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Win 2K - 'Error deleting file or folder' even when it's not in use

Can anyone tell me a way to prevent the following:

Infuriatingly often, A file or folder I have been woking on/in cannot be deleted, apparently because the OS thinks that it is still being used by some process, even after the app(s) that might be referencing it have ben closed. As in:

Error deleting file or folder
Cannot delete New Folder: There has been a sharing violation.
The source or destination file may be in use.

or

Error moving file or folder
Cannor remove folder New Folder: There has been a sharing violation.
The source or destination file may be in use.

I don't really expect there is a way to prevent the OS from doing this, but is there some way I can manually "unhook" the file or folder in question so that it can be moved or deleted (like a registry key or something)? Right now the only solution is log off and log on again, which is ridiculous...

ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION

munkyxtc

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lpzCoville

ASKER

It's a general question. However, it's never something where I've been running an app out of the folder; it's where I've been using a file in the folder, for example viewing a pdf file with Acrobat Reader or an image file with ACDSee. Those are just two examplesoff the top off my head, it happens so often that I haven't noticed a pattern as to which aps will lock the folder and which won't (except Windows Media Player, which actually seems to behave itself very nicely.)

lpzCoville

ASKER

Correction - I thought about it some more, and I think it might happen sometimes when I've been running an app, like a game, out of a folder, but it's infrequent that I need to move a folder containing an app that I really haven't paid that much attention.

lpzCoville

ASKER

OK!! I checked it in Task Manager and there was indeed a residual process running from Acrobat Reader(those bastards!) that, once shut down, allowed me to delete the offending folders(s). I don't know for sure if this is going to work in all instances, but I have a hunch you're right and that some other programs are pulling the same shennanigans. Thanks!

munkyxtc

Thanks for the points --

Upon reading the rest of what you updated -- We had a problem with acrobat 6 creating the same issue for us -- rolling back to an older version solved the problem for us -- Just a thought.

Anything else, just ask.