Windows 7: Directory and files there but can't delete, move or rename

First sentence from the below link, "Run and RunOnce registry keys cause programs to run each time that a user logs on."

Run and RunOnce Registry Keys (Windows)



The programs in the RunOnce key do not run until the user logs on. What you're talking about is things happening during your logon process once you've initiated it, which is what slows you getting to your desktop. However, none of them are run until you hit enter to log in (or once the logon process is started by some other means).

Everything is running as SYSTEM prior to a user logon, which is why/how you can do some interesting/nefarious tricks to get to a command prompt with full privileges before even logging on to the computer.

Read what 'Unlocker' does here: Unlocker - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

edit: to test it I loaded a text editor into RunOnce. I logged off. Then logged in. The text editor came up, but the desktop, wallpaper, startup apps didn't. Which indicates to me the login hasn't really taken effect until the named process runs. Files ordinarily locked such as index.dat can be deleted.

Anyway, I don't really care how unlocker works as long is it does. A RunOnce key is a method that will work to delete certain classes of files. I know because I do it routinely.

edit2: Unlocker comes with both a hook file and a sys file. I'd venture a guess the hook is mainly for unlocking handles and the .sys does the heavy lifting. Device drivers can bypass most anything.

I don't quite get what you're saying here. Do you mean you put a subkey into RunOnce to launch Notepad? Which RunOnce key? There is LocalMachine and CurrentUser, both of which load at different times in the logon process. I'm not sure why your desktop, wallpaper, and startup apps wouldn't come up after putting another value in RunOnce. Something sounds wrong there, if that's what you're saying. What do you mean "login hasn't really taken effect"?

@FliGi7 dude, I'm not going to go on with this thread that's been solved. If you want to argue with someone try a programming forum. You'll find lots of volunteers. If you want to know what happens, run your own experiments instead of quizzing me.

Sorry, I didn't mean to make you get so defensive about this. I didn't know there was anything to actually argue. I was actually just genuinely interested in what you were talking about and what you meant in your statements. Obviously, I have done my own testing on this and am well aware of how Windows works. I was the one who clarified to you how the \Run keys work since you weren't aware. If I had realized you were going to go into passive-aggressive defense mode and be a dick about such simple questions I can assure you I wouldn't have asked. Many others on here are more than happy to discuss ancillary and pertinent topics, simply for the sake of discussion and learning, once the main problem of a thread is solved. That's one of the perks I find of this forum that everything doesn't just shut down once an initial question is answered. Obviously, you aren't one of those people which I'll note for future topics you're involved in.

Countless users find these threads during google searches. You can see them in here by the thousands signed in as Guests at any given time. For this reason it is good to add to the knowledge shared in a thread, even append newer fixes that have evolved often since beta days.

I was reading the thread with interest and learning. Let's never stop helping others learn, or penalize them for asking questions. Sometimes I answer endless circular questions just for practice at patience.

1) I already stated which key was used. See this thead:
Directory and files there but can't delete, move or rename

2) I noted the files included with Unlocker make it obvious it gets around owership/file lock using a device driver. It may reboot as much to close programs that have a file in use as much as to trigger the device driver load. Since you don't mention this at all I have to surmise finding out how Unlocker works is not the real motivation for prolonging the thread.

3) When follow-ups include phrases like "you are not one of those people" to me that's personal attack and I see no point conversing further.

This is my last comment on this thread. Thanks for the joust.

Hopefully the OP has unsubscribed to this thread and we are not filling his inbox with post notifications.

I've not played around with runonce much - I have deleted files that way (before I found unlocker). But seeing the comment about having an editor load via runonce made me wonder if the things that are listed under that key are blocking processes (perhaps that is not the correct term). It appears that they do "block" other things from happening until the exe exits.

It was interesting to see the "log on process" (for lack of another term) halt and wait for me to close notepad before it loaded (painted?) the desktop. I do find it odd that the runonce key at the HKLM level does not execute things until a after a user has been selected.

And using Process Monitor on Unlocker did not yield much insight for me :-(

...but I did learn a few things from this thread - so thanks to all that posted :-)


Just in case the OP is still lurking: I see that you solved the issue of Unlocker not showing up in the context menu by installing the 64bit version... but just so that you know - you can open Unlocker and painfully navigate to the file of interest via that GUI. You don't have to use Explorer's context menu.

All of the entries in the HKLM...\RunOnce are loaded synchronously, as compared to all other Run or RunOnce keys which are loaded asynchronously, which means that all of its entries must finish loading before it progresses to all of the remaining Run* keys. This is why launching a program from there will halt the progression to the desktop until it is closed (the machine is waiting for the program to be closed before it continues as it interprets its closing as the task being completed). The advantage of doing this is that you can run programs like Unlocker that can perform actions before other exclusive services (like explorer.exe) are started (in this case, before explorer or any other process puts locks on certain files/folders) during the winlogon process.

Again, none of these things are performed via Run(Once) keys until the system performs the winlogon process. Winlogon isn't started until a user selects their username and logs in (or if the machine is automatically set to log in then it will start as soon as its ready).

Now, you can, however, start services prior to a user's login via the RunServices(Once) keys.