Can’t delete desktop folders (Windows XP – SP1)

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Hi
I have a couple of folders on my desktop which I created and now I can’t delete them. The message I get when I try is: “Cannot delete: Access is denied. Make sure the disk is not full or write protected and that the file is not currently in use”. The file isn’t in use. I have tried deleting by going through Explorer without success, I even get the same message when I try to cut or move the folders.

Any suggestions would be appreciated

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As long as you’re sure they’re folders you created – wouldn’t want you to create a system failure.
In spite of never having figured out how XP get hosed like this, I usually boot to SAFE MODE and am able to delete the unwanted files or folders. Like you, I’ve never been able to figure out why XP gets it in its head that these unused things need to be protected. And by the way, properties is one of the things I always check, but turns up nothing. If you can’t get it in safe mode, you may have to boot with a Win98 boot disk or some such.

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Bigaldoc
No they are not system folders, ones I created. Thanks for the tip. Went into safe mode and attempted to delete but with the same outcome as previously mentioned.

Cheers

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Are they empty?
I am wondering if you created them for a specific application and it still has a claim to them…?

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Hi Leif
Yes I created one as a shortcut to Grau Software (Conversion table program) and the other as a folder with a number of shortcuts in it to various programs. I managed to delete all the program shortcuts in the folder except for imesh, it also won’t allow me to delete it. In the Grau folder there is nothing.

Does this give you any ideas

Cheers

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Do you by chance have a boot diskette of some kind you could try? I use a Win98 boot floppy I customized for my needs but I believe any kind of boot diskette (DOS) would do for a test. The partition is not NTFS, is it? Try from a floppy if you can and see what happens…..

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Instead booting from floppy, you can boot to the Safe Mode (pressing F8 during bootup, before first Windows splash screen appears). Logon as Administrator, and manage Documents and Settings Desktop folder

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Hi Kaplind

I’ve tried booting in safe mode then deleting the folders but still get the same outcome. I even set up a separate Administrator log on also without success

Cheers

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This is really a tough problem. I’m afraid I don’t have my OS on an NTFS partition so I don’t know what happens when you boot with diskette, but the instructions are here in the MSKB. Now, you say you’ve logged on as an Administrator, NOT your usual logon, huh? When you do that, open Windows Explorer and then expand the DOCUMENTS AND SETTINGS folder. Are the elements you’re trying to delete in your normal logon name? Often the desktop icons/folders are stored in the subfolder called ALL USERS or maybe DEFAULT USER.

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Yes Bigaldoc
This is a tough one.
I’ve been into the DOCUMENTS AND SETTING Folder and have looked in the desktop folder for the Administrator, All USers, Default User and Dax. The older one the problem folders appear in is the Dax folder. I’ve tried deleting them from there but with out any luck.
Thanks for the link to the MSKB I’ll go and check it out.

Cheers

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Dax, I don’t think this is a fluke or just an annoyance. I think something must be using those folders. It’s possible in a networked scenario that a process can hang and leave a folder or file open and thus prevent deleting it (or doing anything else with it for that matter) but a reboot will always clear those connections.

Shut everything down that you possibly can, using Task Manager if necessary to kill background processes. In Task Manager, under the list of processes, you can also view the “owner” of the object in question (system, username etc). If you have the system on a small home network and there is the potential for file sharing, you may want to view open network connections also.

You may also try using MSCONGIF to disable everything at startup, reboot, and then attempt to delete the folders. Bottom line: I think you need to find out what program or process is opening those folders for exclusive access.

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Funny thing though, Mark, I would’ve thought that going in to Safe mode as he’s done would have eliminated anything that would normally be running after startup. Dax, while you try what Mark suggested, you ought to look for something connected with what you called “IMESH” or “GRAU” and see if either one of them is grabbing some kind of control. As I said earlier, I’m at something of a loss because I have no experience with a system that has NTFS on its boot drive (partition). In any of my past experiences with a FAT system, booting with a Win98 boot floppy has let me delete whatever I wanted. I don’t know if you can Google your way into an NTFS boot utility that would accomplish the same thing.

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Hi Bigaldoc
Yes my file system is NTFS. I don’t have a boot diskette. How can I make one and what will it do to help. Sorry but I’m not very PC savvy.

Cheers

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Suggestion

My primary experience is WinNT. I have found that WinNT frequently will not allow me to delete a folder until I rename it. After renaming the folder, I am able to delete the folder.

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Hi Everyone

Just wanted to let you know I’ve managed to finally delete the two desktop folders. I’m not sure why it worked but it did.
Basically I was playing around with the folders (again) and in the right click menu is the option for “Sharing and security”. I selected this option and under the “Sharing” tab is an option to “make this folder private”. When I did this it allowed me to delete the two desktop folders.
As I said I have no idea why, but it worked.

Thanks again to all those that responded with suggestions to my problem
Have a great day from the land downunder

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With “Sharing” on one has limited rights, you will find you need to check to see if it is turned on when ever you have problems up front.

DaveA I am so far behind, I think I am First
Genealogy....confusing the dead and annoying the living

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This is where another “Admin” account comes in. One will find out that ANY file and/or folder related to a account may be in use when that account is logged in. So as these folders are on your account desktop, then they may be in use.

The best way to delete these files is to log out of your account and then log in as another admin user. Open Windows Explorer, work your way down to “C:Documents and SettingsuseraccountDesktop” and then delete what you want.

DaveA I am so far behind, I think I am First
Genealogy....confusing the dead and annoying the living

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Thanks for the reply DaveA.
I added an administrator as suggested and tried to delete but without any success.

Looks like its back to the drawing board.

Cheers

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here’s the experience i’ve had with that same (or a very similar problem)

in explorer, navigate to the folder you want to delete
left click the folder to highlight, then delete
error: “cannot…”
with folder still highlighted, right click to bring up the shortcut menu, choose properties
find the ‘Read-Only’ option selected. un-select that option/apply/ok
highlight/delete
error: “cannot…”
right click/properties
‘Read-Only’ is selected again (here XP goes again, thinking it knows better than I )
grrrr

BUT

if i left click to highlight another folder
then right click/properties (on the folder i want to delete) /un-select ‘Read-Only’/apply/ok
with the other folder still highlighted
right click/delete (on the folder i want to delete)
away it goes

dont know why this works. any ideas?

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I would assume that it’s flakiness in the way that XP manages directories/folders in Explorer’s view. In the days of NT 4, if you had a folder selected on the right hand side of the Explorer window, you couldn’t delete the parent directory that contained it. That behavior went away when Windows 2000 came out – for the most part. From what you’ve described, XP is not clearing the read-only attribute when you tell it to the first time, even though it looks like it is. That leads me to believe it’s a silent failure. Whoops.

But maybe it’s not whoops. If you’re using NTFS, this could happen since there is security built into the file system. When the folder is selected it’s not able to clear the read-only attribute, but when another folder is selected, the target of deletion becomes open game.

Just a thought. At least you have a workaround.

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It aint pretty, but it works.
I wonder if others are having this problem? I’d imagine so.

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Mark,
I saw a discussion some time ago in the MS XP general newsgroup where an MS tech replied & said that folders are always marked read only even after you try to clear it. Supposedly, this is by design (no discussion on my part about design decisions by MS). Here’s a quote from a posting

“Hi Charlie,

n Windows XP, the read-only setting on the folder does not show the actual
state
of the read-only property on the folder and does not allow you to modify
the
read-only property on the folder. In order to view the attribute setting on
a
folder, you have to use the attrib command at a command prompt.

The read-only setting on a folder is only used for folder customizations
and has
not effect on whether or not a folder can be modified.

The read-only box in the UI for a folder is there to allow you to add or
remove the
read-only attribute for files within that folder and will not modify the
property
on the folder itself.

Tyler Li

tylerli@online.microsoft.com
Online Support Professional
Microsoft Corporation”

How does that muddy the waters? You can find many posts on the subject in microsoft.public.windowsxp.general and search for ‘read only’

Joe

--Joe

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Wow. Thanks, Joe. Leave it to the softies to redefine whast “Read Only” means, and to only apply that definition in certain scenarios. I’ve read the quote you posted a couple of times now, and I can’t stop shaking my head as I read it!

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yeah,
that is really wacky
can’t imagine why they’d do it that way, probably seemed like a good idea at the time

eschew obsfucation

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MS has taken a leaf out of “Alice in Wonderland” to further enhance Winspeak:

---

“When I use a word,” Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, “it means just what I choose it to mean

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