Windows 7 windows crashes b/c of folder

[Ashleigh]

A movie folder in my "downloads" folder will not delete and causes windows explorer to crash every time the cursor clicks on it.
I have tried:
Starting in safe mode and trying to delete it (it doesn't crash but it sits on the "moving to recycle bin" message for a long time and never actually deletes it)
Scanning with malware, adware, spyware, etc... and quarantining items (none of which were in that folder)
Scanning for viruses
running an sfc command prompt - nothing was discovered

Does anyone have any other suggestions to help me get rid of this folder?
Thanks!

 

[Saltgrass]

Do you know what type of file it is. There seems to be problems with certain types of video files which appear to be protected. If that is so, maybe uninstalling the utility might help.

Can you move or rename the folder/file?

Have you tried from a command window, or even booting into the Window Recovery Environment and use the command prompt to remove?

There are some utilities meant to get rid of such files, but I don't know which ones are best.

 

[Trouble]

Ashleigh:
Hello and welcome to the forum.
This type of problem (movie files or folders containing movie files causing Explorer to crash) is generally associated with DivX and or .mkv files.
Grab this very small program from NirSoft called ShellExView
Just grab the zip file, put it into a folder on your computer and extract it. No need to install it just runs from the executable.
Double click shexview.exe and look for
DivX Property Handler
and or
DivX Thumbnail Provider
in the left column. Select and either right click or use the red / green buttons from the icon menu to disable them (red = disable, green = enable)
See if that helps your underlying problem with

causes windows explorer to crash every time the cursor clicks on it

Not sure it will help you with the problem you're having in deleting the folder but it might. Generally when I have a problem in deleting a file or folder like you seem to be having I'll go after it from outside the operating system by using a Linux Live CD distro, there are many options for you to choose from.
Both of the above options should be employed carefully as it is always possible when employing such tactics to experience unintended consequences, so as always make sure you have current backups / system images to fall back on.
Regards
Randy

 

[Ashleigh]

Thanks for replying - it's a .waf file
I have tried to open a command window just to do sfc scan but as far as typing in a command to delete it I didn't want to screw anything major up (I am not that familiar with the commands)

If I use shellEx - what would the "type" be for the folder I am looking to delete? Or what would I be looking to disable?

 

[Saltgrass]

Since a .waf file appears to be a IE cache file created only in the Apple environment, perhaps IE has a way to remove or clear the cache. Check Tools, Internet options, to see if there is a place there to remove or clear the cache.

If not, perhaps resetting IE under the advanced tab might help.

 

[Trouble]

You may want to give Unlocker a try and see if right clicking and choosing unlocker will help if it doesn't find any locking handles I believe it will offer to delete or delete on reboot, been a while since I last used it for such a purpose but it has worked for me in the past.
Regards
Randy

 

[Ashleigh]

Hey thanks
Unlocker worked perfectly in about 2 seconds flat- no issues. No more folder.
Thanks for your help!

 

[Elmer]

Hey thanks
Unlocker worked perfectly in about 2 seconds flat- no issues. No more folder.
Thanks for your help!

My favourite method before going down the live distro route Trouble mentioned.