using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Text;
using System.IO;
 
namespace Toolbox
{
    public class FileCheck
    {
        public bool Exists(string fileName)
        {
            if (File.Exists(fileName))
            {
                Console.WriteLine("File Exists: " + fileName);
                return true;
 
            }
            return false;
        }
 
        public bool InUse(string fileName)
        {
            try
            {
                using (File.OpenRead(fileName))  // the using statement performs the close automatically!
                {
                    return false;
                }
 
            }
            catch (IOException)
            {
                Console.WriteLine("File is in use...");
            }
            return true;
        }
    }
}
 
There are 2 functions: FileCheck.Exists and FileCheck.InUse
 
.
.
.
            string filePath = "FileName and Path";
            int timeInSeconds = 10;   // depends on how long it takes
 
            Toolbox.FileCheck fCheck = new Toolbox.FileCheck();
            Toolbox.Timer timer = new Toolbox.Timer();
 
            bool fileInUse = true;
            bool elapsedTimer = false;
 
            // set the timer timeout value
            int timeOut = timeInSeconds;      // timeout in seconds
            timer.Start(timeOut);
 
            // check if file is in use
            while ((fileInUse = Check.InUse(filePath)))
            {
                if (timer.Elapsed())
                {
                    elapsedTimer = true;
                    Console.WriteLine("Timeout occurred waiting for file: <" + filePath + "> to be release!");
                    break;
                }
                else
                {
                    Console.WriteLine("File: <" + filePath + "> in Use...");
                }
                System.Threading.Thread.Sleep(100);
            }
 
            if (elapsedTimer)
            {
                Console.WriteLine("FileInUse: Timeout, File: <" + filePath + "> is still in use!");
                 // here you might return file in use flag:fileInUse true
            }
            else
            {
                Console.WriteLine("File: <" + filePath + "> has been released by the Operating System.");
                // here you might return file in use flag: fileInUse  false
            }
 
.
.
.
 
Here is the TimerRoutine:
 
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Text;
 
namespace Toolbox
{
    public class Timer
    {
        private long _endTime;  // getter/setter is called "timeOut"
 
        private long currentTime
        {
            get { return DateTime.Now.Ticks; }
        }
        private long timeOut
        {
            get { return _endTime; }
            set { _endTime = DateTime.Now.Ticks + new TimeSpan(0, 0, 0, (int)value).Ticks; }
        }
        public bool Start(int timeout)
        {
            timeOut = timeout;
            return true;
        }
        public bool Elapsed()
        {
            if (currentTime > timeOut)
            {
                return true;
            }
            else
            {
                return false;
            }
        }
    }
}