isnt/473881/6 "2008-11-21T21:54:22Z")
> [@Gfactor](#): > > Unlocker [Free Software Downloads and Reviews for Windows, Android, Mac, and iOS - CNET Download](http://www.download.com/Unlocker/3000-2248_4-10493998.html?tag=mncol&cdlPid=10838644) I clicked on this link explicitly to suggest this. I should have known someone would beat me to it. 🙂 It’s a great program. ---
**Author:** ![Cerowyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/82dd89/32.png) [@Cerowyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cerowyn)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2008, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-xp-insists-a-file-is-in-use-when-it-isnt/473881/7 "2008-11-21T21:58:42Z")
> [@Noelq](#): > > 1. Try an absolute delete - hold down the shift key when you press delete to delete the file. That’s not an absolute delete, that’s just telling Windows not to move it to the Recycle Bin. There is no difference with regard to file attributes. ChadVader, I just tried your solution with a small WIN32 console program that opens a file and holds it open until it’s exited. Notepad refused to over-write the file, complaining that it was already in use. ---
**Author:** ![Wakinyan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wakinyan/32/352_2.png) [@Wakinyan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wakinyan)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2008, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-xp-insists-a-file-is-in-use-when-it-isnt/473881/8 "2008-11-21T22:07:24Z")
> [@LilShieste](#): > > I clicked on this link explicitly to suggest this. Me too. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2008, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-xp-insists-a-file-is-in-use-when-it-isnt/473881/9 "2008-11-21T22:12:40Z")
That program worked like a charm. Thanks! What causes files to get like this? ---
**Author:** ![Valgard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/7feea3/32.png) [@Valgard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Valgard)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2008, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-xp-insists-a-file-is-in-use-when-it-isnt/473881/10 "2008-11-21T22:57:50Z")
> [@matt\_mcl](#): > > That program worked like a charm. Thanks! > > What causes files to get like this? I’m sure that there are a variety of reasons but my experience has been that a service is using the file in some way. It’s not an “application” as such. Closing or restarting the service in question is how I generally work around it. ---
**Author:** ![yoyodyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a9a28c/32.png) [@yoyodyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yoyodyne)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2008, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-xp-insists-a-file-is-in-use-when-it-isnt/473881/11 "2008-11-22T01:07:09Z")
For large files I usually suspect the anti-virus locking up after opening the file for scanning. ---
**Author:** ![Noelq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/noelq/32/16438_2.png) [@Noelq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noelq)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2008, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-xp-insists-a-file-is-in-use-when-it-isnt/473881/12 "2008-11-22T18:17:48Z")
> [@Cerowyn](#): > > That’s not an absolute delete, that’s just telling Windows not to move it to the Recycle Bin. There is no difference with regard to file attributes. > > ChadVader, I just tried your solution with a small WIN32 console program that opens a file and holds it open until it’s exited. Notepad refused to over-write the file, complaining that it was already in use. I’ve found that sometimes that over-rides file locking on corrupted files. I don’t know the technical name for it - I’ve just always called it “absolute delete”. Just trying to help with the obscure solutions, dude. 🙂