The computer system is a capricious lady. Very often, various errors and failures occur in it, because of which the file or program is not deleted. However, systemic
crashes are not the only reason for this problem, and undeletable files are found not only on the hard drive or in the recycle bin, but also on a flash drive. We consider all these cases in more detail.
The most frequently deleted files are involved in some process. If a certain program “works” with an object, you cannot “remove” it. Such a program may be, for example, a torrent client. If the torrent downloaded to it is not uploaded, then you won’t be able to delete the corresponding video. You can not delete the object running in the media player. Likewise, a file opened in Word is not deleted. You can remove such objects by closing the programs that work with them.
But now all possible applications are closed, and the file is still not deleted. This means that the processes associated with this object have retained the system’s RAM. Although the application is closed, RAM considers it running. There are two ways out of this problem. Firstly, you can use such a useful application as the Task Manager. It is in Windows of any version and is called by pressing the keys "Ctrl", "Alt" and "Delete".
All running processes are reflected in the corresponding tab, and the button at the bottom of the window will help to complete them. If Task Manager is too complicated for you, just try rebooting the system.
Sometimes a file is not deleted due to an incorrect name. This happens quite rarely. Typically, the system “warns” when the user enters invalid characters. The wrong name appears during a system failure or during unpacking the archive. There is only one way out - try to rename the file. If this succeeds, the object will be deleted without problems.
What to do if all the methods have been tried, and the objectionable object has not disappeared? In the case when the file is not deleted, and no method helps, you should switch to safe mode. To do this, restart the computer, and in the process of rebooting, press F8. The button should be pressed until the Microsoft logo appears on the monitor. As a result, a menu appears in which you must select the safe mode, and then press "Enter". When the download is finished, you can get rid of the unnecessary object. All of the above
methods are suitable if files from the recycle bin are not deleted. Just restore the object - and get started.
There are especially severe cases when all the tricks are used, and the file continues to be an eyesore. Special utilities will help you here. There are programs such as Unlocker that “specialize” in undeletable files. Unlocker is especially convenient - after installation it is available from the context menu. Sometimes viruses also interfere with the removal, so before taking extreme measures, scan the system with a special tool.
Viruses are to blame for the case when files from a flash drive are not deleted. If an unfamiliar object appears on the USB (most often a folder), this means that the drive is infected. Getting rid of the virus is very difficult. Unlocker is useful here again, but if it doesn’t help, the flash drive will have to be formatted. Tools for this are built into Windows and are available in the Properties window.