File Deletion Problems

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Paul

I have a Windows 2000 Active Directory Domain, servers have Sp4 installed,
which has a mix of Windows 2000 SP4 and Windows XP SP1 Professional PC's.
I am now starting to experience problems with the Windows XP machines when
trying to delet files that are held on a share on one of the Windows 2000
Servers. When the file is deleted a message pops up "Cannot delete
<filename>: It is being used by another person or program. Close any
programs that might be using the file and try again."

The user deleteing the file has the correct permissions to the files and
folders held within the share, they have also taken ownership of the file
but it still cannot be deleted. I have also checked to see if the files are
being used by a application as files are deposited into the same folder by a
program running on another server, but this does not seem to be affecting
it.

I have found a knowledge base article, KB826722, that describes the problem
but only when trying to delete shortcuts on a network share, unfortunately
you have to contact Microsoft for the support patch which is chargable if
the problem isn't related to the KB article.

Any ideas?

Thanks
Paul
 
Hi Paul,

Thanks for your posting. Before we go further I'd like to confirm the following with you:
1. Does this issue only occur on the computers that are running Windows XP trying to delete the shared
files? Can the other Win2k computers delete the shared files?

2. Are there any problem when trying to delete shared files located on other servers? If this issue is
machine-specific, we should focus on the problematic Windows 2000 server.

Please perform the following steps to delete the files.

1. Restart the problematic win2k computer that has the shared file you want to delete.
2. Keep pressing the F8 key until the Windows Startup menu appears.
3. Choose Safe Mode, and press Enter.
4. Log onto the computer as administrator.
5. Click Start, click Run, type cmd and click OK.
6. Run the following commands from command prompt, where <path> is the full path name of the file being
deleted and <filename> is the name of that file:

cd <path>
del /q /f <filename>

7. Please check if this file has been deleted.

Sincerely,

William Wang
Microsoft Online Support Engineer

Get Secure! - www.microsoft.com/security
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Another angle:
Sounds like someone is hogging file handles (opened without sharing delete)
to me. Sysinternals.com has handle.exe (cmdline tool) and Process Explorer
(UI tool) available for free. Unfortunately this will only tell you what
apps are holding open handles. If the problem a greedy/slow filter driver
(I've seen this with some antiviral software), it's in the kernel and those
tools won't tell you anything.
--
Drew Cooper [MSFT]
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.


William Wang said:
Hi Paul,

Thanks for your posting. Before we go further I'd like to confirm the following with you:
1. Does this issue only occur on the computers that are running Windows XP trying to delete the shared
files? Can the other Win2k computers delete the shared files?

2. Are there any problem when trying to delete shared files located on
Click to expand...
other servers? If this issue is
machine-specific, we should focus on the problematic Windows 2000 server.

Please perform the following steps to delete the files.

1. Restart the problematic win2k computer that has the shared file you want to delete.
2. Keep pressing the F8 key until the Windows Startup menu appears.
3. Choose Safe Mode, and press Enter.
4. Log onto the computer as administrator.
5. Click Start, click Run, type cmd and click OK.
6. Run the following commands from command prompt, where <path> is the
Click to expand...
full path name of the file being
 
William,
The problem only seems to be affecting Windows XP Pro machines. Trying to
delete the files on any of the Windows 2000 machines does not cause the
problem. Also if I try and delete the files from another Windows 2000
server this works fine as well. I have just downloaded the tools mentioned
in Drew's post, I shall see what they turn up. I will let you know what
happens.
Thanks
Paul

William Wang said:
Hi Paul,

Thanks for your posting. Before we go further I'd like to confirm the following with you:
1. Does this issue only occur on the computers that are running Windows XP trying to delete the shared
files? Can the other Win2k computers delete the shared files?

2. Are there any problem when trying to delete shared files located on
Click to expand...
other servers? If this issue is
machine-specific, we should focus on the problematic Windows 2000 server.

Please perform the following steps to delete the files.

1. Restart the problematic win2k computer that has the shared file you want to delete.
2. Keep pressing the F8 key until the Windows Startup menu appears.
3. Choose Safe Mode, and press Enter.
4. Log onto the computer as administrator.
5. Click Start, click Run, type cmd and click OK.
6. Run the following commands from command prompt, where <path> is the
Click to expand...
full path name of the file being
 
Ran the tools suggested and it can't find any process that is using the file
that we have the problem with.

This is really bugging me now, it is only the XP machines that are having
the problems, ans as you can't buy PC's without XP now this is a little
concerning.
 
Hi Paul,

I wonder if you cannot delete any shared files/folders from the Windows XP computer, I'd like to create
another folder and create a file under that folder on the Windows 2000 server and share the folder giving
Everyone the Full Control permission. Please confirm whether you cannot delete the newly created file from
any computer running Windows XP, if there is an error, please post a screen snapshot of the error message.

Please use another Windows 2000 server to share a folder and try deleting the files in the folder from the XP
machines, we need to confirm whether this issue is machine-specific. Please also try deleting files shared
from a XP machine, if you cannot delete any files regardless of the computers they are shared from, we will
be able to isolate this problem from the mixed operating systems.

Sincerely,

William Wang
Microsoft Online Support Engineer

Get Secure! - www.microsoft.com/security
=====================================================
When responding to posts, please "Reply to Group" via
your newsreader so that others may learn and benefit
from your issue.
=====================================================

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.
--------------------
 
Paul [[email protected]] a écrit dans l'article:
The problem only seems to be affecting Windows XP Pro machines.
Click to expand...
===========================================================================

This is a long-standing problem with WinXP Explorer.

I can easily re-create this problem if I view images (JPG, TIFF, BMP, etc)
files in a folder as thumbnails, then browse them via WinXP Explorer's
Picture and Fax Viewer, do some browsing operations then delete images as
I peruse along.

Then, after I close the viewer, close the folder, and then try and delete
that folder -- I can't. The message: "Cannot delete <filename><foldername>.
It is being used by another person or program. Close any programs that
might be using the file and try again."

Of course, no other person or program is actually using that folder or any
of the files in it. In fact, I can delete all the files in that folder and
it still can't be deleted (i.e. -- dropped in the Recycle Bin). I can also
delete the file THUMBS.DB (the thumbnail image cache file) and it makes no
difference.

If I go into the WinXP Task Manager and kill EXPLORER.EXE, then restart
Explorer via the command line, I can then drag the test folder into the
Recycle Bin and delete it. So, there is a bug in EXPLORER.EXE.

By the way, I'm running WinXP Pro, SP-4, with all patches installed for
WinXP and IE6-SP1.
 
ghenders@gary- said:
Paul [[email protected]] a écrit dans l'article:
The problem only seems to be affecting Windows XP Pro machines.
Click to expand...
===========================================================================

This is a long-standing problem with WinXP Explorer.

I can easily re-create this problem if I view images (JPG, TIFF, BMP, etc)
files in a folder as thumbnails, then browse them via WinXP Explorer's
Picture and Fax Viewer, do some browsing operations then delete images as
I peruse along.

Then, after I close the viewer, close the folder, and then try and delete
that folder -- I can't. The message: "Cannot delete <filename><foldername>.
It is being used by another person or program. Close any programs that
might be using the file and try again."

Of course, no other person or program is actually using that folder or any
of the files in it. In fact, I can delete all the files in that folder and
it still can't be deleted (i.e. -- dropped in the Recycle Bin). I can also
delete the file THUMBS.DB (the thumbnail image cache file) and it makes no
difference.

If I go into the WinXP Task Manager and kill EXPLORER.EXE, then restart
Explorer via the command line, I can then drag the test folder into the
Recycle Bin and delete it. So, there is a bug in EXPLORER.EXE.

By the way, I'm running WinXP Pro, SP-4, with all patches installed for
WinXP and IE6-SP1.
Click to expand...

Here is a link to what I think is the world's best file manager. Very
well written, intuitive and well, just excellent.

http://www.altap.cz/

You can try it out (fully functional, no ads) for 30 days and then the
cost is very reasonable for what you get.

Strange name though = "Servant Salamander". I've used this file manager
for years and it has been a true friend.
 
Gary Hendershot [[email protected]] a écrit dans l'article:==========================================================================

Of course, I meant WinXP Pro *SP-1*



Typically, the way I handle this problem is to simply "stack" all the
affected folders over by the Recycle Bin (which I keep over in the lower
right corner of the desktop) and when I turn the computer back on the
next day, I simply delete all of them then. In fact, I just deleted 3
affected folders from yesterday earlier tonight this way.


I hope this little bug in Explorer will be stomped upon in a decisive
way in the upcoming and long-awaited Service Pack 2 for Windows XP.


This particular EXPLORER.EXE bug has been around since the release of
Windows XP. And, if the sampling of complaints I've found about it on
UseNet and various websites is any indication, this particular bug has
been experienced by thousands of vocal users -- if not millions of
"silent" users -- of Windows XP.





C:\Gary_H@>
http://www.gary-hendershot.com/
mailto:[email protected]
mailto:[email protected] (junk mail)
Houston, Tejas, Estados Unidos




=============================================================================
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
=============================================================================
Paul [[email protected]] a écrit dans l'article:
The problem only seems to be affecting Windows XP Pro machines.
Click to expand...
==========================================================================

This is a long-standing problem with WinXP Explorer.

I can easily re-create this problem if I view images (JPG, TIFF, BMP, etc)
files in a folder as thumbnails, then browse them via WinXP Explorer's
Picture and Fax Viewer, do some browsing operations then delete images as
I peruse along.

Then, after I close the viewer, close the folder, and then try and delete
that folder -- I can't. The message: "Cannot delete <filename><foldername>.
It is being used by another person or program. Close any programs that
might be using the file and try again."

Of course, no other person or program is actually using that folder or any
of the files in it. In fact, I can delete all the files in that folder and
it still can't be deleted (i.e. -- dropped in the Recycle Bin). I can also
delete the file THUMBS.DB (the thumbnail image cache file) and it makes no
difference.

If I go into the WinXP Task Manager and kill EXPLORER.EXE, then restart
Explorer via the command line, I can then drag the test folder into the
Recycle Bin and delete it. So, there is a bug in EXPLORER.EXE.
Click to expand...
 
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