stubborn folders

i have about 5 folders which i cannot for the life of me delete:

1) microsoft frontpage
2) Microsoft Office
3) msn gaming zone
4) NetMeeting
5) xerox

windows won't let me delete them or rename them or move them or anything. well, except #2 it lets me rename. but still i can't move or delete it.

1-3 and 5 are empty except for (also empty) subfolders. and i turned off "read only" on each of them. but still, it just says "cannot delete; it is being used by another program or person" at any delete/move attempt.

#4 has a lot of files (junk) inside. all of which i can delete, but then my system blinks and windows RECREATES them!

normally i get rid of problem files with "Uninstaller" (Advanced Uninstaller Pro 10.0). but for these 5, i get the same results as from windows itself! 1-3 and 5 "can't delete"; #4 deletes fine but then -- PRESTO MAGICO! -- back it comes.

i will point out Uninstaller worked on several other folders which windows resisted. so my list is down to 5 from the original 8 or 9. but these last 5...UGH!

what next? some sort of "del" command from that faux-DOS window? or from safe mode?

and WHY does this happen in the first place? is there somewhere in my list of "services" where i can actally WITNESS these folders "being used"? i don't see what empty folders could be "used" for in the first place, other than some "move" gone wrong or something.

is THAT the issue? some old delete or move or rename which is somehow "stuck"?

for #4, i assume both the problem and the solution are different. i need to find and kill/disable w/e routine or cab file is responsible for constantly REPLACING it.

 

Try safe mode

 

i use ASC all the time, but where is the routine to delete stuff?! i can't seem to find it anywhere.

 

Hi,
I see this on other forums sometimes and people have had success using Unlocker. It can be downloaded from MG in the admin section. Might be worth a try

 

In regard to the "being used by another program..." error message, if you open Task Manager and stop that file/app from running, that may solve the problem, and you should be able to delete the file or folder. Otherwise, you have to go back into the file to "properly" close it, close Windows Explorer, and even reboot, if necessary. I have had occasions where I have had to go through that process several times, but eventually Explorer clears the problem (closes the file) and lets you delete it.

Also, I have found that sometimes you CAN delete (or make other changes to) a folder if you do it one file at a time. Don't know why, but Windows seems to be a little more forgiving when you make changes to underlying files one at a time, rather than the whole folder, as a whole.

 

As an aside: these are probably folders installed by Windows for present or future use - IMO, if they ain't broke, don't fix them...

 

A) none of the "tasks" are running
B) there are no "tasks" TO run(!)
C) none of the files/folders/subfolders are open when attempting the deletes
D) the problem lingers thru reboot, reinstalls, defrags, you name it.

Since they are all MS-related (except "xerox" maybe), I believe it is more of an issue of some special "protection" going on. That's why I mentioned I tried turning off "read-only", first thing I did. But that wasn't good enough. Is there some setting, someplace, along the lines of "critical MS file (or empty folder...[!}) -- do not allow deletions"....??

 

If you're still determined to delete these folders (and to follow up on Imperfect1's line of reasoning), you might take a look at this walkthrough:

http://www.pchell.com/support/undeletablefiles.shtml

 

Goldenskull -- once again, I HAVE asp (3.4.1/free), i just don't see any "File Deleter" in it anywhere!

Which window, which screen are you seeing that in?

 

Why link to the competition? This is also a download site.

http://majorgeeks.com/download.php?det=5927

@ CatT. Those are Windows folders and even if you remove them they will likely be replaced with the next Windows Update.

Xerox is related to your printer. Best to leave it alone.

 

I wondered why I had a Xerox folder on my computer when I hadn't downloaded anything to do with Xerox. Simply looking at the folder properties convinced me it wasn't something to be deleting "just because".

 

The answer is pretty simple then:

Don't post links to software if you cannot be bothered to patronize the site.

You aren't picking up the tab for this forum, the owners are. The least you can do is support them by taking the extra five seconds to link to software already on the site.

 

well, for the record, unlocker worked wonders and 4 of the 5 deleted right away. until i SNEEZED and BACK they all came!

i give up. they may not take up any REAL space, but they take up "eye space". nothing more annoying than 5 junk folders in my lineup of the real 50 or so.

maybe i can at least HIDE them.....

 

You could switch to Linux?



They were there in the beginning, and will be until the end. Sorry that you feel they are an eyesore (I personally don't mess around with folders on the hard drive enough to see it as such), but thats just how the OS is.

 

This is a really important point, Adrynalyne!!! I've never thought of that, and as a relatively new poster on MajorGeeks, I didn't think about the 'cost' of the forum, and its relationship to the software links posted on the site. Good for you for mentioning it, and I'd like to see this point become the title of a separate thread -- even a Sticky perhaps - so that all new posters DO become aware of it in the future.

And to further aid new posters, perhaps in that same thread, there could be a list of the threads that contain software links -- so we would know where to look for software to support the site.