How to delete a folder tree at boot time?

[Guest]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.win2000.general,comp.os.ms-windows.misc (More info?)

I have a folder tree on my harddisc which I cannot delete during a normal Win2000 session.
When I tried it I got a dialog popup

"Cannot remove folder xxx: Access is denied. The source file may be in use."

I am pretty sure that no program is using it. Even after a reboot it is locked.

So my last hope to get rid of this trash is to delete this directory tree at boot time
when the mysterious program has not already locked the files inside the tree.

How do I do this?
Imagine I have a simple MSDOS batch file with the delete commands inside.
How do I tell Win2000 "perform this file at next reboot" ONCE (!!!) ?


Paul

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.win2000.general (More info?)

After backup you might try running;
chkdsk /r
from the recovery console command line. (/r implies /f and /p)

To start the Recovery Console, start the computer from the Windows 2000
Setup CD or the Windows 2000 Setup floppy disks. If you do not have Setup
floppy disks and your computer cannot start from the Windows 2000 Setup CD,
use another Windows 2000-based computer to create the Setup floppy disks. At
the "Welcome to Setup" screen. Press F10 or R to repair a Windows 2000
installation, and then press C to use the Recovery Console. The Recovery
Console then prompts you for the administrator password. If you do not have
the correct password, Recovery Console does not allow access to the
computer. If an incorrect password is entered three times, the Recovery
Console quits and restarts the computer. Note If the registry is corrupted
or missing or no valid installations are found, the Recovery Console starts
in the root of the startup volume without requiring a password. You cannot
access any folders, but you can carry out commands such as chkdsk, fixboot,
and fixmbr for limited disk repairs. Once the password has been validated,
you have full access to the Recovery Console, but limited access to the hard
disk. You can only access the following folders on your computer: drive
root, %systemroot% or %windir%

Also you can try deleting from the recovery console. First you'll need to
Control Panel|Admin Tools|Local Security Policy Recovery console:"Allow
floppy copy and access to all drives/folders" set to enabled

Then from the recovery console command line;
SET allowallpaths = TRUE

to gain access to all folders and try deleting from here.


--
Regards,

Dave Patrick ....Please no email replies - reply in newsgroup.
Microsoft Certified Professional
Microsoft MVP [Windows]
http://www.microsoft.com/protect

"Sven Mayer" wrote:
|I have a folder tree on my harddisc which I cannot delete during a normal
Win2000 session.
| When I tried it I got a dialog popup
|
| "Cannot remove folder xxx: Access is denied. The source file may be in
use."
|
| I am pretty sure that no program is using it. Even after a reboot it is
locked.
|
| So my last hope to get rid of this trash is to delete this directory tree
at boot time
| when the mysterious program has not already locked the files inside the
tree.
|
| How do I do this?
| Imagine I have a simple MSDOS batch file with the delete commands inside.
| How do I tell Win2000 "perform this file at next reboot" ONCE (!!!) ?
|
|
| Paul
|

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.win2000.general (More info?)

On 17 Jul 2005 11:26:43 GMT, hamiltonx@lycos.com (Sven Mayer) wrote:

>I have a folder tree on my harddisc which I cannot delete during a normal Win2000 session.
>When I tried it I got a dialog popup
>
>"Cannot remove folder xxx: Access is denied. The source file may be in use."
>
>I am pretty sure that no program is using it. Even after a reboot it is locked.
>
>So my last hope to get rid of this trash is to delete this directory tree at boot time
>when the mysterious program has not already locked the files inside the tree.
>
>How do I do this?
>Imagine I have a simple MSDOS batch file with the delete commands inside.
>How do I tell Win2000 "perform this file at next reboot" ONCE (!!!) ?
>
>
>Paul


Boot the Recovery Console and delete it.
See tip 2037 » What can I do with the Windows 2000 Recovery Console?
in the 'Tips & Tricks' at http://www.jsifaq.com

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.win2000.general (More info?)

Hello,

In article <42da4073$0$25328$9b4e6d93@newsread2.arcor-online.net>,
hamiltonx@lycos.com says...
> I have a folder tree on my harddisc which I cannot delete during a normal Win2000 session.
> When I tried it I got a dialog popup
>
> "Cannot remove folder xxx: Access is denied. The source file may be in use."
>
> I am pretty sure that no program is using it. Even after a reboot it is locked.

Please note there are several directories locked by windows. Windows
thinks it can not run without these directories. The Outlook Express
directory is one example, even if you uninstalled OE. If you remove this
directory, it will be re-created by windows next boot.

>
> So my last hope to get rid of this trash is to delete this directory tree at boot time
> when the mysterious program has not already locked the files inside the tree.
>
> How do I do this?
> Imagine I have a simple MSDOS batch file with the delete commands inside.
> How do I tell Win2000 "perform this file at next reboot" ONCE (!!!) ?

Add your batch file to

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce]

>
>
> Paul
>
>

--

h.wulff
[dont send me an email]

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.win2000.general (More info?)

Hi Sven - From my Blog, Defending Your Machine, addy in Signature below:


"Sometimes the tools below will find files which they are unable to delete
because they are in use.

A program called Copylock, here, http://noeld.com/programs.asp?cat=misc can
aid in the process of "replacing, moving, renaming or deleting one or many
files which are currently in use (e.g. system files like comctl32.dll, or
virus/trojan files.)"

Another is Killbox, here: http://www.downloads.subratam.org/KillBox.zip

A third which is a bit different but often very useful is Delete Invalid
File, here: http://www.purgeie.com/delinv.htm which handles invalid/UNC
file/folder name deleting, rather than the in use problem.

A fourth useful program is Unlocker, here:
..http://ccollomb.free.fr/unlocker/ " Simply right click the folder or file
and select Unlocker. If the folder or file is locked, a window listing of
lockers will appear. Simply select the lockers and click Unlock and you are
done!" Works as advertised and is particularly helpful in identifying
malware components which are 'protecting' each other."


--
Regards, Jim Byrd, MS-MVP
My Blog, Defending Your Machine, here:
http://defendingyourmachine.blogspot.com/

"Sven Mayer" <hamiltonx@lycos.com> wrote in message
news:42da4073$0$25328$9b4e6d93@newsread2.arcor-online.net
> I have a folder tree on my harddisc which I cannot delete during a
> normal Win2000 session. When I tried it I got a dialog popup
>
> "Cannot remove folder xxx: Access is denied. The source file may be
> in use."
>
> I am pretty sure that no program is using it. Even after a reboot it
> is locked.
>
> So my last hope to get rid of this trash is to delete this directory
> tree at boot time when the mysterious program has not already locked
> the files inside the tree.
>
> How do I do this?
> Imagine I have a simple MSDOS batch file with the delete commands
> inside.
> How do I tell Win2000 "perform this file at next reboot" ONCE (!!!) ?
>
>
> Paul

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.win2000.general (More info?)

I suggest having a very DOS knowledgeable person do this for you.

I suggest doing each command one at a time until the files of interest
are gone. Unless very knowledgeable in DOS and .BAT

Learn these DOS commands on the internet. each line below is one
command.

cd
dir /p
sys
Del
Attrib [and all of the switches]
rmdir

 

[JM]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.win2000.general (More info?)

quoting:
> I have a folder tree on my harddisc which I cannot delete during a normal
Win2000 session.
> When I tried it I got a dialog popup
>
> "Cannot remove folder xxx: Access is denied. The source file may be in
use."
>
> I am pretty sure that no program is using it. Even after a reboot it is
locked.
>
> So my last hope to get rid of this trash is to delete this directory tree
at boot time
> when the mysterious program has not already locked the files inside the
tree.
>
> How do I do this?
> Imagine I have a simple MSDOS batch file with the delete commands inside.
> How do I tell Win2000 "perform this file at next reboot" ONCE (!!!) ?
>
>
> Paul


I do things like that in DOS. That left over DOS from Windows 98 comes in
handy when you need it. I even made my machine triple boot win2k, win98,
and dos, so I don't even have to insert a boot disk.

 

[DB]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.win2000.general (More info?)

hamiltonx@lycos.com (Sven Mayer) wrote:

>I have a folder tree on my harddisc which I cannot delete during a normal Win2000 session.
>When I tried it I got a dialog popup
>
>"Cannot remove folder xxx: Access is denied. The source file may be in use."
>
>I am pretty sure that no program is using it. Even after a reboot it is locked.
>
>So my last hope to get rid of this trash is to delete this directory tree at boot time
>when the mysterious program has not already locked the files inside the tree.
>
>How do I do this?
>Imagine I have a simple MSDOS batch file with the delete commands inside.
>How do I tell Win2000 "perform this file at next reboot" ONCE (!!!) ?
>
>
>Paul

It could be that the folder in question has a file with a bad file name. Renaming
the filename to something more palatable could make it deleteable.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.win2000.general (More info?)

Sven Mayer wrote:
> I have a folder tree on my harddisc which I cannot delete during a
> normal Win2000 session. When I tried it I got a dialog popup
>
> "Cannot remove folder xxx: Access is denied. The source file may be
> in use."
>
> I am pretty sure that no program is using it. Even after a reboot it
> is locked.
>
> So my last hope to get rid of this trash is to delete this directory
> tree at boot time when the mysterious program has not already locked
> the files inside the tree.
>
> How do I do this?
> Imagine I have a simple MSDOS batch file with the delete commands
> inside.
> How do I tell Win2000 "perform this file at next reboot" ONCE (!!!) ?

If 2000 has an autoexec.bat put it there - del name_of_folder

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.win2000.general (More info?)

John of Aix <j.murphy@libertysurf.fr> wrote:
> Sven Mayer wrote:
>> I have a folder tree on my harddisc which I cannot delete during a
>> normal Win2000 session. When I tried it I got a dialog popup
>>
>> "Cannot remove folder xxx: Access is denied. The source file may be
>> in use."
>>
>> I am pretty sure that no program is using it. Even after a reboot it
>> is locked.
>>
>> So my last hope to get rid of this trash is to delete this directory
>> tree at boot time when the mysterious program has not already locked
>> the files inside the tree.
>>
>> How do I do this?
>> Imagine I have a simple MSDOS batch file with the delete commands
>> inside.
>> How do I tell Win2000 "perform this file at next reboot" ONCE (!!!) ?

> If 2000 has an autoexec.bat put it there - del name_of_folder

Win 2K doesn't use autoexec.bat for anything other than setting some
environment variables -- if that option is enabled. Commands are never
executed from there. In order to have the batch run at startup, you'll
have to make an entry in
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce.

--
Gary L. Smith gls432@yahoo.com
Columbus, Ohio