File in use - Virus?

[Guest]

Ok, I am running Windows XP Home Edition with all
updates, service packs, etc. just to let you know.

Today I was going through my stuff to find if there was
anything I could delete and save space. I found a folder
named 'U2', yes, the band, U2. I had once had to copy
their music onto my computer but then later deleted it.
All of the folders of deleted music had stayed even with
nothing in them.

Ok so I delete most of them, no problem, then when I come
to U2, I can not delete it because some other program is
using it. Well, naturaly I got a little scared because
there were no other 'visible' programs running. I went
into the folder and deleted the sub-folder (album name)
successfully.

Now I still try to delete U2 but no dice. I take a look
at it, it says '2 files - 8kb' or something like that,
but when I look inside, no such thing.

Now I am not stupid enough to think that that was all I
could do. Obviously I turned my folder settings to 'show
hidden files and folders', clicked apply (but didn't exit
the window, if that is of any use), and went back inside
U2. Nothing.

By this point I am starting to worry a bit, but get a
little reasurance once I virus scan it with my up-to-date
Norton AntiVirus 2004. Nothing, it says. It says it
scanned 8 files, so once again, naturally, I feel that
someone is hiding something from me.

I then shut down almost half of my system, local, and
network processes. Still, I could not delete it. I kept
on shuting down processes till my computer told me it was
going to shut down because some service terminated
unexpectedly.

Any help???

 

[Malke]

Ok, I am running Windows XP Home Edition with all
updates, service packs, etc. just to let you know.

Today I was going through my stuff to find if there was
anything I could delete and save space. I found a folder
named 'U2', yes, the band, U2. I had once had to copy
their music onto my computer but then later deleted it.
All of the folders of deleted music had stayed even with
nothing in them.

Ok so I delete most of them, no problem, then when I come
to U2, I can not delete it because some other program is
using it. Well, naturaly I got a little scared because
there were no other 'visible' programs running. I went
into the folder and deleted the sub-folder (album name)
successfully.

Now I still try to delete U2 but no dice. I take a look
at it, it says '2 files - 8kb' or something like that,
but when I look inside, no such thing.

Now I am not stupid enough to think that that was all I
could do. Obviously I turned my folder settings to 'show
hidden files and folders', clicked apply (but didn't exit
the window, if that is of any use), and went back inside
U2. Nothing.

By this point I am starting to worry a bit, but get a
little reasurance once I virus scan it with my up-to-date
Norton AntiVirus 2004. Nothing, it says. It says it
scanned 8 files, so once again, naturally, I feel that
someone is hiding something from me.

I then shut down almost half of my system, local, and
network processes. Still, I could not delete it. I kept
on shuting down processes till my computer told me it was
going to shut down because some service terminated
unexpectedly.

Any help???

Try deleting the folder in Safe Mode.

Malke

 

[Plato]

Ok so I delete most of them, no problem, then when I come
to U2, I can not delete it because some other program is
using it. Well, naturaly I got a little scared because

http://www.bootdisk.com/xptop15.htm#8

 

[Steve Nielsen]

Ok, I am running Windows XP Home Edition with all
updates, service packs, etc. just to let you know.

Today I was going through my stuff to find if there was
anything I could delete and save space. I found a folder
named 'U2', yes, the band, U2. I had once had to copy
their music onto my computer but then later deleted it.
All of the folders of deleted music had stayed even with
nothing in them.

Ok so I delete most of them, no problem, then when I come
to U2, I can not delete it because some other program is
using it. Well, naturaly I got a little scared because
there were no other 'visible' programs running. I went
into the folder and deleted the sub-folder (album name)
successfully.

Now I still try to delete U2 but no dice. I take a look
at it, it says '2 files - 8kb' or something like that,
but when I look inside, no such thing.

Now I am not stupid enough to think that that was all I
could do. Obviously I turned my folder settings to 'show
hidden files and folders', clicked apply (but didn't exit
the window, if that is of any use), and went back inside
U2. Nothing.

By this point I am starting to worry a bit, but get a
little reasurance once I virus scan it with my up-to-date
Norton AntiVirus 2004. Nothing, it says. It says it
scanned 8 files, so once again, naturally, I feel that
someone is hiding something from me.

I then shut down almost half of my system, local, and
network processes. Still, I could not delete it. I kept
on shuting down processes till my computer told me it was
going to shut down because some service terminated
unexpectedly.

Any help???

Start up in Safe mode to see if you can delete the folder from there.

As far as the shutdown timer, that's what happes when you kill one of
the SVCHOST processes. Startled me the first time I did that, too,
seemed too much like Blaster worm action but found that the shutdown
timer is built into the NT Authority system, not the worm.

Steve