How to clear history in opera. How to delete a file that is not deleted How to close and delete a file

Even users unfamiliar with a computer are familiar with such a simple operation as deleting files and folders.

As a rule, it is carried out very simply, and an unnecessary object is instantly moved to the trash or deleted irrevocably.

However, in some situations, pressing the Delete button or using the Shift + Delete key combination does not lead to anything - the Windows 7 system refuses to delete the file. What to do in such a situation?

How to delete files that are not deleted by Windows 7

Causes of the problem

The file or folder may not be deleted for various reasons. Typically, the problem is that the object is busy with some process. Because of this, you cannot erase:

• executable files (.exe) of running games and other programs;
• system files responsible for the functioning of Windows and hardware resources - drivers, etc.;
• editable and viewable text and graphic files;
• playable audio and video files;
• files that are downloaded from the Internet or uploaded to the network using download managers, browsers, torrent clients.

The solution to this problem is very simple - an active process using the file to be deleted must be closed. This can be done in several ways, which will be discussed below.

Another reason is the lack of user rights. Some files, such as system files and read-only files, can only be deleted by the system administrator. You can get access rights through the properties of the file, the "Security" menu - in it you need to give yourself full access.

It is important to take into account that the Windows 7 system does not give the user permission to delete some files for a reason - without them, the computer may stop working normally. Therefore, if you do not have access to this function, you should make sure that the deletion will not harm you before trying the methods described below.

In order to delete non-removable files and folders, you can use:

• system tools;
• command line;
• third-party programs;
• another system.

Closing an active process

If the file is not deleted due to the fact that some process is using it, the system will give an error when trying to delete. The error window will display the name of the interfering process and information about the file to be deleted. Windows 7 will prompt you to close the program and try to perform the operation again.

The easiest way to "kill" the interfering process is using the task manager. It opens in Windows 7 like this: press the key combination Ctrl + Alt + Del and select Task Manager from the screen that appears.

The main dispatcher window will show all currently active processes. Find the one that was listed in the error message, select it and click the End Task button.

If the process you want is not found, just restart your computer and try to delete the file immediately after starting the system. If it does not work, start the computer in safe mode, in which only system processes can work, and delete the file in it.

If the explorer.exe process interferes

Explorer.exe is the process responsible for displaying the desktop along with all the shortcuts, as well as the taskbar, start menu, tray. Therefore, if you just close it, you may not be able to delete the file - the folder containing it cannot be opened. There are several solutions to this problem:

• Open the desired folder in advance.
• After closing the process, press Win + R, type cmd. A command line will open, in which you need to write the command "del file_address" (for example, del C: \ Users \ Public \ document.txt).

To delete an entire folder, instead of del, you need to write rmdir. If you add the / s operator to this command, the folder will be deleted regardless of problems with the individual files it contains.

After the problem is resolved, you need to return the desktop. To do this, restart your PC or press Win + R and write in the line explorer.exe.

Using a different system

If you cannot delete the file from within Windows 7, you can temporarily start another operating system, such as Linux. For this, LiveCD is used - an OS distribution that runs from a CD and does not require installation on a hard drive. Also, a bootable USB stick can help.

To boot from external media, at the start of the computer boot (before starting the system), you need to press the Del key or Shift + F12 - you will be taken to the boot menu. By default, the hard disk drive (HDD) has the first priority, other devices are used when problems arise with it. By changing the priority to CD or USB, you will force the computer to start the system from a disk or flash drive, respectively.

There are two ways to work with external OS distributions:

• through a graphical interface;
• via the command line.

In the first case, the system from the Live CD will boot in the same way as a regular Windows 7. To delete a file, you just need to find the folder you need and use the standard move to the trash.

The command line is used when starting the Windows installation disc. At any time during the installation, you need to press Shift + F10. The commands are the same - del and rmdir.

It should be borne in mind that during the installation process the drives may have different designations - the system drive C: \ will remain the same, but additional local drives may change letters. To make sure that you are in the correct directory, you need to use the command dir.

Using a third-party program

To unlock the uninstall function, the DeadLock program is suitable. It's easy to use:

• On the File menu, add the object to be deleted to the list.
• Right-click on it, select Unlock, then Remove.

You can also use to move non-relocatable files. An additional function is to change the owner.

Analogue of the program - Unlocker... Its disadvantage is that it clogs up the computer with unnecessary additional applications and adds itself to the context menu.

In this article, we looked at how to delete files that are not deleted by Windows 7, we hope you liked it, if we missed something or forgot to write about something, then indicate it in the comments.

There are situations when a user wants to close or delete a file, but cannot do this, since he is "open in another program" and then he starts looking for information on how to delete this open file.

It will be useful to consider all the ways in which such a problem could be solved and the given task accomplished. One of them will definitely suit you.

Through the command line

To use this method, you must open a command prompt as administrator.

This is done as follows:

1. In the "Start" menu ("Windows") open "All Programs" and in the "Accessories" section find the item "Command Prompt".
2. Click on this item with the right mouse button and select "Run as administrator".
   Then, on the command line, you must enter the following command:

net file [file name] / close

For example, if the running file is called "geek-nose.exe", then this command will look like this: net file geek-nose.exe / close

If you need to find out the name of the running program, then it is written in the message about the open file itself.

Through the task manager

Knowing the file name allows you to use another method to delete files opened in other programs.

In fact, this method implies that the user will close the program in which this file is open.

To open the Task Manager, you need to press Ctrl + Alt + Delete or Win + X and select "Task Manager" from the list of options.

Alternatively, you can right-click on the bottom pane and select "Launch Task Manager" from the drop-down menu.

In the "Applications" tab, you need to find the desired file and click on the "End task" button. You can also right-click it.

In the drop-down list, you need to click "Go to the process". After that, we will get to the “Processes” tab, there we have to click on the specified file with the right mouse button and select “End Process” in the drop-down menu.

After that, you need to try again to delete the file.

If it is still not removed, you can try clicking on the "End process tree" item.

It is possible that some program that is one level higher or lower in the tree does not allow you to do this. Does not work? Then let's move on to the next method.

Using the Computer Management menu

This method involves performing the following actions:

1. Launch the "Computer Management" menu. The easiest way to do this is by searching on the Start (Windows) menu.
2. In the menu on the left, open first "System", then "Shared folders" and "Open files".
3. In the menu that opens, you need to right-click and select "Disable all open files".

Perhaps you will see a list of all open files. Then on each of them it will be possible to right-click and select the disconnect item.

But in our case, nothing at all was displayed in this list - despite the fact that quite a few processes were running on the computer and many files were open.

This means that the computer management menu does not always work correctly and displays a valid list of open files.

Attention: Even if nothing appears in the Open Files folder of the Computer Management menu, you still need to right-click and select Disable ....

Now you can try to delete the file again.

Unlocker

This little utility is very easy to use and allows you to delete files opened in another program in a matter of seconds. You can download it on the official website. After installation, it will be integrated into the context menu (the one that opens by right-clicking on any file or folder). To use Unlocker to delete open files, you need to do the following:

1. Click on the file that is not deleted, edit with the mouse button. Select the "Unlocker" item.
2. Select "Delete" among the actions. You can also click the Delete Process or Unblock All buttons.

Then you need to try again to delete the file in the standard way. There is another program that can also unlock various files and thus enable the user to delete them. It's called DeadLock.

With DeadLock

Recently, along with Unlocker, a huge number of unwanted programs and even viruses have been installed. This even applies to the installer from the official site. In addition, more and more Unlocker began to block antiviruses and firewalls. Therefore, DeadLock looks like a very worthy alternative. You can download it, for example,. Then you need to do the following:

1. Drag the required file with the mouse cursor into the program window.
2. Click on it with the right mouse button and select the item "Unlock", then again "Unlock" or "Delete" to immediately delete it.

Safe Mode Removal

You can also try to delete the file while the system is booted into safe mode. In order to start it in this way, you need to press the F8 button when starting the computer and select from the list of options what is associated with safe mode. In most cases, it is called "Safe Mode".

You can try to combine this method with one of the above. For example, when the system is booted in safe mode, you can unlock the file through DeadLock or Unlocker, if they are installed on the computer.

Using a bootable disk or flash drive

This method is very similar to the previous one. Only here we start the system through safe mode, and through the boot disk (aka LiveCD).

There are many such images available for download on the Internet now. It is enough to burn them to a USB flash drive or CD / DVD and boot from it. In this case, this stage is the most difficult - you need to run the boot menu and select there to boot from a USB flash drive / disk.

To do this, insert the storage medium into the computer, restart it and see the tips for starting the boot menu.

In most cases, something like the following will be written somewhere: "Press F5 to run boot menu". Accordingly, in this case, you need to press F5.

After that, a menu will appear, in which you need to specify from which the system will boot. In our example, this is "Flash drive ...".

It is very easy to find out the required option - if it is a USB flash drive, then the word “flash” will appear in the title, and if it is a disc, then “CD” or “DVD”.

Next, it will boot from a bootable USB flash drive or disk. The LiveCD interface may be similar to Windows or Ubuntu, but in any case, by clicking on the file with the right mouse button, you will see the item "Delete", "Delete" or "Cut".

The user only needs to click on one of them.

Simpler options

Sometimes you don't need to resort to such radical methods as described above. One of these much simpler methods often helps:

1. Reboot your computer. It is possible that after a reboot, all processes will be terminated, including the one in which the file to be deleted is open.
2. Uninstall the program that opens this file. After that, all processes associated with it will also be automatically terminated.
3. Perform a full virus scan of your computer. In some cases, the file does not close due to a banal virus, and after removing it, everything falls into place.
4. Disable your antivirus. It happens that some files are blocked not by the system, but by the antivirus program. Accordingly, then the termination of its work helps to calmly work with the file.
5. Log in as an administrator. Sometimes a file cannot be deleted due to a lack of user rights.
6. Just move the file to a different folder.
7. Try to roll back the system to the point when the file was freely opened and deleted. To do this, go to Control Panel, select Recovery, then click Run System Restore.
8. After that, you should click on the desired backup option (it is easy to navigate by the time of creation) and click "Next".

Another interesting way to delete an open file is shown in the video below.

Hello everyone! Today I will tell you howdelete non-deleting file or folder in different ways, in case you already tried everything you could, but it did not help. I decided to write this article, since I myself once faced a similar problem, that my themes, which were in the folder, did not want to be deleted or moved. Why, they couldn't even be opened or renamed.

Often, when trying to delete such files by PC users, similar messages may appear: the file cannot be deleted, access is blocked, the disk may be full or write-protected, the file is occupied by another application, the process is busy, the folder is not empty. These errors come out for many different reasons, in which you must first understand and understand what could be the matter before trying to do anything. So, there are not a lot of these reasons, here are some of them:

- You are trying to delete a file that is being used by other programs. For example, if you watched a movie or listened to music, but without having time to close the player, you are already trying to delete the file being played, then no matter how hard you try, you will not be able to do this until you close all the corresponding applications that use this file in the PC ( Personal Computer). It also sometimes happens that this file or folder is used by other applications, but you do not see them, although they are displayed in the task manager, which will be discussed below.

- You are trying to delete a file that is being used by other users. For example, you downloaded it through a torrent tracker and then wanted to delete it, but it just doesn't want to be deleted. The thing is that another user downloads this game on the Internet, and until you turn off the Internet or exit the torrent program, you will not be able to delete the file.

“You don't have enough rights to do this. What does this even mean? Am I the owner of my computer or who? The fact is that you probably, like me once, could put your files or folders in the folders of the Windows system, to which access is denied for your own safety. This limitation was created to prevent you from ditching your computer by deleting any important file from the Windows operating system.

- Files or folders that you wanted to delete have been quarantined by your antivirus program. In other words, something your antivirus didn’t like about them, so he blocked them so that they could not harm your PC in any way.

Ok, we figured out the reasons. Now all that is left for you to delete your non-removable file is just to try all the methods that I have described for you just below.

How to delete a non-deleting file or folder via a computer?

Method 1... Just restart your computer, in most cases this will be enough.

Method 2... Turn on Task Manager. Press Ctrl + Alt + Delete if you have Windows 7 or XP and Windows + X if you have Windows 8. A window will appear in front of you, go to "processes".

All programs that are currently running on your computer will be displayed here. Try to find exactly the one that probably uses your file. If it doesn’t work, then just select any at random and click “end process” each time trying to delete the file again.

Method 3... Turn off your computer and turn it on again. Press the F8 key many times during the boot process. A black screen will appear in front of you, where there will be several options for booting the PC. Select "safe mode". Once the computer boots up, try to delete the file, or at least move it to another location.

Method 4... If the file is simply not deleted, but it can be transferred, then you can proceed as follows. Just drag and drop your file onto an empty USB stick and format it. Be careful, after this process everything will be deleted from it!

Method 5... Open your computer, find your non-removable file on the desktop. At the top of the window, click "service", then "folder property", go to the "view" tab and uncheck the box if it is next to "use simple file sharing" and save the changes. Try to delete your file or folder.

Method 6... Change administrator rights. Click on our file with the right mouse, select "property", then in the opened window "security" and click "advanced".

Another window will come out, click on "owner". Here just select another administrator and click "apply". Personally, this operation helped me to remove restrictions from my WordPress templates, which I wrote about.

Method 7... Disable all processes associated with this file. This procedure is very similar to the task manager, but it has a more powerful effect. Click start on your desktop, then run. In the window that appears, enter msconfig and click ok.

Another window will appear in front of you. Then go to the "startup" tab and in the list of running processes you will try to find the name of your non-removable file and uncheck it, and click ok.

How to delete non-deleting files, folders through special programs?

Method 8... To solve this problem, a very cool and at the same time simple program "UnLocker" was created long ago, which is able to delete non-deleted files in 90% of cases. You can download the program from the official website. During the installation process, be careful and uncheck the box where you are offered to install some other application in addition to the program. If you don't, then at the end of the installation your antivirus program will swear for a long time.

Creating, moving, deleting and other file manipulations are routine actions that everyone has to perform. However, it happens that you cannot delete a folder that is no longer needed. The system reports that the operation cannot be performed. If you still need to get rid of the extra folder, you will have to understand what causes such a reaction in the operating system and how to fix this situation.

Let's try to figure it out ourselves. Those, for whom it may seem difficult, can turn to a wizard who performs subscription service of computers in your office or at home.

Causes and possible solutions to the problem

The inability to delete a particular folder may be due to the following reasons.

Folder corruption

Folder corruption. This can occur due to a software failure, physical problems on the disk, or due to the destructive actions of a virus. It is often quite enough to simply restart the computer or check it with an antivirus.

File busy

The file is occupied by some program or system process. To verify this, you should open the "Task Manager" and stop the desired process that uses this file or folder.

Often there are situations when a folder in Explorer looks empty, but you can't delete it. The reason may be hidden in the settings of the standard Windows Explorer. The "Do not show hidden folders, files and drives" mode can be activated, so the folders only at first glance seem empty, but in fact there are service files stored there. You should make sure of this, otherwise there is a risk of deleting important data.

Lack of rights

The folder contains files, but it cannot be deleted due to insufficient rights to perform this action. The options for correcting this situation are as follows:

• Use an account that has sufficient rights. It is required to log into the system as a different user who has administrative rights. After completing all the manipulations, you can again log into the system under your own name.
• Get the rights for your account to delete folders. There is a risk that extended rights will not only allow the user to gain more control over the system, but a virus that penetrates an account with administrative privileges can do much more trouble.
• Use third-party programs to forcibly delete unnecessary information.

Granting administrator rights

A user with ordinary rights already has sufficient ability to freely perform the necessary actions with many folders, while not having access to system information. This prevents damage, accidental or deliberate, of important for the operation of the OS folders and files. Only accounts with administrator rights have such rights.

A good option is to have, in addition to the main account, also a second one that has administrative privileges for situations when the rights of the main account are not enough.

If you need to grant extended rights to a user account, then only the system administrator can do this. Next, we will show several ways in which you can, using an administrator account, grant the user large rights to manage computer resources.

We use system settings

The sequence of actions is as follows:

Using the command line

This method requires a certain amount of experience, and if you are not confident in your abilities and knowledge, then it is best to contact specialists, for example, a company that provides computer assistance in Balashikha, or another area close to you. For the rest, let's continue:

This activated the normally inactive administrator account.

Disable TrustedInstaller

Windows 7 has a user with even more privileges than an administrator. The TrustedInstaller account protects critical system components. Even an administrator cannot delete such information. When you try to do something, you will see a window with the message "Request permission from TrustedInstaller to change this file."

To bypass this protection, you will have to manually grant the administrator access to the required file. Sequencing:

Now nothing should prevent you from deleting a folder or file. You should do the same if you need to move any folders to another location. This should not be overused. After completing all the steps, you should return the previous owner so that the system can continue to function correctly.

If a running program interferes with uninstallation

In the event that deletion is impossible due to the fact that the file is occupied by a program, you must either stop this program, or, if it is a system process or a program that simply cannot be stopped, perform some actions.

Editing the "Startup" list

In order to prevent the launch of a program that blocks the ability to delete the desired folder, you must:

Now, if the interfering application has been disabled, the uninstall will succeed. If you have not guessed right with the program, then you should repeat the steps and turn off the desired one.

Using Safe Mode

Another way to delete a folder that is used by a program or that a virus cannot remove is to boot the system in safe mode. For this:

The system will now boot into Safe Mode. After deleting the folders, go to the "System Configuration" again and uncheck the Safe Boot mark.

You can get into safe mode in another way. When you boot your computer, until the Windows start-up screen appears, you must press the F8 button. A window should appear with additional download options.

It is necessary to select the line "Safe Mode" and press "Enter". After downloading, open "Explorer" and delete everything that is required.

Uninstall using the command line

You can use the command line by opening the MS-DOS terminal window that we mentioned earlier. In order to delete a file, you can use one of the commands:

• "Del c: \ BadFolder \ BadFile.txt" - deletes the BadFile.txt file from the c: \ BadFolder folder.
• "Del / f c: \ BadFolder \ BadFile.txt" - the "/ f" switch allows you to delete a protected file.
• "Del / a c: \ BadFolder \ BadFile.txt" - using the "/ a" key, all files in the folder containing the BadFile.txt file are deleted.

All names of folders and files must be entered without errors. It will be impossible to recover files deleted in this way, since they will not be placed in the "Recycle Bin".

Removal using third-party programs

You can get rid of unnecessary, but not amenable to normal deletion, folders if you use third-party applications.

File managers

Most of these programs have built-in tools for deleting protected files and folders. For example, in the popular "Total Commander" it is enough to highlight the required file with the cursor, press F8 and, having answered affirmatively to the request to confirm the deletion, perform this action.

This file manager can delete many protected files, but not all. In some cases, it is better to use specialized utilities.

Unlocker

This convenient and simple program, after installation, creates the "Unlocker" line in the context menu. Having selected the file, it is enough to call this menu by clicking the right mouse button.

In the window that appears, a program will be shown that prevents the deletion of this file. This is convenient, since you just need to close the specified program, and you will no longer have to perform any “violent” actions to delete the file.

Lockhunter

Another program, very similar to the previous one in terms of capabilities. After installation, a line is also created in the context menu.

All operations that can be performed on the file are presented in the form of large buttons.

The program should be used carefully so as not to accidentally delete files that Windows need for normal operation.

Fileassassin

This program works a little differently. To delete a file, you need to launch the program and select the required file in the window that opens.

After the object to be deleted has been selected and the parameters for working with it have been specified, press the Execute button.

System Restore

Another way to try to unlock folders or files is to roll back the system to one of the backup points. This method is applicable if such backup points are regularly created. This is a radical remedy, since all changes made to the system since the creation of the last point will be forgotten.

Procedure:

Using a different OS

An alternative way is to connect the drive containing non-removable files to another Windows or Linux computer running from its own drive. You can also use a special assembly of the system launched from a flash drive or optical disk, the so-called "Live CD", designed to restore and check the main operating system of the computer. You can use the bootable utilities of the anti-virus software developers.

From the point of view of the system, the folders and files of the operating system of a foreign disk are just objects of the disk file system that can be easily deleted, moved to another location, etc.

other methods

If the files that cannot be deleted are located on a flash drive, external drive, SD card, then you can use, for example, a smartphone. By connecting a memory card or external drive to it, using an adapter and the necessary applications, you can finally get rid of unnecessary information.

Conclusion

Summarizing all of the above, we will briefly list all the ways to delete locked files, ranging from simple and safe to more time-consuming and requiring caution when using:

• Custom level. Closing programs that "hold" a file or folder. Restart your computer.
• Windows level. Making changes to startup, performing uninstallation from safe mode.
• Change of access rights. Granting administrator rights to a user.
• Command line. Using low-level delete commands.
• Using third-party programs. Special utilities and capabilities of file managers.
• System rollback. Restoring OS state from a fallback point.
• Using an external OS. Connecting a disk to a computer running the OS from another drive.

it often happens that certain files are not deleted. At the same time, the system writes that this file or folder is occupied by another process. This can happen both in Windows XP and in Windows 7, 8, 10. Today we will look at methods of eliminating a similar problem when files are not deleted.

So, imagine, you have installed any program on your computer, used it, and you didn’t like it. What are your actions? Delete it, of course. Through uninstallation, the program was allegedly deleted, but the folder with some program files remained. When trying to delete such a file, an error pops up:

Let's take a look at the ways in which you can delete files not deleted by standard means.

1st method. Simplest
If the file is not deleted, restart your computer and try deleting it again. This helps in many cases. If the problem persists, then read below.

2nd way. Task Manager
In the operating system Windows 7 and XP, to get to the Task Manager, you must press the key combination Ctrl + Alt + Del.
In Windows 8 and 10, just press the Windows + X key combination and select Task Manager from the menu that appears.

The Task Manager called by us will open, where you need to find the process that uses the file and remove the task from it. Then try to delete the file again.

3rd way. Using a bootable disk or flash drive
The next way is to start the computer from a LiveCD or a bootable USB flash drive and then delete the file or folder. In the first case, we need to use the standard Windows graphical interface to find and delete the required file, or use the command line. If you are using a bootable USB flash drive with Windows 7, 8 or 10, then during installation you can call the command line by pressing the Shift + F10 keys. There is also "System Restore", thanks to which you can return the previous state of the computer. By the way, the drive letters may differ, so use the dir c: command to display the contents of that drive. Thanks to this, you can easily understand what kind of local disk it is.

4th method. Deleting Files in Safe Mode
It's very simple. You need to enter Safe Mode, find the required file or folder and delete. In safe mode, only operating system programs are launched, while all your installed third-party utilities (messengers, drivers, antiviruses, etc.) are not launched. Therefore, the probability of successfully deleting the required file is very high.

5th method. Using a special program Unlocker
This program, called Unlocker, helps to remove files that are used by any process. A very useful utility that copes with its tasks with a bang. You can download it at https://yadi.sk/d/PkczjpOKjbeje

When the program is loaded, install it.

Next, select Advanced and remove all the jackdaws,

The essence of the Unlocker program is to unload the processes that are used by the file from the RAM. The program can find and terminate a process that is even hidden in the Task Manager. In general, an excellent utility that every sysadmin should have.