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Windows 10 File or Folder Will Not Delete

Within the last month or so, Windows 10 File Explorer has degraded. I cannot delete some files and folders. I have run troubleshooters and repeated my attempts to delete these troublesome files and folders in SAFE MODE. In safe mode, they appear to be gone. Emptied recycle. I rebooted back into 'unsafe' mode, and the files and folders are still there. If I try to delete them, File Manager hangs while showing the 'progress window'. Anything I try to do to the files is ignored by windows. (I use Task Manager, End Process to clear the hung process.)

Is this a known issue?

Will this issue be fixed?

Are others having this problem?

Solution: (not a very good one, but it solves the immediate problem) I 'moved' the files and folder to another EMPTY drive - and formatted it. Boom, files and folder gone, so far. That leaves the severely degraded Windows 10 File Explorer.

Hello sixp,

Welcome to Microsoft Community.

It is possible that another program is interfering under normal mode. You can Perform a clean boot in Windows to see if there will be any difference. A "clean boot" starts Windows with a minimal set of drivers and startup programs, so that you can determine whether a background program is interfering with your game or program.  This is similar to starting Windows in Safe Mode, but provides you more control over which services and programs run at startup to help you isolate the cause of a problem.  

Disclaimer: Clean start is a means of troubleshooting, not a condition suitable for normal long-term use. Some applications may not be able to be used in this mode, please exit after testing.

Don't hesitate to let me know the result. Looking forward to your reply.

Best regards,

Yuhao Li

Microsoft Community Support Specialist

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I will attempt this fix in the near future.

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May I ask what is the result?

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I am half way. I have removed all services per "Clean Boot".

I restored some services.

I have tested explorer.

So far no problems.

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I am looking for explorer to

1- hang unresponsive at anytime

2- hang when attempting a search within explorer.

3- fail to delete a file as instructed.

---

I will continue to probe to repeat the issues above.

The issue is intermittent.

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I appreciate your feedback. Don't hesitate to let me know if there is anything wrong.

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So far, no issues. I will continue monitoring. For now, you can close this.

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Glad to hear that. Don't hesitate to reply if you have any other concerns.

Wish you all the best！

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Last updated January 18, 2023 Views 81 Applies to: