How to Delete In-Use Files

Windows 7 notoriously allows programs to maintain access to a file, even when the program is seemingly closed. This access prevents the file from being deleted, because it is currently in-use. To delete the file, you need to fully close down the program that is accessing it. Sometimes the offending program is the Windows' explorer.exe process, which also controls Windows Explorer and your Start Menu. This poses a special problem, because ending this process also closes your Windows Explorer window, which is the most common way to delete a file.

Instructions

1. Right-click an empty area of the Windows Taskbar and select "Start Task Manager."

2. Click the "Processes" tab.

3. Click each process that could potentially be accessing the file, click "End Process" and then "End Process" again in the confirmation window. Common offenders are video players, browsers, productivity suites and explorer. However, do not end the "explorer.exe" process yet. Also, vital system processes will not close, so if you receive a message to that effect, move on to the next process.

4. Hold the "Windows" key and press "E" to open Windows Explorer.

5. Click the file you wish to delete, hold the "Shift" key and press "Delete" to bypass the Recycle Bin. Click "Yes" in the confirmation window. If the file still does not delete, continue the procedure.

6. Click the top address bar in Windows Explorer and write down the full address and include the file name you wish to delete. As an example, the full address might be "D:\subfolder\video.avi".

7. Hold the "Alt" key and press "Tab" to return to the Task Manager Window.

8. End the "explorer.exe" process and any other processes you avoided previously.

9. Click "File," "New Task (Run)," type "cmd" and press "Enter" to open the Command Prompt.

10. Type "del ADDRESS" and press "Enter," replacing "ADDRESS" with the full address you previously noted. Make certain you also include the file name.

11. Return to the Windows Task Manager and open another "Run" window. Type "explorer.exe" and press "Enter" to restore the "Start Menu." If the file deleted in the Command Prompt, you are done. Otherwise, continue the procedure.

12. Restart the computer and continuously press "F8". When the "Boot Options" menu appears, select "Safe Mode" and press "Enter."

13. Open Windows Explorer and delete the file. The file should no longer be in-use and will delete.

14. Reboot normally.