Unconditional File Delete

[Stan]

Does anyone know of a file utility or hack which will allow for the
unconditional deletion of a file at any time? I used to have a
program for DOS written in assembly that would delete any file,
regardless of the state, flags, or who had it open, and I need
something similar for windows due to a few poorly behaved applications
not closing properly. Any info appreciated.

 

[Bob I]

You're asking alot given that the NT operating system and file system is
designed to prevent exactly that from occuring. You have more latitude
if you ran a FAT32 system.

 

[steven]

if you press shift-delete the file will bypass the trash
and delete immediately.

 

[George Hester]

Not if the file is open.

 

[Rob Stow]

Not if the file is open.

But you can use InUse.exe from the NT res kit to
replace the file with a different file - such as
a 0 byte text file, reboot, then delete the replacement
file.

 

[Stan]

But you can use InUse.exe from the NT res kit to
replace the file with a different file - such as
a 0 byte text file, reboot, then delete the replacement
file.

If I could reboot, the file wouldn't be open when I restarted. I need
something that can delete an open file, while it has open file
handles. After talking to a VB developer friend of mine he told me he
can programmatically force file handles closed (with admin access) and
effectively release the file so it can be deleted. The effect of this
to an application would be similar to a network drive suddenly
becoming unavailable, and the user experience would be just the same.
If he gives me source code I'll put it into this thread for anyone
searching for a similar utility.