Grrrrr Computer - please help....

[Scubini]

Hi I know there are a few clever peeps who know about computery on here so here goes.

I downloaded a large AVI file (movie) about 700mb but it wouldn't play with any of the usual programs WMP, Real etc. They not only wont play it but wont respond.

OK so I decide to just delete it - simple I think, only the computer wont let me delete it saying its being used by another program or user. Then the whole computer locks up. Have to turn off.

Ive tried the following :
System restore
Anti virus/spy scan
Removing recently added programs
Safe modeAny other ideas would be very gratefully received preferably before I do this:compcrash:

Thanks Scubini

[timwilky]

Did you download it using a bit torrent tools such as asarius. Possible that the tool is now distributing it out and that is why it is "open". if so stop it from be distributed and you should be able to delete it.

[Scubini]

Did you download it using a bit torrent tools such as asarius. Possible that the tool is now distributing it out and that is why it is "open". if so stop it from be distributed and you should be able to delete it.

Thanks for the reply Tim. Yes I did download it P2P but I have since removed that program from computer. Could it still be distributed after that?

Thanks again

[Slapstick]

Thanks for the reply Tim. Yes I did download it P2P but I have since removed that program from computer. Could it still be distributed after that?

Thanks again

Not if you have uninstalled it. perhaps trying a search for the said file and deleting it though the search engine (click start/search etc). My other suggestion is to ctrl alt delete, and look through your processors and see if there is anything there that might be using it. I doubt it's a virus if you used bit torrent. but if it's a P2P other than bit torrent then it could well be a virus. Try going to an online virus scanning website. they are usually quite good.

http://www.pctools.com/spyware-doctor/?ref=google_antispyware

http://www.pandasoftware.com/products/ActiveScan.htm

hope this helps

[Scubini]

Not if you have uninstalled it. perhaps trying a search for the said file and deleting it though the search engine (click start/search etc). My other suggestion is to ctrl alt delete, and look through your processors and see if there is anything there that might be using it. I doubt it's a virus if you used bit torrent. but if it's a P2P other than bit torrent then it could well be a virus. Try going to an online virus scanning website. they are usually quite good.

http://www.pctools.com/spyware-doctor/?ref=google_antispyware

http://www.pandasoftware.com/products/ActiveScan.htm

hope this helps

Many thanks for your reply.

Deleting through search engine didn't work and looking through the processes - well they may as well be in Chinese:confused::smt103

I will try an online virus scan for good measure - Cheers

[Scubini]

PHEW ! for some strange reason when I woke at 4am this morning I was able to delete the file in the standard way!:-s

10 points a gold star and a cigar to the 1st person who can tell me why after days of tearing my hair out I can do it that easily - something to do with the time??

Cheers Scubini

[John 675]

machine slow??? aswell
If you have down loaded P2P software i can 100% gaurentee you have an infectious adware and spyware problem too, i'm typing this at work which happens to be a PC service and diagnostic center, if you want your machine back to its former glory then recover it. check your processes ( Control + ALT + delete ) you should have about 30 - 45 processes but if your machine is idle the CPU usage should be no more than 10% at the most,
if you didnt get any recovery disks, try tapping F10 as soon as your machine is turned on over and over untill the recovery console appears, if its a packard bell tap F11 instead, Private message me if you need help
that goes for anyone, i do this for a living lol

[Baph]

You couldn't open the file originally I presume because of missing codec's. AVICodec (http://avicodec.duby.info/) is your friend here. That little app will tell you the codecs used in pretty much any audio/video file.

To see what is holding the file open (and therefore you can't delete it), use Filemon (http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sysinternals/FileAndDisk/Filemon.mspx).

Obviously not needed now, but still.

Lylej, yes, you do that for a job, but I disagree that P2P software is "100% guranteed" to be causing the issue. Maybe something like 60%. Its more likely malware has come in from emails, websites and/or shareware applications that have nothing to do with P2P. Next time you have a job that has a similar situation, use filemon to see what's holding the file, before getting all gung-ho ;)

[John 675]

You couldn't open the file originally I presume because of missing codec's. AVICodec (http://avicodec.duby.info/) is your friend here. That little app will tell you the codecs used in pretty much any audio/video file.

To see what is holding the file open (and therefore you can't delete it), use Filemon (http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sysinternals/FileAndDisk/Filemon.mspx).

Obviously not needed now, but still.

Lylej, yes, you do that for a job, but I disagree that P2P software is "100% guranteed" to be causing the issue. Maybe something like 60%. Its more likely malware has come in from emails, websites and/or shareware applications that have nothing to do with P2P. Next time you have a job that has a similar situation, use filemon to see what's holding the file, before getting all gung-ho ;)

okay maybe 100% was a bit severe ( i got excited ) but it was a pretty much the sole cause with programes like Lime wire, people rely heavely on norton anti virus ( Why!!!!) whats happening now, is that people are planting files into content such as music, spyware now is bigger than viruses them selves in my opion, ive had to solve problems such as infected files attaching them selves and renaming them selves after system files and thus canot be just deleated, a right pain in the a$$ but fun all to tell some ******* what things you look at so they send you an annoying pop ups and emails, they basicaly act in the same way as viruses but hide themselves away deep in the the murky depths of your pcs nethers.

[Scubini]

Thanks muchly for the replies guys.:smt023

I did use my my recovery disk as something was most definately fishy. As a result my computer is nice and sprightly and Ive somehow gained about 3gb to hard disk:smt103:)

Those links look useful for next time - thanks Baph

Cigars all-round :smt033

[John 675]

Thanks muchly for the replies guys.:smt023

I did use my my recovery disk as something was most definately fishy. As a result my computer is nice and sprightly and Ive somehow gained about 3gb to hard disk:smt103:)

Those links look useful for next time - thanks Baph

Cigars all-round :smt033

any time, just use the PC help section in idle banter