Version 2.4 (May 2010)
© 2001-2010, Noël DANJOU
All rights reserved.
The Locked Files Wizard, formerly known as CopyLock, is an assistant that allows you to either delete, move or rename files or folders used by the system or any other application or process. You can display and possibly stop the processes or services that use executables, folders or dynamic-link libraries (DLL) and try the operation again to possibly avoid restarting your system and thus save time.
The wizard also allows you to quickly pick the image path of a process (Select > File from Process) or a program that runs at startup from the Registry (Select > File from Registry), to manage it. This may be useful to quickly remove worms, trojans or any other malware from a system.
Additionally you can manage the pending operations that are delayed until the next reboot.
The package includes a command-line version that can be used from a Command window or a script.
Note: this version is Unicode only that means that it will only run in Windows 2000 and later. Windows 98 and ME are not supported anymore.
Disclaimer: you can possibly crash your system or prevent an installed program from working if you are not careful, use at your own risk.
| Table of Contents |
|---|
| Welcome |
| Package Content |
| Features |
| Limitations |
| Syntax |
| Return Codes (ERRORLEVEL) |
| History |
| Latest Version |
| Registration |
| Redistribution |
| Contact Details |
The package is provided as a compressed (zip) archive that holds a few files. The included files are described in the table below.
| File | Description |
|---|---|
| lfcmd32.exe | Locked Files Command (32-bit version). |
| lfcmd64.exe | Locked Files Command (64-bit version). |
| lfwiz32.exe | Locked Files Wizard (32-bit version). |
| lfwiz64.exe | Locked Files Wizard (64-bit version). |
| readme.htm | This file. |
Note: this package does not include an installer so that you can easily move or delete the files. However if you clicked the Install button from the wizard, the shell command won't work anymore if you move the wizard executable to another place. You can click the Install button again to update the command. If you already installed the command and you plan to permanently delete the application, click the Uninstall button before deleting the executable.
The Locked Files Wizard allows you to complete many tasks, some of them are listed below. Even though the program is designed to allow files in use (aka "locked files") to be deleted or renamed/moved on the next reboot, its primary goal is to identify the processes that use the files and to allow you to stop these processes and to manage the files without restarting your system.
From the Welcome page, click the Install button to add a command to the Shell context-menu. You do it only once. You can then quickly pick a file or folder from the desktop or the Windows Explorer, right-click it and click the Select in Locked Files Wizard... command to manage it in the wizard.
Once an executable, a folder or a library (DLL) is selected in the wizard, you can click the Processes > button to display the list of processes that currently use this file or folder. You can then click the End Process button to close the processes so that you can manage the selected file or folder without restarting the system.
Click Select > File From Registry on the Select a file or folder page. The page displays entries under the following Registry keys:
If you select one of these entries and then choose a Delete operation, both the Registry key and the associated executable will be removed from your system. This may be especially useful to remove stealth or unwanted running programs. Likewise if you choose to move or to rename the file, the associated Registry key will be updated.
If a key exists but the associated executable does not, the icon appears in red. In this case, you can click the Delete button to remove the key from the Registry.
After an installation or an uninstallation, some files and folders may be queued by the system for deletion or move on the next reboot. This wizard allows you to review which files and folders are queued and to possibly complete the pending operations without restarting your system. You are notified of such pending operations on the Select a file or folder page. You can then choose to retrieve these operations and optionally to remove them from the system queue.
Note: if a file cannot be selected using Select... > File because the system reports that the file name is reserved for use by Windows, close the Open dialog box and type the full path yourself (possibly using the auto-complete feature).
The Locked Files Command, the command-line counterpart of the Locked Files Wizard, features many parameters; for a whole list of the supported parameters and a description, type the following command in a Command window:
lfcmd32 /?
The source and target paths are optional if the /pending parameter is specified otherwise at least the source path is required. If a source path is specified but neither a target path nor one of the following parameters: /close, /info or /process are specified then the source file or folder will be deleted instead of being moved or renamed.
Note: The Locked Files Command must be run from a Command window with Administrator rights if you encounter Access Denied errors.
When the Locked File Command is used in a batch file, you can use ERRORLEVEL to check the completion code returned by the program. The possible return codes are listed in the table below. Please note that the wizard always returns 0 since it is not intented to run from a batch file.
| Code | Description |
|---|---|
| 0 | Success. |
| 1 | Syntax error, invalid URL or help/registration information displayed. |
| 2 | System error (e.g. out-of-memory). |
| 3 | Pending operations could not be retrieved from the Registry. |
| 4 | Unsupported operation. |
| 5 | File downgrade not allowed. (see /downgrade) |
| 6 | System-protected file operation not allowed. (see /protected) |
| 7 | Operation failed. |
| 8 | Reboot failed. Some pending operations are queued. |
The latest version of the Locked File Wizard is always available for download from this address:
Even though this version of the program is fully functional, I beg you please to register to show your support and your interest. Your support would allow me to add more features and to possibly fix bugs.
To register, click the link just below and follow the instructions.
https://www.regnow.com/softsell/nph-softsell.cgi?item=4076-6
Alternatively, you can click the About button (on the first page of the assistant) then click the Register Now link.
Orders and delivery are handled by the Register Now company.
Computer magazine publishers are welcome to redistribute the application as-is on their complimentary or monthly CDs. Any other redistribution of the application with commercial products is strictly forbidden without my written permission. Please contact me for a license agreement (see Contact Details).
E-mail: webmaster@noeld.com
WWW: http://noeld.com/