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Meanwhile on Linux: /boot successfully deleted
this post was submitted on 03 Oct 2025
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I once deleted /dev/null Do not recommend. Youβd be surprised how much of the system needs it.
I once deleted /dev/urandom. I didn't want uncertainty in my life.
Well, I was on for a surprise.
well, i guess your pc got into a pretty certain state of being, at least for that evening, so technically it worked:)
How? I could've sworn it wasn't even a "real" file. I thought the file system just had special rules for interacting with that name.
"Hey Linux, can you just delete this file please?"
"Sure thing bud, a program is using it, it's ok, I will just unlink the inode anyway, the program can still access it until it closes the file"
This is honestly one of my favorite features of the linux filesystem. As a dev it makes things like replacing and hot-reloading plugins way easier.
It turns out you can kind of get the same functionality on Windows if you rename the open file and place the new one with the original name, but it's a bit of a hack.
It turns out you can kind of get the same functionality on Windows if you rename the open file and place the new one with the original name, but it's a bit of a hack.
Only if you don't have OneDrive working. In that case, you have to wait for it to sync or it won't go through.
Anytime I have an issue at work where I can't change or delete a file, it's a 50/50 split between Excel and OneDrive being the cause
Windows won't let you rename a file that's being used either.
Yeah, super annoying. In Linux you can rename or move it and the app using it doesn't care.
Although having the option of listing the app using a file so I can kill the app would also be really nice to have. I'm sure Linux has something for that too, but I don't know what it is.
Iβm sure Linux has something for that too, but I donβt know what it is
fuser
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Hmm. So are the blocks freed up for overwriting on file close, then?
Well duh, Microsoft respects privacy
"Hey Microsoft, i want to safely remove this hard drive so i don't corrupt my data"
"Nope, it's being used by another program"
"I shut down every program, nothing is open, please eject my Hard drive"
"Nope, It's being used by another program"
**Proceed to just yank the cord out of the computer and flick off the screen.
Actually on windows 7 I found out how to get which process is locking one file.
You open the resources manager (task manager has a link to it)
Inside you can see how much each process uses on cpu, network and stuff.
And there is a tab where all used files for each process is listed. You can search for specific files.
Yeah there's a Microsoft sysinternals utility where you can drag a file into to fetch that info for you.
Makes zero sense there isn't a >Details in the error notification that tells you the damned process in Windows.
Right? I get that it's "alarming" to users to see weird stuff, but just hide it under a little expandable thing.
Not only that, but you can actually search all active processes to see which handles they keep references to. Just search the name of your file and it will show you the processes which use it
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back in the XP days, I used a software called "Unlocker" just for this problem. It probably still exists, I don't know, because since Windows 7, the easiest way to find out what process locks a file is to open Resource Monitor (Start search: resmon) and on the CPU tab, using the "Associated handles" list, you can search for the file name and see the process in question (and kill it).
So yeah, Resource Monitor is a useful tool on Windows.
There's a collection of free little utilities called Microsoft PowerToys, including the file unlocker thing. Why would they not include these into base kit Windows is beyond me.
not including PowerToys inside basic package is a fucking choice. Win11 is literally unusable without it in many aspects.
I suspect it's in line with big tech policies to coddle end users instead of educating or trusting them. I assert (particularly since the introduction of the iPhone in 2007) that learned helplessness is built into the game plan.
100%! Like with major setups and upgrades now just being throbbing circles and a pulsing blue light with the creepy "We're doing stuff on your behalf behind this screen." messaging.
I say computers (and the Internet) are for anybody, but not everybody. Learning to use a tool will always be a requirement of useful tools.
There used to be a time when most people using a computer implicitly understood how files and folders worked, for instance. But now even such a simple abstraction is considered advanced esoteric lost arcana.
I'm deeply saddened by how the tech industry has deliberately pushed understanding backwards so hard in order to foster more obedient consumers.
It's actually wild to see how many people who were at the very least, young adults during the computer boom of the late 80's/early 90's, can't handle anything without a touch screen and don't comprehend email.
Ignorance is sold as the future.
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Process explorer, threads and handles tool, search the file name.
Kill the process or at least you know who now.
In case anyone is interested, there's a powertoy called file locksmith that will show what's using it and let you kill it: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/powertoys/file-locksmith
"Time to see who's stopping me from deleting this file... svchost??? Goddamn it!"
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Powertoys seems to be the only thing keeping windows somewhat usable, I have no idea why they don't include it in the build.
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Me: I've close the program, now please delete the file
Windows: ok, give me half an hour, it's not easy to delete 500 MB
Oh you think because you closed the program it's released the file? Think again chump!
Here's an incredibly animated chart of how poorly I'm doing. Note that I seem to throttle the operation every 5 seconds or so.
Explanation? No, no. Haha. No. We don't do anything like that.
... And the file is back open somehow. Only now the program throws an error when Windows launches, yet still leeches resources.
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TBF the task manager and those windows explorer dialogues were programed in like 1996 and it's probably one of the best functioning feature in Windows so changing it too much carries high risks.
changing it too much carries high risks
This is such a Windows way of thinking and I canβt really explain it. Why does every other OS constantly change and evolve but Windows is like βcanβt touch this code from a quarter century ago?β
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Some Windows apps do handle it properly. For example, if you have an archive open in 7-zip and try to delete it, Windows Explorer should correctly tell you that it's open in 7-Zip. I'm not sure why it doesn't work that way for all apps.
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What gets me is when I'm not allowed to remove an external drive. Deleting a file can be delayed until later but here I am with a physical object that I need to detach from my computer and first I need to play hide and seek with the OS.
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