Cannot delete .eml files

TimStitt said:

Yep, this is weird indeed.

I have one more idea, one that I touched on before but now have an idea to check.
Open indexing and ensure that the *.eml file location is not being indexed.
Open your virus software, ensure that the *.eml location is not being scanned.
Reboot.
See if the problem continues, if this fixes it, try to work out which program causes it. Man this is annoying me... lol.

Okey dokey. Thank you, Tim, your perseverance is commendable.

"Open indexing and ensure that the *.eml file location is not being indexed."
Indexing reports that in Users, only the following are NOT being indexed:
-appfata:appdata
Windows Live Mail was being indexed - no other application.
So I turned OFF indexing for Windows Live Mail and a few other things that did not seem important.
And I did a restart. Result - no change. I still can't delete old ones or new ones.
Then I turned off indexing for the whole world - nothing is indexed. Restart and NADA, NIENTE, Zip, RIEN, c'est la meme chose! No change.
I left indexing off - who needs it!

Then Indexing, Under "Advanced" and file types, I turned OFF indexing for eml - the note there says that "Registered IFilter is not found". I don't know what that means, but almost EVERY other file type, except really long and odd things, has some filter. Interesting. I have no idea what that means.
Result: No change!

You suggested: "Open your virus software, ensure that the *.eml location is not being scanned."
I don't quite know what that means - not scanning the *.eml location.
It's more a definition of what is scanned.
But OK - it WAS set to scan only infectable file types.
I assume that INCLUDES .eml files. Not sure.
So I changed it to "all file types", and EXCLUDED .eml. I'm using AVG by the way.
I switched to it when my free Norton ran out. That switch was AFTER the problem surfaced.
Restart and . . . tada, no change!

See next note - a few other ideas - no solutions.

SUGGESTIONS
I would like to suggest one more option.
In my 'extensive' research into the prior problem - where .eml files had their dates changed all the time, I did note a couple of somewhat related problems affecting only .eml files:

1- Windows Live Mail and .EML date stamp.
Windows Live Mail and .EML date stamp ?? HTML editor went crazy here!
That's a long URL. The problem is under:
Windows Client Tech Center > Windows 7 Forums > Windows 7 Application Compatability > Windows Live Mail and .EML date stamp.
A search on that last string will find it.
Uninstalling Windows Live Mail fixed the date problem. Dated 5/14/2009.
Identical problem posted here
https://www.sevenforums.com/software/...ate-stamp.html
String is Windows 7 Forums > Seven Forums > Software > Windows Live Mail and .EML files date stamp.
That one is dated 5/14/2009 - NO replies.
I do NOT want to uninstall WLM, thank you very much.

2- Title is "Bug copying .eml-Files, time stamp changed" This one is dated 12/2/08
Bug copying .eml-Files, time stamp changed Same here

This was in a Vista Forum.
This one has a lot of activity - related to indexing.
Around June 6, 2009 - 6 months later - this entry shows up:
However, while investigating this further, I discovered the following:
---------------------------------
1. The problem with .EML date stamp exists out of the box with a fresh install of Windows 7, without installing any applications, and in particular without installing WLM.
2. The problem continues to exist when WLM was installed.
3. The problem stops when WLM is uninstalled.

Comparisons of the registries for these three situations revealed that in (1) and (2), a .eml entry exists under
\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\PropertySystem\PropertyHandlers

This .eml entry is gone once WLM is uninstalled.

After reinstalling WLM, this key entry reappears, and the date stamp problem starts again. However, deleting this key entry and rebooting causes the date stamp problem to stop. Adding back the registry key makes the problem start up again.

The PropertyHandlers key seems to be related to search, but I haven't noticed any problem resulting from its deletion, admittedly with limited experience.

This workaround may have solved the problem in Windows 7 RC, at least so far. Perhaps this also applies to Vista.
--------------------------------------

Note that it is related to Windows 7, albeit in the Vista Forum.
It has to do with changing the date, not protecting the file, but it is interesting that it keys on .eml files.
I went to my local Registry entry. Run regedit -
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\PropertySystem\PropertyHandlers
And I do have an .eml entry. REG_SZ [5FA29220-36A1-40f9-89C6-F4B384B7642E]
Of course, I have an entry for virtually everything under the sun.
That proves nothing. What happens if I delete it?

And, totally unrelated, how come some of these are case sensitive and others not?
It must be HEX - there's nothing above FF on there.

My gut says this is the same problem.
I had this problem of dates changing - it went away. Someone zapped the .eml in a Microsoft update.
It was turned into my present problem.
Origin is NOT related to Windows Live Mail. Just Windows 7.
Removing Windows Live Mail seems to fix it.
Or removing the property entry.

Someone a lot wiser than I needs to look at that.

Again, thanks everyone. It took about 6 months for that one to be resolved!
OH, and thanks a million to the Windows 7 people who made "restart" as quick as lightening.
Saves a lot of time doing this stuff.

Hi, I'm a new user of Windows 7 [Apr 2010] but have just started experiencing this problem. I cannot delete files that I've saved in my documents which are .eml extension. If I right click on these files, the choices of "delete", "rename", and "cut" are not available. In the pull-down menus, they are faded off.

The "temp" fix of going into properties and deleting details that is discussed in these posts [on page two] works but is obviously laborious.

Has anyone else encountered this problem since this post? Is the reg edit thing the only answer.

By the way, I don't use WLM [windows live mail] like this user. I use Thunderbird and the files I've saved are Thunderbird .eml files.

Anyway, other behaviors seem to be the same as what this other user described. For example, if I've just copied the .eml file to another folder, I can delete it immediately, but if I close the explorer window and go back and open it, then when I right click, "delete" is no longer an option, and the only thing that works is to delete the file properties. . .

And this issue only arises with .eml files saved in my "libraries". An item copied over to my C: drive main folder still can be deleted.

Look up the thread a bit.
The solution is a modification of a registry entry.
Bit scary, but the steps are spelled out there.
I still have no clue what caused this - I thought it was Live Mail - but apparently not.

Somewhere, I assume some Microsoft whiz is still puzzling this one out.

If you can't find the solution - reply to this and I'll paste it in here again.

Take care.
Carl

hi
this works for me
right click on the .eml file, select Open file location, the documents open in a new window and delete is an option when I right click on the .eml file

regards

Hallo everybody.

I read this thread since I encountered this problem me too; I use Thunderbird, but I think this problem appeared installing a windows update comprehensive of Windows Live Mail 2011.
I was unable to delete a .eml file, and also to rename it; Your fix works well.

I made some investigations about the incriminated registry key; it refers to inetcomm.dll, and it makes some substitutions for file properties, useful for the search facility of Windows.
I assume it overrides also the file attributes described here, and doesn't allow to delete and rename .eml files.

So You can keep property substitutions, and disable just file system attributes substitutions, by setting to 0 the voice "System.SFGAOFlags" under the OverrideFileSystemProperties key of the relative property handler class ID key; so a .reg file with the following lines will work:

Code:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{5FA29220-36A1-40f9-89C6-F4B384B7642E}\OverrideFileSystemProperties]
"System.SFGAOFlags"=dword:00000000

It works well for me; I don't know which enhancements comes from property substitution during searches, but this solution is less intrusive than deleting the key under PropertyHandlers, and should keep most searches functionality through .eml files.


Regards.
Matteo