Deal with PC file problems

It may not have happened to you yet, but rest assured it will: one day you'll try to move, delete or rename a file using Windows Explorer and Windows won't let you.

An error message will be displayed, perhaps warning that a file is being used by another person or program, that access to the file is denied or that there has been a sharing violation.

Sometimes the message will lead to an obvious solution, as when there really is another program using the file.

In such cases all you need do is close the other program and you'll then be able to manipulate the file, but more often than not there is no apparent reason for a file to be locked.

In the Workshops section of Computeractive issue 220 we explore numerous ways of coping with unexpected difficulties when attempting to access files, including using a free application called MoveOnBoot. So, refer to issue 220 and then click to transfer to the MoveOnBoot download page.