Failure to delete only one ‘temp’ file regularly.
By DoctorDidi
@DoctorDidi (7018)
India
August 13, 2011 12:34pm CST
Now-a-days, I use to delete temporary files daily by clicking on ‘run’, writing ‘temp’ on the space thus coming out and then clicking on ‘OK’. All the temporary files are then shown on the computer screen. Keys ‘A’ and ‘ctrl’ are then pressed jointly at a time which makes the temporary files look blue. Keys ‘delete’ and ‘shift’ are then pressed jointly at a time and all the files are deleted except one which even cannot be deleted if tried to delete individually by first clicking on the file and then clicking on the ‘delete’ option. I am describing my experience a few minutes ago while trying to delete those files. All the files were deleted except only one. A message was displayed which states as follows:
klsA512.tmp
TMP File94KB
When I right click on the displayed icon and after it opens up, I click on the option ’Delete’, a message as ‘Confirm File Delete’ appears which states ‘Are you sure you want to send klsA512.tmp to the recycle bin’ with two options as ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ for clicking. When I click on the option ‘Yes’, there appears another message as ‘Error Deleting File or Folder’ which states ‘ Cannot delete klsA512: It is being used by another person or program. Close any programs that might be using the file and try again’ with the option of clicking on ‘OK’. I cannot make out why this happens regularly.
5 responses
@celticeagle (166970)
• Boise, Idaho
13 Aug 11
Well, I guess that is one of many ways to do so. I don't quite understand though why you don't just download Ccleaner and have the temp files and several other things done all at the same time automatically. Do you have all of your files closed when you do that? Nothing on your desktop up? I just use the cleaner.
@DoctorDidi (7018)
• India
28 Jan 12
Though I have heard of Ccleaner, but I am yet to download it. For your kind information, let me inform that all my files remain closed when I do it and there is nothing on the desktop up.
1 person likes this
@2wicelot (2945)
•
13 Aug 11
It is possible there is another program using this particulr file. Hopefully it is not harmful to your computer. The other thing which I dread to mention, it could be a virus. But I really hope it is not. I am optimistic it is just a file being used by a particular program or probably some program that has been uninstalled.
@DoctorDidi (7018)
• India
28 Jan 12
I use kaspersky Internet Security as the anti-virus device for my computer. So the chance of a virus attack is a remote possibility. But the other probability that there is another program using this particular file may happen, however, the question arises that whether it is really possible that every time it happens and that too in case of a single which always remains non-deleted.
1 person likes this
@kaylachan (69709)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
14 Aug 11
In some cases it's not uncommon for the computer to need certain "temp" files. Thease files cannot be deleted because a particular program needs them. While the pratice of cleaning up the temp folder is a good thing, trying to delete files that won't delete is not. If your first method for deleting this temp file doesn't work, then it's a required file for your computer and should be left alone. Atempts to force this file deleted will result in damage to your computer.
Keep in mind critical programs that run in the background may create temp files in order to do their jobs properally. So it's not uncommon to see one or two files that refuse to be removed. Said files have little effect on your system so the need to remove them is not needed at all.
@RamRes (1723)
• Argentina
14 Aug 11
Very good habit you have of cleaning temporal files once in a while.
It's not actually that strange to come up with that kind of error when dealing with temp files, here is why.
Those files are created by programs to store temporal data or while doing some process for which they need a physical file on disk, and that system folder provides just that location for all the junk for programs. The regular cycle life of those is a running program that creates them, writes some data or does some processing and then it should delete it when it's no longer needed. When a program forgets to delete or finishes abnormally the files begin to accumulate and then you should delete manually.
You can perform the deletion at any time, however you must be careful with running programs, as they may be currently using those files for something. When that's the case, is the program has the file open at that time, you get that "access denied" error and can't delete it. To be able to delete it (or for the program to delete it by itself) you must close the program or at least stop its processing.
When you are getting this error regularly is because you regularly try to delete temp files with a program that uses them also open. First ensure to close all running programs, and if the problem persist it's because of a system service is using it.
Anyway, don't worry if you can't. Those files don't do anything bad and often their size is small enough to be ignored, and if they can't be deleted it means that a program needs them at that time and they should not be deleted anyway.
