Windows XP "Cannot Delete AVI Files" FIX!

i did delete the reg key and i unregistered the dll but i still can't delete files, not just .avi but .mp3, .ogg also(just remembered this,i'll try others now).

maybe any other idea?

looking with proccess explorer i have a lot of open handles on these files right after i start explorer and enter the folder to delete/move them.being a bit quicker than the PC :p i manage to close handles and delete the files but i also broke a keyboard over this.

How about going to safe-mode with command prompt (Press F8 when you boot your pc) and use the console to delete the avi's? It worked perfectly here.

sure i can do that, i can also do it from recovery console or ntfs explorer or... but i don't want to restart my PC everytime i have to delete a MM file. :)

in the options did you turn off the preview.

i found the cause (or so it seems) for MY :o problem.A RAM module went ga-ga(so did my windows).
sorry for bothering you guys with something you already solved.
gonna stay on this forum, try to help others(and myself), thanks.

glad you got to the bottom of it. and yeah stick around and enjoy the board.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by nightsfan

and it opens, because DOS 8.3 file naming only looks for the first 6 characters, after which you type ~1 and it 'guesses' the rest.

Equally, if I type:

cd Window~1
it opens too. This means I can open a file/folder with a long name, just by typing the first 6 characters, followed by "~1".

But if I have a directory called 'Other Windows', I can't do this so easily:

cd Other
doesn't work, because the directory is called 'Other Windows'
and
cd Other ~1 doesn't work either, because the space I put in messes it up: "Too many parameters - ~1";
nor does
cd Other_~1 work, because the name doesn't include an underscore.

So how do I open it? Basically, how do I get windows command prompt (/dos shell) to recognise files/folders whose names contain a space in the first 6 characters? I know you can do it, and this must be an obvious question for anyone who's used DOS, but I have really forgotten how to do it.

Hope you can help,

Colin

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It doesn't actually guess. When you make a long filename like "c:/Other Windows" it's actually taking the first six 8dot3 compatible characters and adding a ~1 to the end. But if you have many files that the first 6 are the same, like a folder with mp3s in it....they'll be beatle~1.mp3 beatle~2.mp3 beatle~3.mp3 and so on.

As for your "Other Windows" problem, forget about the space. Try cd otherw~1 and see if that works.

When in doubt, type "dir /x /p" and it'll show you the short filename associated with the long one, and pause for each page. But the shortname column will be blank for each file that follows the 8dot3 rules.

thanks to all you guys, have had this prob for quite some time, had tried several different ways to delete it without success, and this was a one click fix, :) cheers

how do i open it????
it is a inf, it only opens with notepad

Quote:

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Originally Posted by XP1

how do i open it????
it is a inf, it only opens with notepad

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The instructions are in the "readme.txt" file that is included in the zip.

right click the xp-avifix.inf file and select install.

o
i right clicked in winrar

find the reg key here and also dir with asterisk delete all file name occurences here
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\ComDlg32\OpenSaveMRU\avi or *
then u will be able to do anything with the file :D

Whatup dogz.
1.) I had a .avi file that I couldn't delete (pieceofcrapfile.avi) in my download folder.
2.) I created a new .txt file (pieceofcrapfile.txt) on my desktop and wrote some crap in it. ex. "I COMMAND YOU TO DELETE!"
3.) I renamed the file that i created on my desktop from pieceofcrapfile.txt to pieceofcrapfile.avi
4.) I moved the new file to my download folder, and windows asked me if I would like to replace the existing file with the new dummy file. (CLICK YES)
5.) After I replaced the file I was able to delete the .avi file.
Good Luck

WILLGNY
H.C.P.

how many views has this thread got??? :eek: :p :p :p

:) :D

Quote:

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Originally Posted by sirjavabean

how many views has this thread got??? :eek: :p :p :p

:) :D

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It's an annoyance you'd think MS would have addressed in SP2... but I guess they don't see it as an issue... :D

Quote:

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Originally Posted by phishhead

glad you got to the bottom of it. and yeah stick around and enjoy the board.

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ditto to that one....u have come to the best place for solid advice. :D

does this 'bug' ( :) ) affect other windows or just XP. perhaps the next SP will solve it... :confused: ...or not ;)

wow this really worked great job whoever figured out how to fix it finally no more of that access bull**** :)

I have kind of the same problem.

I have a avi file that was sent to me but is named a .exe

Problem is, it won't let me rename it to avi.

It always gives me a "The current file is in use so it can' be renamed" message.

Any way to fix it?

Thanks

I have almost the same problem, except that I need to restart the computer to delete an avi file.

I have no problem when deleting an avi file, but after I deleted it, the file is still there until I restart the computer. It's very annoying to restart the computer everytime I want to delete an avi file.

anybody knows how to fix it??

Quote:

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Originally Posted by tomi_hl

I have almost the same problem, except that I need to restart the computer to delete an avi file.

I have no problem when deleting an avi file, but after I deleted it, the file is still there until I restart the computer. It's very annoying to restart the computer everytime I want to delete an avi file.

anybody knows how to fix it??

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Have you applied the fix mentioned in the first post of this thread?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Big Booger

Have you applied the fix mentioned in the first post of this thread?

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yes, i did. but i still need to restart to delete an avi file.

whenever i delete an avi file, the space of the avi file is still in the harddrive, but i couldnt do anything with that file anymore
the file is gone for a while, but after i refresh or come back to the folder that contain the file, the avi file is still there until
i restart the computer.

I just realize that it's not only happens to avi file but mp3 & wav too.
anybody know how to fix it??

thanks

Quote:

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Originally Posted by tomi_hl

yes, i did. but i still need to restart to delete an avi file.

whenever i delete an avi file, the space of the avi file is still in the harddrive, but i couldnt do anything with that file anymore
the file is gone for a while, but after i refresh or come back to the folder that contain the file, the avi file is still there until
i restart the computer.

I just realize that it's not only happens to avi file but mp3 & wav too.
anybody know how to fix it??

thanks

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A shot in the dark here, but try running the system file checker.

Click start/run/type sfc /scannow

Make sure you have your XP CD handy and insert it when asked. And reboot.

Then see if you can remove the AVI files, mp3, etc...

This sounds like a deeper trouble than just the fix mentioned in this post. DO you have any antivirus software installed? Or any other file protection software? If so try disabling them and see if the deletion problem still occurs.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Big Booger

A shot in the dark here, but try running the system file checker.

Click start/run/type sfc /scannow

Make sure you have your XP CD handy and insert it when asked. And reboot.

Then see if you can remove the AVI files, mp3, etc...

This sounds like a deeper trouble than just the fix mentioned in this post. DO you have any antivirus software installed? Or any other file protection software? If so try disabling them and see if the deletion problem still occurs.

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i did all of the above but it still needs to restart to delete avi files.
any other suggestion?

http://groups.google.com/group/alt.comp.freeware/browse_thread/thread/b6f0b2f0801523b/b74a6e59ff998c88?lnk=st&q=AVI+DON'T+DELETE+UNTIL+rEBOOTING&rnum=2&hl=en#b74a6e59ff998c88

check that thread.

Hello Folks:

I too, had a file (MPEG), with a very long name, that Win XP would not allow me to remove. After folllowing all of the DOS-based tricks and using a bunch of third-party utilities, I found a small, free/commercial utility that finally did the trick: "JRTS Delete FXP Files".

You can Google for their website if you're inclined. I downloaded their 'free' version, which even though very limited, allowed me to finally get rid of the offending file (without rebooting). It sure saved me a boat load of additional headaches and time-consumption. Check it out. It may be just what the doctor ordered.

NYCGRIFF

Just wanted to say THANKS! to Big Booger for a 2 year old post recommending the windows.xp.avi.delete.fix. That solved my .avi problem.

wow that file from the first page did the trick, thanks for the info those annoying errors are gone now :D.