How can I get items that will not drag into my trash to be deleted?

Question

I have soem files which have somehow gotten onto my computer and I try to drag them to my trash and they wont go. I've tried right clicking but delete does not appear as an option. My computer is Conpaq running Windows XP. Does anyone know a way I can get rid of these crap files?

See the problem is I dont know where these files came from and i cant get into like properties or anything for them so i assume they as some how locked

Answer 1

go to www.majorgeek.com and look for the delete pro . that will delete everything on your computer . also of to the file chick on the file go to problities and clean all check stuff like hidden, read only then try deleting it again

Answer 2

I'll bet you get the message that they are being used by some other person or process and therefore cannot be deleted. These are spyware.

Hit ctrl alt del and click on the Processes tab on top.look for the processes that you know are the crap and see if they're taking up CPU usage. Highlight them one after the other and hit End Process.

Now, you'll be able to delete them.

I guess an easier option is to download and run Spybot S&D from http://www.spybot.info/en/index.html

First check for Updates, then click on Search and hit Fix Problems. Before you close this, hit Innoculate.

You wont have any more pesky crap spyware annoying you.

Spybot is a free download but donations are welcome.

Cheers

Answer 3

There are several reasons a program will not delete.

First: it is running. The ones running in the background are harder to find. Bring up the Task Manager (right click on the Task Bar) and go to Processes Tab. Look for the program to see if it is running. If it is, end the program then try to delete it.

Second: As mentioned, it may be Read Only. To change that, Right click on the program and go to Properties. If the Read Only box is checked, uncheck it. Sometimes you may need to reboot to get rid of the program after unchecking the Read Only.

Third: If these are not programs you installed yourself, you may have a Trojan or Virus. If this is the case, it is much harder to get rid of by yourself. You can go to the McAfee or Norton website to see if the program has been reported as a virus and hopefully for a fix.

Remember: ALWAYS keep your virus DAT's up-to-date. This means to update daily. Even if there isn't a new update, set the virus program to automatically update daily, and to run daily.

Answer 4

Why can't you get rid of those files? Is it because your format is read-only? Then you cannot do anything.

Answer 5

Have you tried to restart your computer? It seems like some kind of glitch.