BleepingComputer.com: Deleting Files

I was deleting some files and I had this one file I wanted to get rid of but it just won't delete. It's a .lit file. Whenever I go to delete the file, this screen shows up. Look at the attach file, its a snapshot of what it says.

This post has been edited by shm2983: 24 December 2011 - 03:27 PM

Try running chkdsk /r and see if the problem persists
To run checkdisk, right-click on a command prompt icon and open as administrator. In the command prompt window type: chkdsk /r (then press ENTER). You'll be told the disk is in use and asked if you want to run checkdisk on the next boot. Say yes, exit the command prompt window, and reboot.

It, worked! Thank You!

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and Happy New Years!

shm2983

ps. what did the command do to all the files?

This post has been edited by shm2983: 24 December 2011 - 09:46 PM

You're welcome and happy holidays to you.

It didn't do anything to the files. When you delete a file you are actually only deleting the pointer in the master file table - the file itself remains where it was, but the OS no longer knows how to find it without the pointer so it thinks it's gone, allowing other files to then utilize the same area on the disk, eventually overwriting the file. Sometimes there's glitch, and even though the pointer is deleted some remnant remains and the MFT gets confused. Running chkdsk with either the /f or the /r switch will usually clean everything up.

OK. Um, how would I go about deleting files that are already deleted but are still on the disk. How do I permanently delete already deleted files?

shm2983

Unless you use a hammer to completely destroy the HD (NOT RECOMMENDED) you cannot actually delete a file. What you CAN do is overwrite the file with multiple passes of zero's and ones. There are utilities on the market that will "shred" or "permanently erase" data.