Try installing this free utility ;

"Unlocker"
http://www.brothersoft.com/download-...er-208761.html

....or go to the official developer's website :

http://unlocker.emptyloop.com/

....it automatically (& manually via a right-click file menu ) detects when
a file operation fails due to programs having active open handles on the
object you are trying to rename / move / delete and allows you to either
close the offending program's open handles or terminate the program
entirely - and so release the object for your proffered file operation.

It also has the built-in ability to "Delete on reboot" as a last resort, a
function that other utilities offer on it's own but is incorporated into
this useful (at least I find it so) program.

==

Cheers, Tim Meddick, Peckham, London. :-)




"Guy Fletcher" wrote in message
...
This should be so simple on the face of it, but aaaaargh!

In a nutshell, I have a virus that has corrupted the USERINIT registry
entry. Identified it ok. Just need to delete c:\program\abc\def.exe (I
got the name from regedit.)

1. I can't delete folder "abc" because it says it's "not empty". Fair
enough, I'll delete "def" first.
2. Uh huh. Says "def" isn't there.
3. I go into DOS (or rather the command prompt feature of WXP).
4. I do the ATTRIB command for -r -s -h, and it takes it without error
message..... BUT nothing's changed, at all!
5. Read on the internet that the TYPE command ignores whether files
are hidden/system, so I do that on def.exe.
6. YES! It lists gobbledegook (as expected with .exe data) so that
proves it DOES exist and is still there.

So - the question seems to be why the ATTRIB command had no
effect..... anybody have any suggestions?

Thanks
Guy