How to delete protected system files ?

[Modelworks]

I have several directories on a second drive, mounted as D that I would like to delete.
These were from another windows install , Program files, windows, my documents, cannot be deleted, even though they are not part of the current windows install.

Other than formatting the drive, can someone tell me how to delete these directories.
I did empty what I could from the directories, but theres files in there that it won't let me delete.

I also tried changing permissions on the files to archive, etc and it will not let me.

 

[mzkhadir]

you can try using a program called unlocker and see whats locking the file and not letting you delete it.

 

[fiksi]

Well, if u booted any linux, you would be able to delete them i guess... also, perhaps recovery console booted from win cd could help.

 

[Modelworks]

Well, tried unlocker and it said the files were not locked and then I tried to delete them using unlocker and that didn't work either 🙁

I have also tried booting into recovery console and it cannot remove them .
Even tried linux with ntfs read/write and it will not delete them either.

What exactly does MS do to these directories to make them so permanent.

 

[montag451]

Did you use MS encryption in your last install?

 

[Modelworks]

No encryption.
It was a drive that had vista installed.
vista did the formatting/partitioning.
But I haven't heard of anything new in vista with ntfs that would have results like this.

 

[Markbnj]

You sure it isn't an ownership issue? The Vista account that created those directories won't look the same to XP as the XP account you're using to try to delete them. If you are an admin on the current OS, go to one of the directories you want to delete, right click it, click properties, then the security tab, then advanced. In the advanced dialog click the owner tab, then highlight your admin account in the list and click apply. See if that tears them loose.

 

[Modelworks]

It looks like it was an owenrship issue.
I looked at the security on the directories and it showed I was the admin and had full priviledges. I did notice that it would not let me set the delete folders option.

So I rebooted into safe mode as admin and the security now showed me as admin for the folders but also another owner , something like s847291-2746561-2874 with a question mark for an icon.

I removed that user and then reapplied the permissions.
This time it worked and I could delete the folders.
I don't know why the user didn't show , except in safe mode.

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone.

In the future I recommend formatting a drive if it had vista on it and you want to use it with xp. Those folders are a pain to remove.

 

[Nothinman]

In the future I recommend formatting a drive if it had vista on it and you want to use it with xp. Those folders are a pain to remove.

This had nothing to do with Vista, the same would have happened if there was another install of any version of NT on there with files owned by users not present on the currently booted instance of NT.