How to Remove a Desktop Folder With Access Denied

You can erase files, even when they say "Access Denied."

Every now and again, you come across a file with an access denied error. This is usually because the file has been locked, either by the operating system because it thinks the file is part of Windows (if it is, it's generally a bad idea to try to delete it) or because some software program has it in use or has it locked. Whatever the case may be, it is not too difficult to get rid of these files, however it will involve a visit to the DOS prompt.

Instructions

1. 

   You can erase folders, even with "Access Denied."

   Boot your computer to "Safe Mode." To do this, turn on your computer and continually press "F8" until the "Windows Boot Menu" opens. Choose to boot to "Safe Mode." Note that while this is not always required, it can sometimes be helpful when trying to delete a stubborn file.

2. Click the "Start" button. In Windows Vista and above, type "CMD" into the "Search" box and press "Enter." In Windows XP and below, click "Run," type "CMD" and press "Enter."

3. Navigate to the folder containing the folder you want to delete. Do this by using "CD" command, as follows: "CD C:\Windows\MyUndeleatableFile." Replace "C:\Windows\MyUndeleatableFile" with the name of the folder where your folder is (Note: If the folder is in the root directory, for example it is "C:\MyFolder" then you can skip this step. For long directory names with spaces in them, just type them in as they exist in Windows.

4. Type "attrib -r -s -h MyUndeleatableFolder" and just replace "MyUndeleatableFolder" with the name of the folder you want to delete.

5. Type "del MyUndeleatableFolder" and replace "MyUndeleatableFolder" with the name of the file you want to delete.

Tips & Warnings

• This method should work for virtually any folder you need to delete. However, if this does not work, a more drastic option is to use a Linux operating system booting from a CD. You can find several good choices for free by Googling "linux on a disk" however a few examples are listed in the resources section.

• Do not delete files or folders unless you are absolutely certain that they should be deleted. Deleting certain files can lead to problems with your computer and may cause it to crash unexpectedly.

References

• Software Patch: How to Delete a File When Windows Says "Access Denied"
• Tech Recipes: Access Denied
• Computer Hope: Getting into Safe Mode

Resources

• The Live CD List