Undeletable file in Windows XP Pro

[GagHalfrunt]

I've got a file that I can't get rid of and it's driving me nuts. It's a nothing DivX-format .avi of <shudder>my sisters new baby</shudder>. I watched it in case later quizzed by relatives and now I want it gone. But like Madonna's career, the damn thing just refuses to vanish even though all involved wish it would be so. Whenever I try to delete the thing I get a "the file is being used by some other person or program... Close any programs that might be using the file and try again" message. No other programs are using it, I get the same message immediately following a reboot and have closed out every process running that isn't 100% necessary to keep Windows running and still nothing. It can't be moved or renamed and trying to check the file properties just causes Explorer to hang. It'll play, but it won't go away. Granted, it's only 200K, but it's the principle of the thing. Anyone know of a workaround to override Windows refusal to delete certain files that it "thinks" are being used or an app that'll nuke anything, no questions asked?

 

[Argo]

Try this trick:

Create a txt file in the same directory. Highlight both files and then hit delete.

 

[Zugzwang152]

try deleting from a command prompt, if that doesnt work, boot into safe mode, try again. if that doesnt work, boot off the win xp cd, into repair mode, delete from there. if that doesnt work, boot into an ntfs-capable DOS, and delete from there.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

D'oh! I'd already tried safe mode without success, but I'd like to think that if it was not around 2am I'd have remembered to use the command line without asking a stupid question first. That took care of it, thanks. Writing a post-it note to hang on the side of my monitor "The next time you have a late-night problem numbskull, have a beer or go to bed."