# Can't delete corrupted file on desktop -- Freezes explorer.exe



## Zorai (Feb 13, 2011)

Hi,

I created a file from a certain freeware, and everytime I right click it, drag it, or browse for it in something else (I can see it in Desktop), it freezes my entire Windows explorer and forces me to restart explorer.exe

Everything else on my computer is fine. I just need to delete this corrupted file.

Oh and, I dragged it into Kaspersky and it froze.

Please help.


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## OldGrayGary (Jun 29, 2006)

Hi Zorai

Did you try deleting it from Safe Mode? If you haven't tried that yet, give it a go.

If that doesn't work, perhaps the easiest way to delete it would be to boot your PC with a Linux Live CD (or DVD) and delete the file using it's file explorer. Easy to use versions are readily available (and free - since they are "open source") ... some of the more popular versions are from Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Knoppix, SUSE, Scientific Linux ... etc. Your favorite search engine will yield many results.

The desktop will be listed under the Users folder --> Users\_username_\Desktop -- since the file is on the Desktop, you should be able to delete it permanently from there.

Best of luck
. . . Gary


P.S. ... might have Kapersky run a full scan, too.


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## sobeit (Nov 11, 2007)

If you have malwarebytes on your computer, it has a feature called fileassassin that will delete hard to delete files

FileASSASSIN: Malwarebytes


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## Zorai (Feb 13, 2011)

@Gary, how can I do so in Win 7?
@sobeit, it appears that that software is not compatible with Win 7.


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## OldGrayGary (Jun 29, 2006)

Hi again


The "Live CDs/DVDs" start the computer using the operating system on the CD/DVD itself, so they can start nearly any standard computer made in the last decade or so. They can read the type of file systems now in use. Windows 7 uses the NTFS file system that has been around for quite a while, so nearly any Live CD shouldn't have a problem browsing to a file & deleting it.
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And - as sobeit pointed out, some antimalware programs also have special programs to help delete troublesome files. File Assassin is available from the "More Tools" tab on the Malwarebytes' AntiMalware program (which has a free-for-personal-use version). Spybot Search & Destroy also includes such a utility, called "File Shredder" ... it gets its own icon when you install the latest version of Spybot (which is also a free tool).
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If none of the above are able to rid your system of the file, you can try taking ownership of the file when the computer is booted into Safe Mode. Of course, this is only possible if the computer doesn't freeze up when you access the file in Safe Mode. Someone made a nice little guide with screenshots for that --- Windows 7 Take Ownership & Grant Permissions to Access Files & Folder

Best of luck
. . . Gary


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## sobeit (Nov 11, 2007)

Zorai said:


> @Gary, how can I do so in Win 7?
> @sobeit, it appears that that software is not compatible with Win 7.


malwarebytes is compatible with win7. what error messages are you getting.


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