Cannot read from source or disk file

Off-Topic
1

I am trying to copy a very large sample folder to a external hard drive for backup,problem is there is a few files contained within which get ‘Cannot read from source or disk file’ error,this breaks the copying process.I performed a check disk and no errors where found,its not the external hard drive either or the cables that connect it to the pc also the files that get errors can still be used in renoise.They just cannot be copied,moved,renamed or erased.I have looked everywhere for a solution and cant find any.The only solution i found is a program called unlocker which is hosted at really dodgy sites and i have heard numerous people complain about malware in it.Also firefox wont actually let me download the file because it has been flagged.How do i get rid of those files?Im windows xp btw

2

May the files be to large perhaps? Check the partition on your drive, see what kind of file system it uses, there should be no problem if it’s formatted with NTFS, but other file systems may not accept files with certain filenames and sizes.

I guess you already tried a reboot, but maybe also try in safe mode in case some of the files are being actively edited by some application or something.

I don’t think Windows XP is being maintained anymore and has no real up to date security, so i would higly suggest you upgrade if you’re online with your computer.

Try running a Trend Micro Housecall if you suspect malware,

3

File sizes are very small,in one instance its just an empty folder that cannot be read,reboot,safe mode do not work

4

Its ntfs btw

5

I had some similar folders and files back when i used XP, Strange folders with names that made no sense that i couldn’t delete. Don’t think i ever got rid of them, so i’m afraid i’m of little help.

6

I had some similar folders and files back when i used XP, Strange folders with names that made no sense that i couldn’t delete. Don’t think i ever got rid of them, so i’m afraid i’m of little help.

Bummer,just to clarify the folders and files have completely normal names e.g. Jungle,Stingers,Apache e.t.c

7

And the files do have some size to it, as in more than 1 bytes or something?

This is probably a long shot, but maybe for some reason you need to be logged in as an administrator to access the files?

Can you zip the files?

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Strangely i can zip the files

9

In some cases, especially on an older system like XP it can happen, that explorer get’s stuck with very long nested paths after a certain length. So what sometimes works is not renaming the actual file, but starting at the top level. Rename the folder, then the one below, then down till you reach the file. Try to use short names for the folders. If you want to try Unlocker, this site is a german magazine which hosts it on their own servers as portable version, nothing shady in there.

http://www.chip.de/downloads/Unlocker_18414122.html

Also regarding some programs working or not, this is a typcial sign of too long paths. When using old ANSI programs they often fail, programs compiled for Unicode usually work, unless they set their string buffers too small.

10

In some cases, especially on an older system like XP it can happen, that explorer get’s stuck with very long nested paths after a certain length. So what sometimes works is not renaming the actual file, but starting at the top level. Rename the folder, then the one below, then down till you reach the file. Try to use short names for the folders. If you want to try Unlocker, this site is a german magazine which hosts it on their own servers as portable version, nothing shady in there.

http://www.chip.de/downloads/Unlocker_18414122.html

Also regarding some programs working or not, this is a typcial sign of too long paths. When using old ANSI programs they often fail, programs compiled for Unicode usually work, unless they set their string buffers too small.

Thanks for the help.Unfortunately in a lot of cases it seems to be the folders that have the problem most of them have nothing inside them,there is one or two files also,names are short.I will give that unlocker a try me thinks,Cheers!

11

are any programs active or running in the background maybe using these files? Maybe use something like unlocker (http://filehippo.com/download_unlocker/ ) to see which programs do & terminate them.

If you’ve ever been unable to delete a file in Windows, and can’t figure out what program’s using it, Unlocker is the solution. Have you ever seen these Windows error messages?

  • Cannot delete folder: It is being used by another person or program
  • Cannot delete file: Access is denied
  • There has been a sharing violation.
  • The source or destination file may be in use.
  • The file is in use by another program or user.
  • Make sure the disk is not full or write-protected and that the file is not currently in use.

Unlocker can help! Simply right-click the folder or file and select Unlocker. If the folder or file is locked, a window listing of lockers will appear. Simply click Unlock All and you are done!

12

Unlocker doesn’t seem like a very trustworthy download, it most certainly contains things you don’t want on your computer. If you find no other solution it might be worth the hassle and just hope you’re able to remove the malware once installed.

As far as i understood, unlocker only seems to locate which process is locking the file and let you stop the process, so i was thinking maybe you could try to do the same thing manually instead? I don’t know if you can find the specific process, but if you stop all processes in task manager only leave the few critical ones then i would guess it would be possible to access the files.

In other words, leave only these processes in Task Manager:

  • Csrss.exe (Client/Server Runtime Server Subsystem)

  • Lsass.exe (Local Security Authority Subsystem Service)

  • Smss.exe (Session Manager Subsystem)

  • RpcSs (Remote Procedure Call Server Service)**

  • Winlogon.exe (Windows logon process)

  • services.exe (Windows Service Controller)

  • explorer.exe

Maybe worth a shot if you’re worried about malware.

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The link i gave for Unlocker is version 1.9.0 portable and is clean. Any newer version with installer i wouldn’t trust. The magazine even warns about getting the newer one from the official site because of shady stuff in there. Also Unlocker does not only show you what is using the file, but it can fix a various range of odd problems, why files can’t be deleted. Worked nice for me in the past, with files grabbed from Computer Music who pack their stuff on a Mac. This led to all sorts of weird stuff being extracted, which Windows stumbled upon.