Accidentally created a huge file that refuses to be deleted.

[simarara]

While I was using the Record feature in VLC player, the program crashed and for whatever reason, over time created a video .ts file that was about 450GB and drained nearly all of my laptop's memory. The file now can't be moved or deleted.

Whenever I'd try right-clicking it, Windows Explorer would crash and restart. I can highlight it though, so I tried pressing delete; nothing happens. Tried pressing Shift+Delete; again, nothing happened. Also tried rebooting the laptop in Safe Mode and doing the same; didn't work. FileASSASSIN crashed as well.

However I found out that I can get the right-click tab if I select another file along with it, like this http://prntscr.com/irjhqc, and it seemed to work for a while as the file eventually went down to 280GB after doing this and stopping mid-way. I tried leaving it "deleting" it as it is for a whole night, but it just stays this way: http://prntscr.com/irjia8

Now, I have tried force-deleting it through CDM but I'm not sure I did it correctly as the file has so many hyphens and such. This is the name of the file: "vlc-record-2018-03-14-10h57m32s-Sailor.Moon.S.Ep121.x264.AC3_Simu.avi-.ts"

 

[The Paladin]

people still try to watch Sailor Moon? grins

the file might be locked (not released by original program, you could try to use the windows 10 Methods to try to unlock it to be able to delete it. https://www.windowscentral.com/how-delete-locked-files-windows-10

or force the unlock with this application: https://www.iobit.com/en/iobit-unlocker.php

 

[simarara]

people still try to watch Sailor Moon? grins

the file might be locked (not released by original program, you could try to use the windows 10 Methods to try to unlock it to be able to delete it. https://www.windowscentral.com/how-delete-locked-files-windows-10

or force the unlock with this application: https://www.iobit.com/en/iobit-unlocker.php

They sure do, heh.

Unfortunately none of these solutions worked. IObit Unlocker managed to successfully unlock the file, or so it said, but I still couldn't delete it.

 

[Darkvillan]

Have you tried booting up in Safe mode and deleting it that way? Might stop the crashing as it will not launch all of those nasty startup programs.

 

[simarara]

Have you tried booting up in Safe mode and deleting it that way? Might stop the crashing as it will not launch all of those nasty startup programs.

You know, I actually had tried that when the problem first occurred, but because of your comment I tried once more to make sure. This time it did delete the file in Safe Mode, while also notifying me that it was deleting another file, previously invisible I assume. I guess the methods The Paladin suggested unlocked the file but it was still only able to be deleted on Safe mode. Anyways, it's gone.

 

[ss202sl]

use a knoppix cd to boot up, and try to delete through it.

 

[The Paladin]

glad to hear it got resolved.