You can resolve that issue either by selecting to open the containing folder to delete the file from there manually, or install the Deletebutton extension for the Firefox web browser.

Unlike previous download manager enhancements like Download Manager Tweak or the Firefox Download Manager extension, Deletebutton only adds a delete button to the download window of the Internet browser.

All you need to do now to delete files is to select one or multiple files in the downloads window and click the Delete file button afterwards. And just like any good file deletion tool it displays a confirmation prompt before the selected files get deleted on the system.

It feels a bit strange that the Recycle Bin on Windows is bypassed by the extension. Files that you delete this way are automatically removed from the system without option for restoring them later from the recycle bin.

It is not clear if this is a bug or a feature of the extension. Firefox users who want deleted files to be listed in the recycle bin should install one of the add-ons mentioned above instead which offer that functionality. Some users on the other hand might like that particular feature.

Firefox users who just want the ability to delete files permanently from the download window can install Downloadbutton from the official Mozilla Firefox add-on repository.

Free File Wiper is one of those tools that make sure that deleted files or folders cannot be recovered anymore. The program overwrites the occupied disk space with random characters so that files and contents cannot be recovered anymore.

The program on start up displays a trashcan icon on the desktop. You can move around the icon freely. Files and folders that you want to delete securely on the system need to be dragged and dropped onto the icon. A prompt is then displayed that warns you that the data won’t be recoverable after the operation. If you proceed, the file contents get deleted and overwritten. You can disable the confirmation window in the program options to delete data automatically without confirmation prompt.

The program supports four different modes. A quick erase mode that overwrites the data once, and three additional modes that use different patterns and overwrite the date multiple times on the hard drive.

The file eraser integrates into the Send To menu of Windows Explorer as well by default. You can use it to send files directly to the program for safe deletion.

Free File Wiper is a handy program for Windows users who want to make sure that data that they delete cannot be recovered. Handy to carry around on a portable drive or tool DVD.

The program runs on 32-bit and 64-bit editions of Windows XP, Vista and windows 7. It requires the Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0. Downloads are provided at the developer website.

For some files, the situation is easy to resolve. A video file for instance that is still playing in a video player cannot be deleted before the player is closed. It happens sometimes that files are locked by Windows even if you cannot find another program or person that’s accessing them at the moment.

Tools like IOBit Unlocker, or the most popular “cannot delete” files” tool Unlocker, can usually resolve the situation. They unlock the file so that it can be removed from the system after all.

IOBit Unlocker has been released as a free beta version. The program adds an entry to the Windows Explorer context menu during installation that can be used to send file information to the unlocker. Files can also be added via drag and drop directly.

The program window displays the selected files and folders in the upper half of the program window. Each item is listed with its name and status that indicates whether it is currently locked or unlocked.

The processes that use the file are listed in the lower half along with their file name, path and process ID.

IOBit Unlocker offers two unlocking modes. The first is activated with a click on the Unlock button. The program tries to unlock the selected files. The small arrow next to the button contains options to perform a second operation, like delete or copy after the items have been unlocked.

The forced mode checkbox has been added if the standard file unlocking fails. All processes that lock selected files will be terminated if the option is selected.

How sophisticated is the beta version of IOBit Unlocker? It lacks some of the features of Unlocker, for instance the ability to delete files on the next system restart if they cannot be unlocked in the current session. For now, it is a solid alternative that lacks features. It will be interesting to see if the developers add the missing features in the final release of the application.

Interested Windows users can download IOBit Unlocker from the developer website. The program is compatible with 32-bit and 64-bit versions of the Microsoft Windows operating system. (via)

The reason for this is simple. The Windows operating system write protects occupied storage space on the hard drive and a deletion basically removes that write protection and the file reference. Files are fully recoverable for as long as no data is saved into their original storage space on the hard drive. They may be partially recoverable if data has been saved in the location.

A tool like Moo0 FileShredder deletes files securely so that they cannot be recovered by file recovery software. all the tool does is to write over the storage space of the deleted file to delete its data from the hard drive.

The application is easy to use. All it takes is to drag and drop files into the program interface to delete them. It offers multiple methods of deleting files securely which seem to differ in the amount of overwrites. All methods on the other hand make the files unrecoverable.

The algorithms are explained in detail. The default algorithm performs the following operations:

• Overwrite all Data (including Cluster Tip Area and ADS) with pseudo-random data
• Change file size to 0
• Change file name
• Change file attribute
• Change file timestamp

All methods perform these operations at least once. Moo0 FileShredder is automatically set to be always on top which makes the drag and drop operation more comfortable. The program is available for download at the developer website. It is compatible with 32-bit and 64-bit editions of Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7.

There are a lot of programs out there that can delete files permanently, so that they cannot be accessed nor recovered on the PC. Among the programs that can perform the operation are Eraser, which can erase all data from free space, or secure delete for Linux.

RightDelete offers another options. The portable program can add Windows Explorer context menu options to delete files permanently on the computer system.

The software program displays a simple selection menu on startup. Here it is possible to add the secure deletion entry to the Windows Explorer menu either directly or as a SendTo link. The third option available is to create a desktop shortcut link. The changes are visible right away without restarts.

• Explorer context menu file/folder links: This will add ‘Securely delete this file’ or ‘Securely delete this folder’ to the context menu, depending on object selected.
• Explorer context menu SendTo link: This will add a SendTo link to the context menu titled ‘Secure file deletion’.
• Desktop shortcut link: Will add a shortcut to the desktop titled ‘Secure delete’.

RightDelete can only handle one object, be it a single file or folder via the standard context menu entry. Users who need to permanently delete multiple files or folders can either use the SendTo menu or the desktop shortcut by dragging and dropping files onto the icon. Empty folders are automatically deleted at the end of the operation.

The main benefit of RightDelete is its simplicity. Just configure it once and right-click the files that you want to permanently delete. It does not get a lot easier than this.

RightDelete has been tested on a 64-bit edition of Windows 7 Professional. The portable software should be compatible with other Microsoft operating systems as well. Download is available at Softpedia and other download portals.

The error message reads (variants possible):

cannot delete file: the file name you specified is invalid or too long. Specify a different file name.

The following trick may help in removing the file and the directory structure from the system. Please note that it is not necessary to count the characters used in the file path, if it looks extraordinarily long then it may use indeed more characters than the allowed maximum.

We have already established that deletion does not work. The best option? Renaming. It is still possible to rename directories or the file name, so that the total count drops below the character limit. This can be done both in Windows Explorer, or on the command line. Just select a folder, and rename it to a single character. Repeat the procedure until the file path length has dropped considerably.

Deleting the file and folder structure should then work both in Windows Explorer and the command line. There are other solutions on how to cope with this situation. Another possibility is to map a drive to a folder in the path, to shorten the url structure, or to find a software or operating system that can manipulate those files and folder structures.

Did you ever encounter files that could not be deleted because of their length? What have you done to fix the situation?

Each file or folder needs to be listed in its own line in the text file, for the program to recognize them correctly.

The data is then added to the main interface, with additional information including the names of the files and folders, their full system path and their status. The status informs the user if the file or folder could be located on the system.

deletist

A click on Delete Files will process all files, and delete them to the recycle bin. It is possible to uncheck the recycle bin option, so that the files and folders are deleted directly without being moved to the recycle bin first.

Deletist indicates the status of each deletion by changing the status message and the icon in front of each row.

The program offers some interesting deletion options. It is for instance easy to use it for system maintenance. Instead of deleting files and folders individually in Windows Explorer, users could use Deletist to collect all the paths to delete them all together in one big swoop in the end.

Deletist is available for download at SKwire Empire. It may be flagged as malicious by some antivirus programs.

Delete On Click is a very straightforward security software program for the Windows operating system. It adds a Delete On Click entry to the Windows Explorer context menu that can be used to delete files securely on the operating system.

The security software will delete the file completely so that no traces of it are found on the hard drive where it was stored. The method that is used to delete the files securely is unfortunately not revealed by the developers of the security software. Tests with file recovery tools did not display the deleted tests files when deleted with the Delete On click program.

Delete On Click is a free download that is available on the developer’s website.

Auto Delete (via Shell City) by Dario Volaric is a similar tool for Windows. The main difference is that it will run at system startup or when the user executes it manually. Another difference is that it will only delete files in the directory if they are older than the age specified by the user. The time frame ranges from 1 day to 1 year.

The user can include subfolders automatically, select if the files should be moved into the recycle or if a status window should be shown during the deletion.

The software program will automatically close after the job has ended. The main limitation of it is that it can only process one target folder. It is also unlikely that the software developer will update the program anytime soon because the last update dates back to 2005.

Do you know of a similar application that can delete files if they are older than x? Let us know in the comments.

Why would someone walk the extra mile and erase files that already have been deleted in Windows? The answer to that question is simple: Windows does not really delete the file, it only deletes the reference to the file which tells the system where files are located on the hard drive. It’s like loosing the address of a friend’s house. You could not point your finger on it on a map but it is still existing and calling the friend would reveal its location again.

Files can be recovered if they have not been erased properly. The age of a file plays a role in determining the chances of success. A rule of thumb is that new files have a higher chance to be recovered than files that have been deleted a while ago.

Prevent Restore was designed with ease of use in mind. The user picks a partition that he wants to erase files from, selects the type of data that should replace the deleted files and the program does all the hard work in the background. It uses several security algorithms to overwrite the deleted data on the hard drive ensuring that the data cannot be recovered with recovery software.

So how does it compare to Eraser? The user interface of Prevent Restore is not providing many options to choose from. This is less confusing but advanced computer users might miss features that Eraser offers. Eraser on the other hand comes with options that Prevent Restore does not offer. This includes the selection of the data algorithm to erase files or a scheduler that performs the operation regularly.

Eraser can also erase existing files and folders securely and it does support all Microsoft Windows operating systems from Windows 95 on while Prevent Restore is only compatible to Windows XP and Windows Vista.

Advanced users will most likely stick with Eraser while beginners might tend to work with Prevent Restore to erase files on their system.

Wipe Disk and Wipe Files (via Download Squad) are two applications that can delete disks and partitions or files securely so that they cannot be recovered by normal means. Normal means are those typical file recovery applications like Recuva.

Both applications are available in different languages which can be changed in the Extras > Language menu. The default language of both applications is German. Both are pretty straightforward. A disk, file or directory is added to the queue and one of the fourteen algorithms is selected that delete the data securely.

Some of the algorithms are being used by the Department of Defense, the US Navy or Nato. I would always suggest to use a software like Recuva after deleting data on a disk to make sure that those cannot be retrieved by normal means.

Those algorithms use different ways to overwrite the location on the hard drive that was occupied by the data. A German basic description of every algorithm is available in the program’s help file.

Eraser is an advanced security tool (for Windows), which allows you to completely remove sensitive data from your hard drive by overwriting it several times with carefully selected patterns. The patterns used for overwriting are based on Peter Gutmann’s paper “Secure Deletion of Data from Magnetic and Solid-State Memory” and they are selected to effectively remove magnetic remnants from the hard drive.

It happens to the best of us, we never like to throw away old computers, because they can be useful for spare parts, or so we think. So after a while we end up with an attic full of old computers that, let’s face it, should have been thrown out years ago. They stack up in a corner collecting dust, seemingly multiplying as well, until one day we say enough is enough, and decide to finally do something about them.

So a few hours of vulture picking goes on, as any useful parts are stripped from these old machines. (They will go into a box, destined to remain in the attic, only to be thrown out a few years later). Eventually all you will have left is a few cases, maybe a PSU or two, and a whole bunch of hard drives that by today’s standards are far to small to bother keeping.

Now, if you’re security conscious, you won’t just want to throw those old hard drives away. What’s on them? What happens if there’s some personal information or pictures on those drives that you wouldn’t want others to see? You can’t just throw them out, however unlikely it is they’d be read again. One option is to take a sledgehammer to them, or for the slightly less violent of us, why not try downloading a file called Eraser 5.7. As a matter of fact, Eraser 6 is out now, but it doesn’t work on older computers, so if you’re talking about Windows 98, 2000, or ME, then 5.7 is the one you need. You’ll need to download it from Sourceforge (the link above redirects to the download page there).

Eraser allows you to completely wipe the contents off your drive securely. You probably already know that files you delete normally aren’t actually deleted. It’s just the address of those files that gets wiped, and the original file remains on the disk until it’s overwritten with new data. Eraser has the ability to wipe the disk by copying new data, (usually binary ones and zeros), multiple times across the disk, making anything that was on the disk completely unreadable.

You can set the erase job to overwrite with one pass, three passes, seven passes (this is what the US department of defense uses), or an incredible 35 passes that is more that enough to permanently get rid of any files that may be present. What’s more you can even set up custom jobs of any number of passes you like. Bear in mind however, that the more passes you use, the longer the job will take. Eraser is fairly quick though, and you can use it in the background.

Probably the best thing to do if you have lots of drives to wipe, is set up a computer to act as a master. Then attach each drive in turn and wipe them. This will ensure all data has been erases permanently, and you’re free to throw them away, or use them as doorstops, whatever you choose.

It can happen however that a file remains locked even after the process or application has been closed, or so you think at least. That’s where a program like Unlocker from Cedric Collomb can help you. It can remove the lock in most situations so that files, folders and programs can be deleted without error messages in Windows.

Have you ever received on of the following messages while trying to delete a file or folder from your hard drive using a Windows operation system?

• Cannot delete file: Access is denied
• There has been a sharing violation.
• The source or destination file may be in use.
• The file is in use by another program or user. Make sure the disk is not full or write-protected and that the file is not currently in use

Everyone gets these error messages from time to time. I hereby present you a tool that “unlocks” the file and lets you delete it afterwards with just a few simple clicks.

The program “Unlocker” is freeware and spyware clear, size is only 76k. Simply install it, then you have a new entry in the right click context menu called unlocker. The procedure would be to right click the folder or file you can´t delete, selecting unlocker, choosing unlock all and then to delete the file or folder with the delete key for instance.

You can download the tool at the authors homepage http://www.emptyloop.com/unlocker/

The file unlocker has been updated a lot in recent years, and it is now capable of more than just making files and folders deletable again under Windows. It can now delete files and folders if the path is to long for instance. It is also offered as a 32-bit and 64-bit version.