Files that will not stay dead


  1. Posts : 858
    Windows 10 Home 64-bit
       #1

    Files that will not stay dead


    I have a number of files which whatever I do I cannot remove. Having tried several wipe / shredding programs I hoped FoldersShredder would succeed, as it applies what seems a very thorough procedure.. Alas it has not worked, after several attempts. The file is 'deleted' as normal, but after re-booting it is back again in the same location.

    I have tried wiping / shredding the empty space after deletion and even moving files to an external drive which is then formatted. All this suggests to me that the files somehow has an 'afterlife' somewhere else in the computer and its ghost is haunting me! One negative effect is that when I download an update to a program, then I click on it the deceased program launches, not the new one.

    There is nothing special about these files as far as I can see. There are mp4, exe and setup files, including at least one which I did not download / create myself, an intruder I am keen to get rid of.

    What is going on?
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 13,900
    Win10 Version 22H2 Pro and Home, Win11 Pro and Home
       #2

    Since the files return at reboot it appears to be a setting in Task Manager, Startup is at work, knowing the program name should allow unchecking it to discontinue it restarting. Also, in Control Panel, Programs and Features there should be a program associated with the files that can be uninstalled to eliminate the issue. Hard to give more as nothing is known about the program/files.
      My Computers


  3. Posts : 13,301
    Windows 10 Pro (x64) 21H2 19044.1526
       #3

    Had this same problem with an installer for a videoconverter program. I was actually a virus program which
    kept rebuilding the installer everytime I deleted them. hunting it down took a lot of time and the main pain program
    changed the permissions to prevent deletions.
    Yours may are may not be similar but your first step should be the task manager.
    first look for the processes that are associated with the program and stop them.
    second go to the startup tab in taskmanager and disable the program.
    third delete the files again
    fourth restart........if they come back then comes the hard part
    open the registry editor and do a find for the program ( I don't know how adept you are at the registry}
    but you should export (backup) every entry you find before modifying or deleting it in case of trouble.
      My Computers


  4. Posts : 31,478
    10 Home x64 (22H2) (10 Pro on 2nd pc)
       #4

    thomaseg1 said:
    Had this same problem with an installer for a videoconverter program. I was actually a virus program which kept rebuilding the installer everytime I deleted them. hunting it down took a lot of time and the main pain program changed the permissions to prevent deletions.
    Yours may are may not be similar but your first step should be the task manager....
    Having raised the the possibility that it's malware rebuilding itself, the first step should surely be a scan with AdwCleaner to remove it.

    https://www.malwarebytes.com/adwcleaner/
      My Computers


  5. Posts : 858
    Windows 10 Home 64-bit
    Thread Starter
       #5

    Undead files


    Thanks for the helpful information and advice. I have not tried the fixes on programs yet (eg. PeaZip and HP Printer Drivre). I am concentrating on the mp4 file as I do not know how the suggestions relate to that. It is not a program, It does not have a 'name' but a long string of characters, I can find nothing relating to it in TaskManager or the much more detailed Glary TaskManager. Due I guess to the bashing I have given it, it corrupt so it does not now open with Photos or VLC etc. as it did, but it does open / play with File Viewer. Everything looks 'normal' (to me) in file details and properties, it is 33 megs. It appeared in the HP driver folder, which is itself among the undead. How did I drive a steak trough its heart?

    As regards a possible virus infection I have Norton Security and Malwarebytes constantly running in the background but I have also run scans with no relevant results. AdWC is another matter. Until it was taken over by Malwarebytes I used it quite often but now it produces false positives, listing some of my most used programs. Unlike Malwarebytes which does the same I have not found a way of stopping it. The last scan (today) listed 41 objects, none of which I wanted to remove.
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 8,059
    windows 10
       #6

    Look at scheduled tasks you often find things hiding there
      My Computer


  7. Posts : 13,900
    Win10 Version 22H2 Pro and Home, Win11 Pro and Home
       #7

    clayto said:
    I am concentrating on the mp4 file as I do not know how the suggestions relate to that. It is not a program, It does not have a 'name' but a long string of characters, I can find nothing relating to it in TaskManager or the much more detailed Glary TaskManager.
    Many of the downloads of music, photos and videos I get from the Internet sites will have such a string of alphanumeric characters instead of a readable name. An example of an image posted on Show Us Your Desktop yesterday:
    4d1d74e801dccd69a60e5d07c9781dba.jpg
    https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...07c9781dba.jpg
      My Computers


 

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