Thank you for being a valued part of the CNET community. As of December 1, 2020, the forums are in read-only format. In early 2021, CNET Forums will no longer be available. We are grateful for the participation and advice you have provided to one another over the years.

Thanks,

CNET Support

General discussion

Can't clear CD writing folder in Windows XP

by kezza45 Feb 2, 2009 6:47PM PST

I have been having trouble clearing files from my CD writing folder after the files could not be copied to CD. The computer keeps saying the files are in use by another program and won't copy or delete them.
Specifically these are photoshop files and photoshop is not running.Although this has happened with other file types as well.

In the past I've been able to deal with this situation by restarting windows and then deleting..not working this time though ..any thoughts?

Also..while I'm here...is there a way to anticipate the amount of files that will fit on a dvd or cd before attempting to copy them...other than the obvious and often laborious task of adding the sizes of each file or folder?
Thanks.

Discussion is locked

3 Posts
- Collapse + Expand Details
- Collapse -
RE:
by tolicster Feb 2, 2009 8:27PM PST

When it comes to unlocking files I always did that with another freeware tool named unlocker. You can try to unlock the files with this tool, it has always worked for me. http://ccollomb.free.fr/unlocker/#description

If I were you for the estimation of size being written on a CD/DVD I would use a third-party CD/DVD burnerlike imgburn. http://filehippo.com/download_imgburn/ It's way better than what windows is offering and you can also customize anything with one or two buttons.

- Collapse -
Here's what I would do
by Slikkster Feb 2, 2009 8:31PM PST

1. Boot up in Safe Mode

2. Manually go to the "staging area" where Windows XP keeps CD files waiting to be burned. Here's the location (note that it's a hidden folder, so you will need to have your folder options set to display hidden files and folders) as described by Microsoft:

<b><i>Description of the Staging Area

To facilitate CD recording, Windows XP uses a staging area to store the data for recording, which is located in the following hidden folder:

Drive_letter:\Documents and Settings\username\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\CD Burning

In addition, the information in the staging area is copied to a monolithic disc image file before you record the data. By default, this file is named "Cd burning stash file.bin" and is located in the root folder.</i></b>

I would delete the .bin file in that folder and restart the computer in regular mode and confirm it's gone.

Now, as to an easy way to compute space, why not just get a very highly rated FREE CD Burning app and let it do that work for you:

It's called CDBurnerXP PRO. Read about it and get it from here:

http://www.techsupportalert.com/issues/issue150.htm#Section_2.1

- Collapse -
(NT) Thanks...will try...:)
by kezza45 Feb 2, 2009 9:00PM PST
Back to Windows Legacy OS forum

CNET Forums

Operating Systems
Software
Electronics & Gadgets
Hardware
Tablets & Mobile Devices
General Help
Brand Forums
Roadshow Autos
Off Topic

Other Forums

Forum Info