Vista - Can not Delete a file????

I got a few 'trial games' downloaded and I now I can't delete the .exe used
to install them. I am being told that
The action can't be completed because the file is open by another program.
Close the file and try again.

This is a load of crap. The programs (one of them is a .mov video clip too)
are NOT open, I only ran them once and my computer has been restarted several
times since then. the Task Manager does not show these processes running
either.

WTH???

Boot into "Safe Mode" and then uninstall the offending program(s).

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows Shell/User

----------------------------------------------------------------------

"Angyl" wrote:

I got a few 'trial games' downloaded and I now I can't delete the .exe used
to install them. I am being told that
The action can't be completed because the file is open by another program.
Close the file and try again.

This is a load of crap. The programs (one of them is a .mov video clip too)
are NOT open, I only ran them once and my computer has been restarted several
times since then. the Task Manager does not show these processes running
either.

WTH???

Angyl wrote:
> I got a few 'trial games' downloaded and I now I can't delete the .exe used
> to install them. I am being told that
> The action can't be completed because the file is open by another program.
> Close the file and try again.
>
> This is a load of crap. The programs (one of them is a .mov video clip too)
> are NOT open, I only ran them once and my computer has been restarted several
> times since then. the Task Manager does not show these processes running
> either.
>
> WTH???
Try deleting it in Safe Mode. Boot the system, start tapping F8, at the
menu, choose Safe Mode.

--
Michael Solomon
Backup is a PC user's best friend
DTS-L.Org: http://www.dts-l.org/

Carey Frisch [MVP] wrote:
> "Angyl" wrote:
>
>> I got a few 'trial games' downloaded and I now I can't delete the
>> .exe used to install them. I am being told that
>> The action can't be completed because the file is open by another
>> program. Close the file and try again.
>>
>> This is a load of crap. The programs (one of them is a .mov video
>> clip too) are NOT open, I only ran them once and my computer has been
>> restarted several times since then. the Task Manager does not show
>> these processes running either.
>>
>> WTH???
>
> Boot into "Safe Mode" and then uninstall the offending program(s).

This is yet another deficiency of Vista. I know I've said it before and
I guess I'll say it again: There is just no excuse for these problems in
an OS that promised ot solve so many problems and considering how long
it was in developement, things like this are just laughable. "Longhorn"
was in dev at least since 2001 when I first read about it. This is
supposedly the same people who broguh us XP, so what excuse is there for
all these ridiculous problems? XP never had so many problems as I'm
seeing with Vista - both in this group and customers that come to us.
I've been in line of work since 1996 so I can honestly say Vista has had
the most problems of any Windows I can remember, and there is no excuse
for it.

-saran

Michael Solomon wrote:
> Angyl wrote:
>> I got a few 'trial games' downloaded and I now I can't delete the
>> .exe used to install them. I am being told that
>> The action can't be completed because the file is open by another
>> program. Close the file and try again.
>>
>> This is a load of crap. The programs (one of them is a .mov video
>> clip too) are NOT open, I only ran them once and my computer has
>> been restarted several times since then. the Task Manager does not
>> show these processes running either.
>>
>> WTH???
>
> Try deleting it in Safe Mode. Boot the system, start tapping F8, at
> the menu, choose Safe Mode.

This is got the be the most fuggered up way to delete a file. I don't
think i've ever had to reboot just to do that, unless there was soem
serious IO snafu that resulted in a zombie process, but clearly that is
not the case as the OP said he rebooted and it persisted. Makes you
wonder why Vista is keeping tabs on certain files... and some of you
think theres no privacy concerns in Vista.

Theres no reason for that sort of behavior; it is unacceptable imho.

-saran

Where is the file located? Is it on the desktop? I found this happened when
the folder was open. I solved this by moving the file to a empty folder and
then deleting the folder (without opening it).

By the way I have seen this problem in XP as well.

Turn off the Preview Pane also. Vista displays a lot of "info' about the
file if it is highlighted so it thinks it is "open".

Cheers,
Lara

"Angyl" wrote:

> I got a few 'trial games' downloaded and I now I can't delete the .exe used
> to install them. I am being told that
> The action can't be completed because the file is open by another program.
> Close the file and try again.
>
> This is a load of crap. The programs (one of them is a .mov video clip too)
> are NOT open, I only ran them once and my computer has been restarted several
> times since then. the Task Manager does not show these processes running
> either.
>
> WTH???

lforbes wrote:
> Where is the file located? Is it on the desktop? I found this
> happened when the folder was open. I solved this by moving the file
> to a empty folder and then deleting the folder (without opening it).
>
> By the way I have seen this problem in XP as well.

Yes a similar problem used to be in XP (though I haven't seen it for
quite some time), but it didn't persist between reboots. Again, seeing
as this was a known problem in XP (seemingly before an update was
released, which would imply there was a solution) I find it inexcusable
that it remains, ever worse, in Vista.

-saran

It was when the preview pane was open. I can still recreate the error in XP
so it wasn't fixed. I have been a network tech (Mac and PC) for almost 20
years so I have seen a lot of changes that are more drastic than Vista.
Personally the change from Mac's OS 9 to OSX was far worse as OSX just didn't
let you install any software that wasn't written for it and crashed
constantly.

Vista has taken me awhile to get used to and I wish they would put back the
functionality that they removed from it (File Types, Font Security settings,
Photo Import Manager etc) but it has some added features that are handy and I
am slowly learning.

I just see no point in getting too upset about it because it is here to
stay. The real challenge for me will be when I have to integrate it into my
network because it doesn't support any backwards compatability with regards
to profiles or group policies. But hey - keeps my life interesting.


"Saran" wrote:

> lforbes wrote:
> > Where is the file located? Is it on the desktop? I found this
> > happened when the folder was open. I solved this by moving the file
> > to a empty folder and then deleting the folder (without opening it).
> >
> > By the way I have seen this problem in XP as well.
>
> Yes a similar problem used to be in XP (though I haven't seen it for
> quite some time), but it didn't persist between reboots. Again, seeing
> as this was a known problem in XP (seemingly before an update was
> released, which would imply there was a solution) I find it inexcusable
> that it remains, ever worse, in Vista.
>
> -saran
>
>
>

lforbes wrote:
> "Saran" wrote:
>> lforbes wrote:
>>> Where is the file located? Is it on the desktop? I found this
>>> happened when the folder was open. I solved this by moving the file
>>> to a empty folder and then deleting the folder (without opening it).
>>>
>>> By the way I have seen this problem in XP as well.
>>
>> Yes a similar problem used to be in XP (though I haven't seen it for
>> quite some time), but it didn't persist between reboots. Again,
>> seeing as this was a known problem in XP (seemingly before an update
>> was released, which would imply there was a solution) I find it
>> inexcusable that it remains, ever worse, in Vista.
>>
>> -saran
>
> It was when the preview pane was open. I can still recreate the error
> in XP so it wasn't fixed.

I haven't run into this problem in well over a year, nor can I reproduce
it like I used to be able, so I can only say this must of come about
from one of the updates.

> I have been a network tech (Mac and PC)
> for almost 20 years so I have seen a lot of changes that are more
> drastic than Vista. Personally the change from Mac's OS 9 to OSX was
> far worse as OSX just didn't let you install any software that wasn't
> written for it and crashed constantly.

That actually does sound like Vista in certain respects; it does have a
habit of crashing on certain softwares... hell it even crashes on some
programs that -are- written for it... go figure. Given how long
Microsoft claiemd thye worked on it, these problems are just
unacceptable imho.

-saran

Really - Well in 6 months it hasn't crashed for me yet except with IE 7 once
in awhile if I have over 20 tabs open.

I run all sorts of old and 3rd party software including tons of older
children's software and it all runs fine. For everything that isn't Vista
certified, I just run in compatibility mode and it runs without issue.

I have a new machine with an OEM copy. I never ever do upgrades as my
experience is that they are never stable. I always do a clean install and
migrate settings.

Cheers,
Lara

"Saran" wrote:

> lforbes wrote:
> > "Saran" wrote:
> >> lforbes wrote:
> >>> Where is the file located? Is it on the desktop? I found this
> >>> happened when the folder was open. I solved this by moving the file
> >>> to a empty folder and then deleting the folder (without opening it).
> >>>
> >>> By the way I have seen this problem in XP as well.
> >>
> >> Yes a similar problem used to be in XP (though I haven't seen it for
> >> quite some time), but it didn't persist between reboots. Again,
> >> seeing as this was a known problem in XP (seemingly before an update
> >> was released, which would imply there was a solution) I find it
> >> inexcusable that it remains, ever worse, in Vista.
> >>
> >> -saran
> >
> > It was when the preview pane was open. I can still recreate the error
> > in XP so it wasn't fixed.
>
> I haven't run into this problem in well over a year, nor can I reproduce
> it like I used to be able, so I can only say this must of come about
> from one of the updates.
>
> > I have been a network tech (Mac and PC)
> > for almost 20 years so I have seen a lot of changes that are more
> > drastic than Vista. Personally the change from Mac's OS 9 to OSX was
> > far worse as OSX just didn't let you install any software that wasn't
> > written for it and crashed constantly.
>
> That actually does sound like Vista in certain respects; it does have a
> habit of crashing on certain softwares... hell it even crashes on some
> programs that -are- written for it... go figure. Given how long
> Microsoft claiemd thye worked on it, these problems are just
> unacceptable imho.
>
> -saran
>
>
>