Locked files

[BiggsWolf]

I am experiencing an issue with what appears to be 'locked files' on my Windows 2000 server system. When I try to rename or move or get exclusive access to some files I get the error below:

‘Can not rename {file name}: it is being used by another person or program
Close any programs that might be using this file and try again.'

This first started in a picture directory (with thousands of images) but has recently spread to other folders. I think it’s a hardware issue but want to check if anyone else has run across it before I replace the box.

The only way I can clear up the lock is to reboot the system, before I only need to do it once a month, but now it’s grown to every day.

If any of you have run in to this before I would love to know, along with how you dealt with it.

 

[porkchopexpress]

Try using Process Explorer to see what is holding the files open.

http://www.sysinternals.com/ntw2k/freeware/procexp.shtml

 

[BiggsWolf]

Thanks for the help, Process Explorer lists then all as open by 'System'. Anyone know if it's safe to use Process Explorer to close the file handles - or why they are open in the first place?

 

[GlenJohnson]

What exactly is open by system. Do you have some kind of backup running that could be opening them, backing them up then closing them?

Glen A. Johnson
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[porkchopexpress]

So something is running as the system account and holding them open, are there any exe's or dll's listed as part of the process tree as well? It's possible a corrupt process isn't closing the files properly.

Are you running anti virus software?

 

[munkee35]

One useful little program you could try is wholockme?

http://www.dr-hoiby.com/WhoLockMe/index.php

This shows the program/process that is locking a particular file and gives you the option of killing it.

 

[BiggsWolf]

With Process Explorer I've got lots of programs running under System, but none of them are locking the files in question, only the top level System object.

The files I'm looking at are jpeg images that are accessed by three programs, an old database written in Access, and new version of the same database written in .NET and a website written in APSX. I think it's the Access database that is causing the issue.

Other programs running on the system include F-Secure server antivirus and our backup software Dantz Retrospect if this is of any help.

 

[porkchopexpress]

Under the find menu there is a tab named find handle have you specified one of the files in there? This will make process explorer focus on that one file.

 

[BiggsWolf]

porkchopexpress,
Thanks for the tip, that how I found that 'System' had the files locked earler.

 

[porkchopexpress]

Sorry just checking sometimes the info can be misleading.