Delete stubborn files

Usrn asked the Desktops forum how to get rid of files that refuse to be deleted.

When you select a file, press the Delete key, and get an error message, chances are some program has that file open. But what program? Windows doesn't tell you.

The best tool for working around this problem is Unlocker, yet another free utility. Once you have it installed, you can simply right-click the stubborn file and select Unlocker. Then you select the file from the program's list, select Delete from the pull-down menu in the lower-left corner, and click Unlock.

You have your choice between three versions of this program, all of them free. There are 32- or 64-bit versions of the regular program--obviously, you need the one that matches your edition of Windows. Or you can pick the portable version that doesn't need to be installed (here, one .zip file contains both the 32- and the 64-bit code). The problem with the portable version, of course, is that if you right-click a file in Windows Explorer, you won't get an Unlocker option. You'll have to load the program, then navigate it to the unwanted file.

Read the original forum discussion.

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