cannot delete files

Hi guys, my drive is full of music so i did a backup of a lot of it to free up disk space but now i cannot delete any of the files. the message i am getting is "cannot delete xyz, the file or directory is corrupt or unreadable".
xyz is the name of the artist i want to delete. any ideas what i should be doing?? Thanks

 

Go Here, download and install Unlocker.


Right click the file or folder and select Unlocker. If the file or folder is locked then
a window will appear with a list of processes locking the file or folder.
Select the locks and click Unlock, then try to delete.

If still not able to delete, there is an option to delete on next boot.

 

Hi , i followed your advice, tried to delete the files but to no avail. I then rebooted and looked in the folder but the files were still there. Where exactly is the "option to delete " on reboot? thanks

 

In the meantime i have tried moving them from my C: drive to F:drive then deleteing them from the F: drive.
This seemed to work until i restarted my PC the next day only to have found them reappear on the C: drive folder.
Any more solutions? also what do you think us causing this problem to start with ?

 

You can try removing the C: drive and hooking up to a 2nd PC as an external or slave drive, or you can boot to a 'live' CD like a BartsPE or the UBCD4Win or even a Knoppix disc (which is a bootable Linux OS that runs entirely from the CD). You should have no problems deleting files that way. I boot to the UBCD4Win and delete stubborn files all the time, it works great. To build the UBCD4Win (and a BartsPE disc) you'll need your Windows XP install CD. Here some links:
UBCD4Win download http://majorgeeks.com/UBCD4Win_d5710.html
UBCD4Win how-to guide http://www.ubcd4win.com/howto.htm
BartsPE download http://www.majorgeeks.com/download4007.html
Barts how-to guide/homepage http://www.nu2.nu/pebuilder/#start
Knoppix (live Linux) http://www.knopper.net/knoppix/index-en.html
All of the above are 100% free to download and use. I have used the UBCD4Win and Knoppix; both fairly extensively and I can vouch for their usefulness and ease of use. The hardest part of the UBCD4Win is building it, which is actually really easy if you just read thru the directions a couple of times. They have really streamlined and simplified the building process compared to how it was a few years ago. And the Knoppix is simply an ISO file that you burn as an image using your favorite burning utility; there's no building involved, just download and burn!

Good luck!

 

The hooking up to a 2nd PC it out of the question im afraid.
Do you have any idea (1)WHY they wont delete
(2)WHY they wont delete on next boot with unlocker
(3)WHY they are reappearing after i have seemingly moved them to another folder and deleted them from there

i have also tried MoveOn Boot but they are still in the file on reboot.
Thanks for any advice in advance.

 

Sometimes safe mode is the answer - tapping F8 during reboot. Try all these methods again in safe mode. It might do the trick...

 

Also: In Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware program there is a feature/function that can delete locked files. It is called FileASSASSIN and is sitting on the tab "More Tools". Download link: http://www.malwarebytes.org/mbam.php or you can download it here at Major Geeks: http://majorgeeks.com/Malwarebytes_Anti-Malware_d5756.html

Keep the program. It is excellent for malware removal!