Comp help please

[Decade]

I downloaded the Starcraft 2 gameplay video about a week ago. My problem is that everytime I try to delete it, it says "cannot delete, currently in use by another program."

what I dont get is I check to see if windows media player is running in task manager, but its not.

Is there a way I can forceably delete this god forsaken file? Its made me have to reboot my comp countless times. Mcafee antivirus is also telling me its making a "buffer overflow." I have no idea what this means.

Help please :box:

[Pierrot le Fou]

Boot up into DOS or the like and delete it that way? Shouldn't be in use if you aren't using windows!

Or is that an impossibility now with XP?

Try making a boot disk?

[Decade]

how do i boot into dos?

And cant I just do a few dos lines in the command prompts once Im in windows already?

[xtine]

The folder you are trying to delete it in, does it have video previewing (like a sidepane that shows a screenshot of the video)? If so, then the folder actually might be accessing the video.

[Kenshin]

Boot into Safe Mode, and delete the file from there.
To do this (just in case you don't know already):

* Restart your PC
* Just before the Windows bootup screen appears, start pressing the F8 key until the Advanced Boot Options menu appears.
* Choose one of the Safe mode options (but not the one with Command Prompt) and press Enter twice.
* Once the boot process is complete, you might get asked if you want to restore your system. Choose "No" (wait, I don't remember exactly.. just choose the one that doesn't ask you to restore...>_< sorry about that.)
* After that, just find the file in explorer, and delete it.

[Decade]

Ill try that now, because after exploring for half an hour on how to do it on command prompt, it says "cant do because its being used by another person or process"

:bang:

Trying it now

[Decade]

It worked! :D :D :D

Thanks kenshin, im just hoping that whatever it was hasnt left any lasting damage :box:

[Kenshin]

You're welcome, I'm glad it worked. :D And nah, it shouldn't cause any problems at all; I think it was what xtine said: when the folder is previewing the video, it won't let you do anything to it, so that might have been the problem.

[Decade]

Oh, I didnt even notice xtines post :box: sorry.

Anyway, yes, I have a video preview turned on (the thumbnail option I guess?). Ill try to keep that in mind next time this happens.

[darighaz]

Sometimes you'll get that error also with things like torrented files, if the torrent program never "lets go" of the file when it closes.

[Jetsetlemming]

Just use this: http://ccollomb.free.fr/unlocker/ :hat:

[Plekto]

Another way to do it is to make a Knoppix boot CD. this will allow you to get into the drive regardless of what's happening and yank files/change settings/whatever.