how to tell which program is using which file (1 Viewer)

[shkspeare]

ok basically i downloaded a file... (avi - divx)

and i finished with it.. i cant delete it
keeps saying a program is using it but i dont see nething in the background that cud b running it

is there a way to see which program is using it... or a way that i can delete it 0.o

 

[juggernaut]

ctrl + alt + delete
close everything but explorer

 

[Minai]

or boot your computer in MS-DOS mode (using a startup disk or something if ur on XP) and delete the file manually

 

[TheKey]

one method is to create an empty folder, drag this .avi file into it. then restart the computer so that memory is cleared. once restarted go straight to that folder, but dont open it. just select it and press SHIFT-DELETE. (hold shift down and press delete).

I think if u have Windows 2000/XP soon as you select the .avi file it loads it into memory and shows it to you in that little preview window, that could be why "its in use", i really dont know but the above method worked for me...

 

[Winston]

Originally posted by TheKey
one method is to create an empty folder, drag this .avi file into it. then restart the computer so that memory is cleared. once restarted go straight to that folder, but dont open it. just select it and press SHIFT-DELETE. (hold shift down and press delete).

I think if u have Windows 2000/XP soon as you select the .avi file it loads it into memory and shows it to you in that little preview window, that could be why "its in use", i really dont know but the above method worked for me...

If the file is in use how on earth do you drag into a new folder?

This has been a bug in XP /2K for a while

 

[J0n]

Originally posted by shkspeare
ok basically i downloaded a file... (avi - divx)

and i finished with it.. i cant delete it
keeps saying a program is using it but i dont see nething in the background that cud b running it

is there a way to see which program is using it... or a way that i can delete it 0.o

Have you even tried just restarting your computer? Once i couldn't play some file cause it kept saying 'in use', but when i restarted everything was fine.

BTW, if you want to see what program is accessing the file, there is a program called 'filemon' which shows when a program accesses a file - although i'm not sure if it just does that when the program first opens the file.

 

[felix_js]

You can create a blank file with the same name and paste it on the file you want to delete

 

[anti]

I think restarting clears the cache and that'll let you delete it
usually i just use it in some way - open it again or copy it somewhere else - and sometimes it kickstarts windows which goes 'OHhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh' in this really dopey voice.

your windows mightn't talk to you though

 

[Winston]

Originally posted by anti
I think restarting clears the cache and that'll let you delete it
usually i just use it in some way - open it again or copy it somewhere else - and sometimes it kickstarts windows which goes 'OHhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh' in this really dopey voice.

your windows mightn't talk to you though

LOL anti you got a copy of Windows that talks to you? :|