I've got this stubborn file on my desktop that won't delete. Whenever I try to remove it, I get a message saying it can't be located. I followed some YouTube tutorials that suggested using the command prompt as an administrator, but even that didn't work. I'm still getting the same error message, just phrased differently. Any ideas on how to finally get rid of this file?
3 Answers
If you're up for something a bit different, you could boot from a Linux USB stick and delete the file there. Windows locks won't bother you when you're not using it!
Honestly, Windows can be a real pain sometimes, acting like it knows where the file is but won't tell you. My first suggestion is to restart your computer—sometimes that does wonders. If that doesn't work, consider downloading a file unlocker app. Or, you might just have to accept that the file's part of your desktop crew for now.
Have you tried restarting your computer in Safe Mode? That sometimes helps with removing stubborn files that refuse to go away.
That's a handy tip, but my device is a Microsoft Surface Go 2 without any USB ports. Thanks for the suggestion though!