Can AVI's contain virus's ... ?

[stvn]

this has happened with a few downloaded avi files i have had.
Firstly these avis wont delete and bring up access violations when trying to delete even in safe mode in the admin account and they always bring up errors when trying to recode. i have scanned them for virus's with Mcafee and it doesnt pick anything up but ive got three ov these now taking up nearly 4 gig any help or ideas ..?

[devinemi83]

Its not a virus I dont think, it has happened to me as well sometimes. I had to go in DOS to kill them. Maybe safe mode would allow you to kill them. OR. Move the stuff you want to another folder and kill the folder itself, it might kill the files within it.

[Rookie64]

That happens with WinXP

create a new folder and move the AVI files into that folder, then delete the whole folder.

[Hatz]

and if you can't move them into a folder like I couldn't, simply open up notepad and make a text file with the same exact name as the .avi file. Save it in a different location at first. Then drag and drop or copy and paste into the directory with the movies. It will ask you if you want to over right the files. Say yes and delete your new text file.

Worked for me a few times at my computer in Montana. I forget which registry hack it is but I did it to this computer (Colorado) about a year ago and I never had another problem trying to delete .avi files. I wish I could find that registry hack. It was quite handy.

Good Luck

Hatz

[stvn]

Thaxs for the ideas gave them a go and cant move them at all or delete. gonna have to boot with win 98 cd to get into dos ( no floppy) lazy build but who uses them anyways and do it from there

[Hatz]

so this machine is Windows 98? Hmmmmm, I only thought it was a problem in XP. Your best bet now is to go into DOS and cd.....then del "filename".

Good Luck

Hatz

[Faustus]

Edit, just relized this was not XP... that very odd. Solution for XP left below to benifit others.

Took a while to find it, there is a reason this happens, and if you don't mind explorer not listing the rez of your files any more there is a fix, read this:

http://www.annoyances.org/exec/forum/winxp/r1049165808

[stvn]

just jumped to safe mode and stopped all running tasks with device manager then run explorer from the new task to get windows back, HORAY i got them deleted ....and its a win xp box just always leave my boot drive fat 32, just like the option ov being able to drop into dos if the need arises Phew ...that was close thxs for the comments and help guys

[stvn]

Hey great link flaystus
just been n deleted the key hope this helps this was driving me mad

[ChrisX]

There is a WinXP bug in that description and more so on shortcut icons. I can't move or delete the files.

If I want to make changes in this WinXP computer I have to use a network PC on Win2k. This works and the files are gone.

[rallynavvie]

Data burners can usually get rid of these as well. Of course just make sure you want to completely erase a file before doing it.