This article will help many readers, as it describes various ways to delete files and folders that, it would seem, simply cannot be deleted. Also, the information provided is accompanied by corresponding pictures, which will greatly simplify the solution of the problem. As full-fledged owners of their computers, we naively believe that he is simply obliged to obey us in everything. But, alas, this is not the case! Sometimes even deleting any files or folders can be pretty annoying.
rice. 1 How many times when trying delete empty or unnecessary folder popped up such a window (Fig. 1)?
As a rule, such non-deleted files and folders are the result of incorrect user actions. For a long time, they can be on the computer, take up space and do not give in to opening, renaming, and deletion.
So, if a dialog box appears when deleting a file or folder, you must carefully read the notification. The file may be in use by some other program, which prevents the system from deleting it. For example, trying to send a movie to the "trash", you did not notice that it is still running in the video player (ie the process is not stopped) or is being distributed in µTorrent. Or, for example, you want to delete a folder containing music that is currently playing in the music player.
First of all, you should restart your computer, after which the folder is usually deleted without any problems. Otherwise, you need to view the running programs, since the process may not be stopped or encrypted data is stored in the folder, which must be changed by unchecking the "Encrypt data" item in its properties. Another option for the impossibility of deleting a folder may be the coincidence of its name with the name of the system folder. And system folders, as many people know, are not recommended to be deleted.
But if you have already deleted an unnecessary folder several times, and it constantly returned to its original place, then, most likely, it was swallowed by a virus. This means that you need to either install a good antivirus program, or update it, or replace it with a new antivirus program and carry out a full scan for the presence of viruses. You can also try to cut such a folder and move it to a USB flash drive, which you can format later. But do not forget that after formatting, all information will be deleted from the flash drive, so the files that you still need should first be transferred to your PC.
rice. 2 There is another way to delete a folder. Go to its properties, select the "View" submenu in the "Service" section, uncheck the "Use simple file sharing" line (Fig. 2) and save the changes.
rice. 3
rice. 4 Further, being in the same place, in the folder properties, select the "Security" tab and, by clicking on the "Advanced" button (Fig. 3), uncheck all the boxes for reading and execution (Fig. 4). Then save the steps you performed and try deleting the folder again.
Among other things, deletion can be done through the Total Commander explorer, which displays locked folders and files. To do this, you need to launch this program and press the Ctrl + Alt + Delete key combination, thereby opening the "Task Manager". Now, having found the encrypted file in Total Commander, look for it in the "Task Manager" processes as well. If you manage to find such a process, then you should stop it and delete the unnecessary file.
Currently, there are also various programs that allow you to delete files and folders. And the most popular among all the set is a program called Unlocker. After downloading and installing it, you can rename, move, combine and delete locked files and folders. When installing this program, carefully read the text and remove unnecessary ticks. Otherwise, an unnecessary browser start page and useless software may be installed on your computer.
rice. 5 So, having installed the program, go to the item to be removed and right-click on it. In the context menu, select "Unlocker" (Fig. 5).
rice. 6 After that, a window opens (Fig. 6), which contains all the processes currently working with this file. In the context menu located at the bottom of the window, you can choose what exactly should be done with the file: copy, move, rename or delete. If you want to delete a folder, you must first stop running processes in the "Task Manager" or in the program itself. In Unlocker, select the required files and click on the "Unlock All" button.
That, in fact, is all. Now you can easily delete annoying files and folders!
