Problems with executables

[Guest]

I have a number of .exe files on my hard drive that I would like to delete.
However, I cannot rename or delete them. I get the "file is in use by
another user or program" message. The icons for all of these files are the
white box with the blue border. I know they are not in use as I have run
Process Explorer to see what is being used by my system. In fact, about 80%
of all executables on my PC appear with that icon. For example, I downloaded
a patch executable to a game the other day to G:\ (external) drive (it has
that box icon). I cannot delete it now. When I downloaded it again to the
actual game folder on G:, it appeared as the correct icon, and I was able to
delete it after executing it.

Any ideas?
Thanks.

 

[Linda B]

Try downloading WhoLockMe from

http://www.dr-hoiby.com/tools.php

 

[Linda B]

Whoops, sorry. Sent that a little too soon.

Try downloading WhoLockMe from

http://www.dr-hoiby.com/tools.php

Fourth from the bottom.

After it's loaded you can right-click on the file and select WhoLockMe? from
the contextual menu -- it will tell you what process (if any, it could be a
disk or filesystem error) has the file locked.

 

[Guest]

I usd this utility, and it appears that explorer.exe is the culprit. I
really don't see why explorer would be using these files as they are not
really related to anything. Is there a way to go about getting explorer to
release its hold on these?

Thanks again.

 

[Rock]

I usd this utility, and it appears that explorer.exe is the culprit. I
really don't see why explorer would be using these files as they are not
really related to anything. Is there a way to go about getting explorer to
release its hold on these?

Thanks again.

1. Close all open programs.
2. Open a command prompt.
3. Right-click the taskbar, and select Task Manager.
4. On the Processes tab, select Explorer.exe, and click the End
Process button.
5. Minimize Task Manager, but don't close it.
6. At the command prompt, use the Delete command to remove the
file, and close the command prompt.
7. In Task Manager, go to File | New Task (Run).
8. In the Create New Task dialog box, enter Explorer.exe, and
click OK.
9. Close Task Manager.