"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.
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.
I’m sure Linux has something for that too, but I don’t know what it is
fuser
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
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!"
just kill it
Instructions unclear, I shot my gaming rig with a 6 bore shotgun…. And then set it on fire.
Probably the indexing service, it's always the indexing service.
Powertoys seems to be the only thing keeping windows somewhat usable, I have no idea why they don't include it in the build.
I discovered powertoys only recently, and it's a pretty cool set of tools. From color picker, tiling window manager to regex file renames or copy/paste tools, it has a lot of QoL features.
If you have to be on windows, i.e due ro work, I recommend not sleeping on it.
Meanwhile on Linux: /boot successfully deleted
I once deleted /dev/null Do not recommend. You’d 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.
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.
Why would they not include these into base kit Windows is beyond me.
Some of them felt a bit buggy when I last time used Windows, maybe they aren't fully ready to ship (like Samsung's Good Lock apps?). And most features didn't do quite what I imagined it to do, but that's probably a "me problem".
I feel like it's a testing ground for new features for them, but not sure why some aren't yet integrated. Best guess: the PowerToys team has less red tape and checks to go through than the Windows team to allow for faster iteration, but that means that integrating the features wouldn't be just the click of a button since they'd have to adapt it to fit the Windows style. But this is just a wild guess.
I think you're right on the money. There seems to be a component of enticing power users to stick with Windows as well. The app is still "in beta" despite the first release being in 1996 (!). I had to look that up, because I'd only heard about it in the early windows 10 days.
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
... And the file is back open somehow. Only now the program throws an error when Windows launches, yet still leeches resources.
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.
Oh you think because you closed the program it's released the file? Think again chump!
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.
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.
Windows doesn't even tell you if Explorer itself has a folder open... how the hell does 7-Zip do it?
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.
Process explorer, threads and handles tool, search the file name.
Kill the process or at least you know who now.
Same thing whenever I try to unplug a USB, Win10, on my desktop. There have been times where I plugged in one, opened a file, closed it within seconds, did the safely remove thing, and then I get the whole quick song and dance about some program still using it because of how sluggish it is to actually end what's using it in the background.
Also, my phone's keyboard software was bugging out and replaced "song" with "incest" for no discernable and wanted to replace the next word "and" with "rape incest". Not related, but fuck Gboard and that weird glitch where it'll replace words with random shit for no reason.
Doesn't gboard try to promote words you've used more prior more often than ones you've used less...?
Linux fuser for the win
I've never fused Linux before, is it difficult?
fuser is an easy command just point it at the file and it tells you the process ids that using that file.
Reason 3756 why Windows is slopware
It's one of the things that made me prefer using Linux a long long time ago. It's nice to be able to rename, move, and delete files while they are used.
Welcome to Programmer Humor!
This is a place where you can post jokes, memes, humor, etc. related to programming!
For sharing awful code theres also Programming Horror.
