Need to delete undeletable files!?

Question

Ok, Here's my problem. I have a filter on my desktop called NetNanny by ContentWatch. Recently something happened with the files when a update was interupted. Now I can't connect to the internet because the program cuts off the connection when it has an error. It says to reinstall the program, but I can't because it says it's already installed on my PC. I can't delete the program from control panel because the program says its already deleted! I manually deleted all the files except for two, but when I try to delete these I get an error message that says access is denied because it is either write protected or another program is using it. I've tried to end all processes that use it and I stopped most of them but i'm not positive i got them all because i dont know what im looking for. When i try to delete the file through command prompt it says the file could not be found! I dont understand what the problem is and why i cant delete the two files! please help!

Answer 1

If you know the file names you want to delete from your system AND YOU ARE SURE you want to delete them, download a free program called MOVEONBOOT (you should be able to find it at www.zdnet.com or any good download site). It's made by a company called EMCO.



This is a VERY powerful program and will delete ANY file you want from your system (I know, because I had to delete a virus file that couldn't be deleted because, like your system, I kept getting the "file is in use" message.)



This thing is SO powerful, it will even delete your Windows folder if you choose to do so, leaving your system in a real mess without an Operating System obviously.



The way this works is it allows you to name the files you want to delete. It then restarts your system and deletes those files BEFORE Windows starts up and whatever is using them has a chance to grab hold of them again.



I repeat though...MAKE SURE NOT TO DELETE ANY FILES YOU DON'T WANT TO DELETE. But if you're sure, this program is GREAT and does the trick!



Good luck.

Answer 2

Do you know the names of the two files that you are trying to delete? If so go back into command prompt C:\ and type the word attrib -a -h -s ..for an example if the file is named snow.exe you screen should look like this:

C:\ attrib -a -h -s snow.exe

This will bring the files to the surface so you can delete them.

-a is attribute

-h is hidden

-s is system

Answer 3

check services in control panel under administrative tools. Find the services and stop them from starting up automatically when your comp starts. Restart ur comp and then try to remove the files. If that doesn't work, a trojan may have come along with an update for your program. Try running an antivirus. A third option would be to use a rootkit remover. Rootkits don't allow a user to manually remove them.

Answer 4

Try searching for the full file name in your registry. Search through the whole registry first to make sure there is only one file with that name. If there is only 1, repeat the search and delete it.

Answer 5

locate the file right click and go to properties and see if "read" is checked, meaning you cant delete it and then uncheck it. if it dosent work you will have to play about and take ownership of the file by deleting all of its contents, you need to have the UAC turned on for admin rights allowing you to make changes to the file