Many a times we have seen that when we try to delete a file it won’t delete. We wonder what could possibly stop it from deleting. In certain scenarios it really frustrates us, isn’t it?
So what could be the problem? There are various reasons why files won’t delete sometimes.
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The file uses an ACL. This could be possible if the file uses an access list. This could be resolved by changing the permissions of the file. Now this can be done by taking ownerships or by using admin privileges in case the permission couldn’t be given normally.
There are more such scenarios when a file can’t be deleted instead gives an access denied error. In such cases one needs to handle the situation carefully. We need to find out in these cases as to why is it giving an access denied error. One big possibility is the file is being used. If the file is being used then it would not be possible to delete it.
Not only if the file is open it would give an access denied error, there are other possibilities too. For instance, if the file is being used by another program, in such a case one would have to find out which program could use this file. Open task manager> processes> find out from here which are the processes running in the system right now. To understand this better there is a tool from Microsoft which displays a list of processes that have files open. It is the Process Explorer.
If the file is corrupt then also it won’t delete. To resolve this, chkdsk utility is a helpful tool. You can ask for tech support to resolve any type of computer problem.
Moreover, if there is a problem with the file path then also it won’t allow the file to be deleted. This could be resolved of the file name is altered or the file path is mapped properly and then deleted. There is a rule that in a certain path the character count should not be more that 255 characters. This is called MAX_PATH. Now incase if this exceeds then also the file wont delete. In this scenario the path needs to be shortened to delete the file.
There are more possibilities like the file name sharing a common name with the reserved name in the win32 space. To resolve this, a non win32 program needs to be used to rename the file. A POSIX tool may be used to do this.
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you might not be able to delete a file for various reasons. A virus could also be a reason for this. For virus removal support and computer help, talk to a PC expert.
