📎 AI Summary:
The thread revolves around a Windows 10 user experiencing intermittent permission issues when deleting folders, especially within Program Files, which sometimes requires a reboot to resolve. The user suspects system-level permission changes or background processes may be causing the problem, but has ruled out open handles and malware. Responders suggest monitoring open handles and permission changes with tools like Process Explorer and Procmon, implying that unexpected process activity or permission modifications could be responsible for the erratic behavior.
A

AdamAntTex

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Thread Author #1
Hey everyone, I am at my wits end. I have a Win 10 64 pro machine that if I run the machine for a while, and then go to install a program and try to delete the folder in Program Files so I can get a fresh install, the OS tells me that I don't have permission.

However, if I reboot the machine and try to delete the folder, it works. I see problems with running programs sometimes that I suspect that the permissions change and it can't write the configuration file (Solidworks seems to show this)

The weird thing is that I saw the same problem with Win7 Pro (hence the reason I updated to Win10)

Does anyone have any clues or suggestions to test things. I am going nuts trying to solve this. I know it sounds like it is something I installed, but it's a pretty straight forward install. Not too weird etc.

It behaves as if I have "admin" rights to start with but then the OS locks down to protect itself. It's just weird.......help..........

It doesn't only show up during installs.....that's just an example I have seen consistent.

Oh, I have 16 GB ram and shut down every night, so it's not a memory leak.
 

Solution
Neemobeer
You could tell if something was changing permissions.
  • Download procmon
  • In the filter add a Path filter to contain part or all of the path to the root of the folder in question
  • In filter add another filter to Operation IS SetSecurityFile
  • You should be able to see if something is setting permissions
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Neemobeer

Neemobeer

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#2
If some process is accessing a resource in the folder you are trying to delete you won't be able to delete it until the handle(s) are released. You can use procexp to see open handles to a give resource.
 

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AdamAntTex

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Thread Author #3
Thanks for responding, I don't think that is the problem as I have seen the problem with deleting a folder out of program files that I knew nothing was open out of it. The SW problem is something I had them look at and they couldn't figure it out as well as they have never heard about the issue I was describing. It literally seemed to shut down the OS so I couldn't do anything. I did run Malwarebytes but I saw nothing there....
 

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Neemobeer

Neemobeer

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#4
It could easily be open by a process in the background you can't see.
 

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AdamAntTex

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Thread Author #5
I understand. But I looked and couldn't see anything using process explorer. I will double check but that still doesn't answer my Solidworks issue which should take care of itself as it appears that I am the only person they show having this issue. With that in mind, I have to go off the assumption that it is a "system" issue vs a single program. I find it hard to believe that more than one program could have an install/file access issue because of processes affiliated with different programs.

I guess my real question is "Is there anything people can think of that may cause this kind of weird behavior and I'll start looking there?"

I will look more at processes as well as try to get better details when and how this thing shows up.
 

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Neemobeer

Neemobeer

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#6
Generally the only two reasons you wouldn't be able to delete something would be permissions or a open handle. If you try and delete folder X, but there is a handle to X\Y\Z\blahblah.txt the entire delete operation would fail. It would be possible however not a common practice that a program could be altering the permissions on the fly, but that process would need to be running as a user that has rights to alter the permissions.
 

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Neemobeer

Neemobeer

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#7
You could tell if something was changing permissions.
  • Download procmon
  • In the filter add a Path filter to contain part or all of the path to the root of the folder in question
  • In filter add another filter to Operation IS SetSecurityFile
  • You should be able to see if something is setting permissions
 

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