[RESOLVED] Files & folders become locked for no apparent reason

[krtxmrtz]

Every now and then a file becomes locked by Windows so that I can't rename or delete it. I thought the file might be still in use by some program but it didn't seem to be the case.

Now it's just happened with a folder. I've checked the attributes and it was read-only so I've unchecked that option. But if I right click on the folder again, it turns out it's still read-only!

[eranga262154]

You say that, attributes not change when you have do the modifications. Normally Win32 effect this. May be a virus. Have you use firewall?

[Hack]

What kind of files or folders are you talking about? Are they system files?

Is this XP or Vista?

Home computer or work?

[krtxmrtz]

You say that, attributes not change when you have do the modifications. Normally Win32 effect this. May be a virus. Have you use firewall?

I think it's unlikely. I use ZoneAlarm firewall and AVG antivirus and antispam.

[krtxmrtz]

What kind of files or folders are you talking about? Are they system files?

Is this XP or Vista?

Home computer or work?

No, this time it was a new folder I'd just created. In it I copied some mp3 files, played them out with WMP and then closed WMP. Thereafter the funny thing happened.

It's XP in a home computer.

[si_the_geek]

I occasionally get that, and it is generally due to a program not closing the file properly.

Unfortunately Explorer is sometimes the culprit (in my case, it usually is), in which case the easiest thing to do is to log off an back on again - which also solves it for other programs too.

[Lord Orwell]

that's funny. In my case the culprit is ALWAYS media player. it doesn't close down properly (version 11) and i never had this problem with 10 or any other version although i did have odd permission errors under 2k if i had an embedded player in the explorer window.

[krtxmrtz]

I'm not sure it was WMP that wasn't closing properly, I went through the list of running processes by ctrl/alt/del-ing and couldn't spot anything related to it. Btw I'm still using version 10.

[stanav]

If those files are still listed in WMP's playlist then WMP will lock them even you close it. It seems to be a bug in WMP... As soon as you remove the items from the playlist, they'll be unlocked.

[Al42]

Unlocker can unlock most locked files if the locking program isn't still running.

[krtxmrtz]

If those files are still listed in WMP's playlist then WMP will lock them even you close it. It seems to be a bug in WMP... As soon as you remove the items from the playlist, they'll be unlocked.

I'll check on this, thanks.

[krtxmrtz]

Unlocker can unlock most locked files if the locking program isn't still running.

I have dowbloaded it. Seems to be quite handy, thank you.

[Hack]

Have you actually narrowed it down to the Media Player? (I'm curious)

[krtxmrtz]

Have you actually narrowed it down to the Media Player? (I'm curious)

Not really, the last time it happened it was -probably- WMP because it was the only app I ran between creation of the folder and the attempt to delete it. About other occurrences in the past I couldn't say for I didn't make any record.