Unable to delete a large file - WinXP.

[Jeff7]

It's a 2.8GB Divx video file from something I recorded off TV and converted. I can't delete it now - WinXP tells me that the file is in use. I can't rename the file either. It does this right after a fresh boot too, so it's not a half-crashed instance of Media Player still claiming the file's open. Ideas? Oh, I'm using NTFS.

 

[OZEE]

Try booting to DOS and doing it from there

 

[Jeff7]

DOS can't see NTFS...or do you mean Safe Mode Command Line?
Any ideas as to why it's doing this? That's probably the main thing I'm looking to know here.

 

[QueHuong]

The thing that works for me most of the time is I just create a quick empty text file in the same directory - then highlight both and delete them at the same time.

I think the problem is that Explorer.exe is trying to generate a preview of it while you're trying to delete it...Explorer doesn't bother trying to generate a preview or read some other kinds of information when selecting two files so you can delete your DivX in that case.

 

[RVN]

How do I delete AVI files in XP?????

 

[Jeff7]

Interesting. I didn't think search would find anything on this; it seemed like a kind of weird problem. Most of my problems are common ones - you know, the ones that never happen anywhere else.
Other weird thing about this - I can delete other AVI files, just not this one; also, I get the same error whether at the computer, or accessing the system over the network.
That, and I don't have the preview thing enabled; don't think so anyway - Explorer is set to look like Win98. Just tried the command line over the network and at the PC; didn't get it; hang on, going to try a few other things.

Just did MindStorm's idea of creating the small text file, and then doing erase *.*; that got it. Strange.

 

[NapalmKing]

This happens occasionally to me too and not only with AVI files. I usually refresh a couple of times or just boot.