Member Avatar for TiDyedPeaceSign

Hey everyone!
My names Laura and I'm brand new to this forum. I'll admit it...I know nothing about computers. But I really need some help!! Recently I have found some files on my computer that I can't get rid of! I'll tell you the whole story. I have XP. Recently it just hasn't been running so well. Soemone else used my computer a few times, and all of these files began showing up that did not belong. I can't delete them! They say that access is denied or that the file is currently in use. It is a mystery to me. I have tried using several different virus scanners but none of them pick up these files. I'm not sure if they're viruses or not. But snyhow, my computer is running incredibly slow. I want to do a massive clean-up of my computer, but I'm not sure how to go about this and I really don't know how to get rid of these files I can't delete! I know it sounds really confusing and I'm really sorry...I don't know about this stuff!! Please help me!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you so much!!
Sincerely,
Laura :cry:

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by demonica61

Dani AI

Generated

A concise expert addendum to the existing replies (for and others): the symptoms described — undeletable files, “access denied” or “file in use” messages, and severe slowness on Windows XP — usually come from one or more of these causes: a process legitimately holding the file open, malicious persistence mechanisms, file ownership/permission or hidden/system attributes, or reinfection via restore points. Windows XP is no longer supported (end of security updates April 8, 2014), so extra care is warranted.

Recommended diagnostic and cleanup sequence (complements , and ):

  • Gather a startup/process/autorun diagnostic log as suggested so helpers can spot suspicious entries. Include a short process list and any unusual startup items.
  • If a file is “in use,” try removing its lock from outside the normal session: boot to Safe Mode (or use a bootable rescue environment/Live USB) and rerun scanners from there. Offline scanning prevents the malicious program from protecting itself.
  • If permissions or attributes block deletion, clear attributes and attempt removal from a command prompt running with administrator rights, for example:
    attrib -h -s -r "C:\path\to\file.ext"
del "C:\path\to\file.ext"
  • Identify the locking process with a process viewer (from a safe environment) before killing it; check scheduled tasks and alternate startup locations for persistence.

Cautions and final steps: disable System Restore while cleaning (restore points can reintroduce files), back up personal data to external media and scan those backups before restoring, and if reliable removal cannot be confirmed, perform a clean OS installation and restore only scanned personal files. The community suggestions already posted are good starting points; combine diagnostic logs, offline scans, and permission fixes for the best chance of a clean outcome.

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Member Avatar for dlh6213

(That's weird, I thought I already replied to this. Well, here goes again, lol)
Hi Laura and welcome to DaniWeb! The first thing you should do is have a look at this thread:
http://www.daniweb.com/techtalkforums/thread5690.html
and follow the suggestions there. If you're still having problems after that, post a hjt log (explained in the thread) along with details about the remaing problems.

Good luck!

Member Avatar for wpinon

Dear Laura,
I too am a new member of this forum. I'm MSWIN XP ADM certified. You need to get AD-Aware SE personal. This software is FREE for personal use only. Go into the internet/Google.com and type AD Aware SE. Once you get to their homepage. Download it and use it twice monthly. It kills spyware stuff. I also would recommend you get for an anti-virus "AVG" do the same in google....put AVG. Download it. It's a great anti-virus software and it's free!! Good Luck. If you need anymore help just e-mail me @ .
Kind Rgds,
Wally

Member Avatar for demonica61

Hey everyone!
My names Laura and I'm brand new to this forum. I'll admit it...I know nothing about computers. But I really need some help!! Recently I have found some files on my computer that I can't get rid of! I'll tell you the whole story. I have XP. Recently it just hasn't been running so well. Soemone else used my computer a few times, and all of these files began showing up that did not belong. I can't delete them! They say that access is denied or that the file is currently in use. It is a mystery to me. I have tried using several different virus scanners but none of them pick up these files. I'm not sure if they're viruses or not. But snyhow, my computer is running incredibly slow. I want to do a massive clean-up of my computer, but I'm not sure how to go about this and I really don't know how to get rid of these files I can't delete! I know it sounds really confusing and I'm really sorry...I don't know about this stuff!! Please help me!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you so much!!
Sincerely,
Laura :cry:

We all have our favorites as far as freebie antivirus programs, I myself love avast.com. When you install the basic freebie it will ask if you want to run a boot time scan. A boot time scan will check out your computer before any programs start up. This keeps the computer from denying you access because the bad program wont be in use and you can delete it before it gets a chance to run again. Once an infected program is running it is hard to shut it down even with virus programs. Whatever virus program you get make sure that you run a boot time scan of the computer then restart the computer to set the virus scan in motion. Usually every time a file is found it will ask you what you want to do with the file-In most cases I say delete when it comes to virus. But you can always ask on a forum. Chances are the program will recommend a course of action. Go with that to be on the safe side.

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