What is the matter with Windows XP?

[tomld2]

I am getting so sick of XP. Why in the world does it frequently prevent me from editing or deleting files because they claim they are being used by other program? I unzipped several files and randomly it won't allow me to edit/delete what I unzipped. These are files that have never been opened. What the heck?

[zulufox]

I can relate to your frustration...

I am DYING to switch to a linux desktop... but linux desktops are still to unsupported for me...

When longhorn comes out I'll probably switch...

[vkaryl]

tomld2: only thing I can think of is that you've got some sort of mal-ware on your system which is "co-opting" the files.

What are you using for adware/virus/worm/hijack protection?

[longen]

Xp probally thinks that Unzip.exe still has access, logging off & back on should cure it - its a dirty, but not quick solution.

[isitreal]

Why in the world does it frequently prevent me from editing or deleting files because they claim they are being used by other program?

What's probably happening is that the program you used to work with the file isn't properly releasing the memory blocks it needed when it worked with the files you are having problems with, I have this problem with WS_FTP and other smaller apps sometimes. The app programmers probably forgot to release some flag that tells windows it can now safely use the file, that's their fault, not MS's, often anyway.

This isn't XP's fault, it's the fault of the people who wrote the app running on xp, and it's not unique to Windows XP, 2000, and probably most other windows, do the same thing.

Windows is often blamed for things it has nothing to do with, and few think to blame the frequently shoddy software people run on Windows. I prefer to blame MS/Windows for the things they do do wrong/illegally, and give them credit for the things they do right, like making some of the sloppiest application programming in the world not crash it.

[tomld2]

I was using WS_FTP to get these files...

[PatrickDeese]

I've noticed that sometimes with image files if you have the preview pane (on the side bar) turned on that it considers the file "in use" from time to time - especially with MPG files - which in general are larger.

[moltar]

If you go to Windows Task Manager (ctrl+alt+del), then go to Processes tab, and kill the "explorer.exe" process.

Then go back to "Applications" tab and press "New Task...". Type in "cmd", it will pring the the old "looks-like-dos" prompt.

Find the directory with the files you want to delete. Then delete the files.

You will need the following commands: cd, dir, remove.

After you are done deleting the files you don't want, press "New Task..." in the Windows Task Manager again and type in "explorer" and it will bring back the desktop.

[isitreal]

Usually just shutting down the apps that have the files open solves the problem. This isn't an error, by the way, if you have files open in an app they should be protected until they are closed, it prevents other weird things from happening, the error comes when the program doesn't release the memory when you close or stop viewing the file, I've had this problem with editplus and ws ftp both, that's a definite programming error on their parts.

the program is supposed to tell windows when it doesn't need the file anymore, sometimes they don't, but almost always when you fully shutdown the program all the memory is released, the file flags are switched to available, or however windows does it, except for when something like NS 4x crashes, then you often have to reboot...