This problem just started happening yesterday. It appears any files that get deleted by an application get put into a locked "Private" state, according to Windows Explorer. For instance: I download a file using Firefox. Firefox creates two files, the original file name, and a _part file (which is where the actual data resides)... when the download completes, it appears to delete the original file, and renames the _part file with the original file name. When it attempts to delete the file, the file becomes locked in a "State: Private" in windows Explorer. Another example is the application Steam. When it auto updates, it deletes Steam.exe and replaces it with a new version. Or atleast, it attempts to delete the file. The steam.exe file then gets locked, and everything fails. When this occurs, the file still exists, however I cannot run, modify, or delete it. The original program cannot either, and then the application errors. I cannot take ownership of this file through properties nor the command line. I get an "Access to denied". Booting into safe mode does seem to allow me to delete the file, but returning to regular windows, the issue still exists with newly created files there after. It seems after a long period of time the file just disappears on its own (a few hours)

Hi, The Firefox and Steam work fine on my computer, I cannot re-produce the problem on my side. Given the current stage, could you please offer some screenshots for the issue? Thanks.

Thanks for the reply. I am aware this is a bizarre issue, and I'm not sure what caused it. I have had no problems regarding this since I first installed Windows 7. I had steam running fine and everything. I installed the latest nvidia drivers and the problem happened a day later. I rolled back AND system restored to a week before installing the drivers. I'm not entirely sure if the nvidia drivers actually caused the issue or not, just figured I would mention it. I have created a flash video to show what happens. Steam installs fine, then steam loads and it starts to auto-update, and it fails. http://www.keisien.com/steam/index.htm I could not get the problem to happen with firefox this time. It doesn't always happen. But with Steam it happens 100% of the time. I've tried installing into many different folders, even a separate hard drive with no success. My user account is an administrator, and the install is from an MSI file. I have UAC completely disabled. Again, I can boot into safe mode and erase the problematic files from there. One thing I've noticed is when viewing the properties for the problematic files, the properties window takes much much longer to appear. To me, it seems like the user permissions get messed up, or even maybe there's an issue with the file getting deleted, but showing up as if it still exists. If there's any more I can do to get more information for you, let me know. Windows 7 is a blast. Thanks, John

John -Just for the sake of grins and giggles... Have you tried it with UAC enabled to some degree?

UAC seems to have no affect on this issue. I have discovered that trying to download foobar (music player) always results in this issue occurring for me. I have made a new video showing what happens, and I walk through the advanced security dialogs as well. This is with all firefox addons disabled. http://www.keisien.com/win7ff/index.htm For fire fox, this seems to only happen to certain files, or possibly just certain file types. It always happens with foobar. I've had it happen with the Steam install (MSI file) but it doesn't always occur with that. I've also had it happen with the nvidia drivers (self-extracting EXE I think?).... Haven't had it happen with ZIP, RAR, or mp3 I have found someone else on the Steam forums who confirmed he has the same issue. I messaged him to post his details here, but haven't heard anything. http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showpost.php?p=9636367&postcount=556 Thanks.

I've had this problem since Day 1. Other people have, too.This occurs on build 7000 but is reportedly fixed in 7068... but some are reporting the bug still exists in build 7077. Of course, most of us do not have access to these builds, which adds to the frustration. Here's a couple links that I've been tracking and personally have posted on:http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/w7itprogeneral/thread/4301c7d1-88ba-4c94-88c2-e5f1850f062f/http://www.techgremlin.com/2009/03/06/windows-7-cant-delete-exe-files-on-desktop/Between those two links, you can get a bigger-picture impression of the overall problem.

Weird.. I've tried downloading the same file to my desktop (repeating the steps you did in the video...) and I couldn't reproduce it.I do have some questions tho. Is there a particular reason you're downloading to the desktop? Does it happen if you are downloading elsewhere (i.e. the regular Downloads directory)?

I don't use my desktop like everyone else. My desktop is my temp directory. It never has icons unless I download something or someone sends me a file. I have tried saving the file to a completely different hard drive and it still does it. (Steam & Firefox)

John - Ok... The issue isn't limited to the desktop. So, then the question is - does this behavior also happen with other browsers like IE, Opera, Chrome (or whatever you might have installed)?

@Wolfie2k6, I think you may be missing the big picture... I would suggest reading the two links that I posted to avoid re-inventing the wheel, so to speak...

Have you found that this problem is fixed with Windows 7 RC? -Nick

I've had the RC for a few weeks now and HAVE NOT experienced this problem. In fact, I put my machine through a more rigorous test (rather than waiting for it to happen or not happen again)... and the problem did not come up. Here's what I did:- I created a VS2008 executeable project and ran it in debug.- I rebuilt the project numerous times (probably about 1-2 seconds apart). Usually, the problem comes up here, since the rebuild attempts to delete the file. The only time that I experienced the problem is when I clicked Rebuild a little too fast... but a subsequent click worked just fine.- I also when a different route and attempted to delete the bin directory (where the executable and assemblies lie) and usually, this also would not work (with the Beta)... but fortunately, I was able to.- I did this type of testing for about 5-10 minutes and was fairly convinced that the problem is gone.Jayson

The problem has not appeared in the RC for me. Whether it was fixed, or just hasn't shown up, I'm not sure.