Are there any tech junkies on the boards that can help me?
 

I was downloading music off of Frostwire tonight, and lo and behold I stopped paying attention for a second and I didn't check to see that this file I downloaded was only 224 KB's, while every song is usually 3000-5000 KB's. So I went into my music and tried deleting the file. But when I right clicked the file, the options for it weren't the same as a normal file, it said Open, Edit, Send To, etc.

But when I highlighted the file on the side of my music page the delete option appeared, so I clicked delete but it did absolutely nothing. I didn't know if it was because my computer isn't the fastest machine in the world, so I opened up my recycle bin and tried to click and drag it to my recycle bin and that didn't work either. So I right clicked and tried to send it to my desktop, but that didn't work either.

I was starting to get a little panicky because I thought it might be a virus, I've had my computer for 4 years now and I've never had any viruses on it or anything, so I opened up Norton Internet Security (which expired in early 2007 and my parents still haven't renewed) and tried scanning the file for viruses. But when I clicked the file and then clicked scan it said the file was invalid. My friend suggested I try CRTL, ALT, DEL to see if there are any programs running that i might not be aware of, but that didn't work either because it only showed programs I was aware of running.

So I can't move the file, delete the file, do anything with the file except let it sit there in my music folder, and I would like to delete it for fear of it being a virus. I even opened up frostwire again, went to the library section in it, clicked the file and then clicked delete, and frostwire said the file was either not finished downloading or being used by another program.

I feel like i'm running out of options here, I figured since the only virus protection I have on my computer is Norton Internet Security I should try downloading another virus protection program, so I just started downloading AVG Free (the very basic version that's free) and when that's finished I'm going to try scanning it with that. Does anyone have any possible ideas as to how I can get this off my computer?

Re: Are there any tech junkies on the boards that can help me?
 

try rebooting in safe mode then deleting.
If that works, Run a virus scan.

Re: Are there any tech junkies on the boards that can help me?
 

How do I reboot in safe mode? I've never done that before and there doesn't appear to be an option for it when I click turn off computer.

Re: Are there any tech junkies on the boards that can help me?
 

when rebooting, you have to hit the interrupt key.
I think its F8 or F12.

Just start tapping F8 about 10 seconds after it is reset. if done too soon, You will get a keyboard error.
If done correctly, You will see an option to boot in safemode.

Re: Are there any tech junkies on the boards that can help me?
 

Or:
To use the System Configuration Utility method

* Close all open programs.
* Click Start, Run and type MSCONFIG in the box and click OK
* The System Configuration Utility appears, On the BOOT.INI tab, Check the "/SAFEBOOT" option, and then click OK and Restart your computer when prompted.
* The computer restarts in Safe mode.
* Perform the troubleshooting steps for which you are using Safe Mode.
When you are finished with troubleshooting in Safe mode, open MSCONFIG again, on the BOOT.INI tab, uncheck "/SAFEBOOT" and click OK to restart your computer

Re: Are there any tech junkies on the boards that can help me?
 

so i rebooted it in safe mode, but I think I hit the wrong one, my computer has three versions of safe mode. When I was in safe mode I went to my music but there wasn't any of my files in there, just the sample folder that comes when you first start your computer. The three versions of safe mode that I have are Safe Mode, Safe Mode with Command Prompt, and Safe Mode with Networking option. I did a help search on my computer and it also said I can choose Last Known Good Configuration, which starts my computer using the registry information that was saved at the last shutdown.

Re: Are there any tech junkies on the boards that can help me?
 

safe mode with command prompt.
Safe mode doesn't load any unnecessary programs( including viruses).

I thinking that you can't delete the file because it is running.

Re: Are there any tech junkies on the boards that can help me?
 

so how do i use the command prompt to get rid of the file? I went into safe mode with command prompt but I didn't have any idea as to what to do.

Re: Are there any tech junkies on the boards that can help me?
 

[QUOTE=mooby;448041]so how do i use the command prompt to get rid of the file? I went into safe mode with command prompt but I didn't have any idea as to what to do.[/QUOTE]

After you booted into safemode, You should be able to delete the file.
I'm not sure why you weren't able to view them... Maybe it loaded a default user.
The file is somewhere on the hard drive, Do a search for your music folder so you can locate the file.

Re: Are there any tech junkies on the boards that can help me?
 

You should be able to go into regular safe mode (w/o command prompt, or networking) by hitting F8 during boot up. The only problem with Last Known Good Configuration is if Windows doesn't think the file in question is a problem, it will continue to run it.

The other thing is go into Frostwire and see where the files are being downloaded to...it may not necessarily be My Music.

Once you do so, find the file in question and delete. If you can't delete it from Safe Mode, then you'll have to run anti-virus and some sort of anti-spyware (Windows Defender, Adaware, AVG Anti-spyware, Spybot Search & Destroy) several times to clean it up. Also download a program called HiJackThis and post the results up so we can see...it should point out what's running on startup.

Re: Are there any tech junkies on the boards that can help me?
 

You're teetering on the edge of your life becoming miserable. I hope you get this figured out.

Follow what these guys are saying.

Re: Are there any tech junkies on the boards that can help me?
 

[quote=jamf;448079]After you booted into safemode, You should be able to delete the file.
I'm not sure why you weren't able to view them... Maybe it loaded a default user.
The file is somewhere on the hard drive, Do a search for your music folder so you can locate the file.[/quote]

I was in safemode but I can't seem to find the file anywhere, I went back into all three safemodes but they don't have any of my files in it, they only have the files that came with the computer.

And BDB, I'm about to go into Last Known Good Configuration. I already tried going in Limewire but it shows that all files I download are sent to My Music. When i come back out of safe mode I'm going to try and download Hijack This.

Re: Are there any tech junkies on the boards that can help me?
 

Once you get your system back up, I'd suggest checking out this program (quality searches and safer than most):

[URL="http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&ct=res&cd=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.slsknet.org%2F&ei=-goqSMGtNYb6pgTfxNW9Cw&usg=AFQjCNHUGOvsf2WjI-CxObullKPeMMf6-g&sig2=0cGVRNv5K-KbKe0eyF3uEA"]Soulseek[/URL]

Re: Are there any tech junkies on the boards that can help me?
 

So the safemode thing didn't work, I figured out why I couldn't find the file when I was in safemode, it was because I was logged on as the administrator when I should've been on my account. So I went on my account and tried to delete it but it wouldn't let me do anything with it either, so I'm back to square one now. I was in last known good configuration as well and that didn't do anything either.

Re: Are there any tech junkies on the boards that can help me?
 

If you're logged in as Admin, should let you do anything, including delete that file...did you just not see it?

Run anti-virus and anti-spyware programs (with a regular boot) and see what comes up. Also run HiJackThis and see if anything looks suspicious.

Re: Are there any tech junkies on the boards that can help me?
 

Run chkdsk on the drive from the command prompt:
1. Start | Run
2. Type "cmd" (w/o quotes)
3. Type "c:" (w/o quotes)
4. Type "chkdsk /r" (w/o quotes)
5. When it prompts you to run when computer restarts, enter "y" (w/o quotes)
6. Restart your computer

After it scans the disk on startup (which could take a while), then try to delete the file again.

Re: Are there any tech junkies on the boards that can help me?
 

[quote=BDBohnzie;448207]If you're logged in as Admin, should let you do anything, including delete that file...did you just not see it?

Run anti-virus and anti-spyware programs (with a regular boot) and see what comes up. Also run HiJackThis and see if anything looks suspicious.[/quote]

When I'm logged in as Admin on safe mode, none of my files are there, it only has the very basic files that came with the computer. When I log in on my account though it has everything that i've added on there. If the file was there on admin I would've tried to delete it but it wasn't, i ran a search for it and everything.

And thanks ods, I'm gonna try that. Also, one more q, if I type all that is it gonna scan my C drive? Because the file is in my music folder, which is in my documents, and you can't get to my documents through the C drive.

Re: Are there any tech junkies on the boards that can help me?
 

[quote=mooby;448235]When I'm logged in as Admin on safe mode, none of my files are there, it only has the very basic files that came with the computer. When I log in on my account though it has everything that i've added on there. If the file was there on admin I would've tried to delete it but it wasn't, i ran a search for it and everything.

And thanks ods, I'm gonna try that. Also, one more q, if I type all that is it gonna scan my C drive? Because the file is in my music folder, which is in my documents, and you can't get to my documents through the C drive.[/quote]
"My Documents" is located at C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\My Documents\ (unless you manually changed the setting by right-clicking on "My Documents"). So, unless you've moved it, it's on the C: drive. If you have moved it, then scan the C: drive [U]and[/U] whatever drive the file is located on.

Re: Are there any tech junkies on the boards that can help me?
 

Also, try accessing that directory when logged in as Administrator - you should find all of your files there.

Re: Are there any tech junkies on the boards that can help me?
 

So I just tried that, I went into Admin on safe mode and I actually did find my music folder and the invalid file in it. But it still wouldn't let me move or delete or do anything with it, so I just left it and logged out of safe mode again. none of the virus programs i've used have detected anything, so I feel mildly safer that it might not be a virus. I'm about to run what ODS said with the command prompt.

Re: Are there any tech junkies on the boards that can help me?
 

So I tried the steps you said ODS but it didn't do anything. I opened up the command prompt, typed in c: and then chkdsk /r and then the thing came up and said it couldn't run it right now but i could reschedule it so it runs the next time i restart my computer, and i hit y. Then after that I restarted my computer but it didn't do anything, I logged on my account and it never ran or came up.

If all else fails and I start seeing viral-like symtoms on my computer, then my trump card is the recovery disks that came with it. It'll delete everything off my hard drive and essentially give me a clean brand new computer where i'll have to restart everything and download everything i had on it before again, but it's a small price to pay to not have a virus infect my computer. I'd have to go a few days without the internet until my parents could get someone to come in and install this little program that puts my computer in the home network but at the end of the day it's not that bad. My brother got a virus on his, my mother got a virus on hers and it screwed both of them up so bad they couldn't do anything on it again, they couldn't even get the recovery disks to run, and I def. don't want that to happen to me because I'd have to go months without a computer lolol.

Re: Are there any tech junkies on the boards that can help me?
 

That's odd. You can try the same thing in safe-mode with command prompt - that might get it going. If it doesn't, try chkdsk /f

Re: Are there any tech junkies on the boards that can help me?
 

what is the file called? I have never heard of anything like this before.

Re: Are there any tech junkies on the boards that can help me?
 

The only other thing I can think of to ask is if System Restore is on. If so, you might be able to go back to the time before downloading the file without losing too much information.

Re: Are there any tech junkies on the boards that can help me?
 

Spybot is very effective, and so is AVG. I have the free version of AVG, and it updates by itself every day, and my computer has never had a virus (I put AVG on it the day after I bought it). I've never heard of your problem, but if you run thorough virus scans and nothing comes up, I wouldn't worry about it.

If all else fails, get a Mac. My Dad and brother both own them, and man are they great.

Re: Are there any tech junkies on the boards that can help me?
 

[quote=FRPLG;448286]what is the file called? I have never heard of anything like this before.[/quote]

it's a m4a file, I was trying to download a song called Free by a band called Vast and I wasn't paying attention when I clicked it, it's a very small file that is only 224 KB's. That was my first clue. every song is anywhere between 1000-10000 kb's but when you download a file that's like 224 KB's it's never a song. I've downloaded one once before but I was able to delete it, I've never had a problem like this before.

I'll try what you just suggested ODS, but if that doesn't work and if the system restore thing BDB talked about doesn't work then I'll just live with it as long as it doesn't turn out to be a bad virus, in which case I'll just start the recovery disks.

Re: Are there any tech junkies on the boards that can help me?
 

Good luck - rebuilding a system sucks, but sometimes it's the only thing that will work.

Re: Are there any tech junkies on the boards that can help me?
 

mooby - check this link out...

[url=http://www.softwarepatch.com/tips/howto-delete-xp.html]Cannot delete a file in Windows XP? Here's the simple way to delete the file and remove the access denied error.[/url]

Re: Are there any tech junkies on the boards that can help me?
 

Hmm, I'm running out of ideas. I've tried everything you guys have suggested but I still can't do anything with it. I was at that site BDB and I downloaded that file mover/deleter thing and installed it, but when I tried to delete it it said the file was invalid so idk what to do know lol.

Re: Are there any tech junkies on the boards that can help me?
 

Yeah, that will only work on a file that is locked - not a corrupted file. I think you have a corrupted file.

Re: Are there any tech junkies on the boards that can help me?
 

How did running HijackThis work out? There are a couple of websites that can analyze the log file to figure out what file/files to remove from your registry.

After you get this worked out, you may want to look into setting up some scheduled Windows XP Restore points, like once a month/week/whenever you want.

Re: Are there any tech junkies on the boards that can help me?
 

Sometimes renaming it will help you be able to delete it. Also, look for a program called Eraser from [code]http://www.heidi.ie/eraser/[/code]. I had a similar problem and these two methods together worked for me.

Re: Are there any tech junkies on the boards that can help me?
 

I can't rename it, there is no rename button when I right click it. I'll try that Eraser thing though. And 724Skinsfan what are those websites that can analyze the log file? I did the scan on HiJackThis and I looked through the log file but I didn't see anything odd.

Re: Are there any tech junkies on the boards that can help me?
 

I just wanted to give an update. Today I was d/l music off Frostwire and I just decided to check up on that file again and see if I could do anything with it, and lo and behold I discovered I was able to change the name of the file for the first time. When I saw that I could change the name of the file I opened up my music folder, clicked the file, and discovered that I had the full range of options available to any random file: Rename, delete, etc. and I was able to successfully delete it and then I removed it by emptying the recycle bin. I have no idea what caused this nice turn of events but something I did must've worked because it's gone now.

Originally I just decided to leave it alone because all my virus programs either said invalid file or that it wasn't a threat, so it obviously wasn't a virus. And thanks to everyone who tried to help.