Windows 7: unable to delete video file

aw22 · 24 Sep 2010

I'm unable to delete (3) 40-520mb .mkv files. I get "The action can't be completed because the files is open in Windows Explorer". I gont even have opened files and this, I have tryed to restart and then delete them, but still the same result.
Whats the problem?
I dont even have them in any video player list or something like that. And Video player(s) has been closed before I have tried to delete them.

Anak · 24 Sep 2010

Try:

"The action can't be completed" might be because the preview mode is active.
Deactivate the Preview mode for the folder the file is in.
In view options; show conventional view for folder.

Or:

Right-click on each file, select Properties.
Then under the General tab of each individual file select the Advanced button for Attributes.
Un-check both options under the File Attributes section.
File is ready for archiving
Allow this file to have contents indexed in addition to file properties.

That should allow you to delete them. If not then you would have to try in safe mode.

karlsnooks · 24 Sep 2010

aw,

Please let us know if you were able to delete the files.

boohbah · 24 Sep 2010

I dont suppose they are in a utorrent list ?

aw22 · 25 Sep 2010

Well it was already "Allow this file to have contents indexed in addition to file properties." And I'm still unable to delete thoise 3 files, other files I can delete. Well I can watch thoise 3 .mkv files but I cannot rename or move or delete.

karlsnooks · 25 Sep 2010

aw,
If you boot to an elevated command prompt and then with the CD command go to the folder with those files, can you then use the ATTRIB command to view the attributes, for example, ATTRIB *.mkv

If you see a S,H, just any letter other than A, then remove that attribute.
For example, ATTRIB *.mkv -s -h
After clearing all attributes except for A (archive) then you should be able to use DEL *.mkv to delete the files.

Let me know if this solves the problem, if not then I've another trick up the sleeve.

Bill2 · 25 Sep 2010

Try deleting in safe mode.

karlsnooks · 25 Sep 2010

Bill,
Thanks. I had meant to put that first in the things to try and skipped right to the command prompt trick. Let's hope that one of these two ways gets the job done.

aw22 · 26 Sep 2010

When I used ERASE command in cmd I got same problem "The process cannot access the file because it is being used by another process.". Gonna try soon in Safe Mode.

marsmimar · 26 Sep 2010

This last resort method has worked for me a few times in the past. I used regedit and searched for all mention of the specifc file name. For example, I once had Die Hard 2 on my computer and I couldn't get rid of it no matter what I tried. But once I deleted all references in the registry I was able to uninstall it. (I made a backup of the registry just in case something went wrong.) Perhaps other more knowledgeable forum members will comment on this.

Windows 7: unable to delete video file

unable to delete video file problems?