this post was submitted on 03 Oct 2025
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[–] Njos2SQEZtPVRhH@piefed.social 2 points 45 minutes ago

Well duh, Microsoft respects privacy

[–] Johanno@feddit.org 18 points 3 hours ago (1 children)

Actually on windows 7 I found out how to get which process is locking one file.

You open the resources manager (task manager has a link to it)

Inside you can see how much each process uses on cpu, network and stuff.

And there is a tab where all used files for each process is listed. You can search for specific files.

[–] Landless2029@lemmy.world 15 points 2 hours ago (1 children)

Yeah there's a Microsoft sysinternals utility where you can drag a file into to fetch that info for you.

Makes zero sense there isn't a >Details in the error notification that tells you the damned process in Windows.

[–] Piafraus@lemmy.world 1 points 23 minutes ago

Not only that, but you can actually search all active processes to see which handles they keep references to. Just search the name of your file and it will show you the processes which use it

[–] kuneho@lemmy.world 49 points 8 hours ago* (last edited 7 hours ago) (1 children)

back in the XP days, I used a software called "Unlocker" just for this problem. It probably still exists, I don't know, because since Windows 7, the easiest way to find out what process locks a file is to open Resource Monitor (Start search: resmon) and on the CPU tab, using the "Associated handles" list, you can search for the file name and see the process in question (and kill it).

So yeah, Resource Monitor is a useful tool on Windows.

[–] rockerface@lemmy.cafe 42 points 7 hours ago (4 children)

There's a collection of free little utilities called Microsoft PowerToys, including the file unlocker thing. Why would they not include these into base kit Windows is beyond me.

[–] BilSabab@lemmy.world 17 points 6 hours ago (3 children)

not including PowerToys inside basic package is a fucking choice. Win11 is literally unusable without it in many aspects.

Sysinternals is also a great tool. Not as vital for the average user though.

[–] TeddE@lemmy.world 2 points 2 hours ago (1 children)

I suspect it's in line with big tech policies to coddle end users instead of educating or trusting them. I assert (particularly since the introduction of the iPhone in 2007) that learned helplessness is built into the game plan.

[–] BilSabab@lemmy.world 2 points 1 hour ago

My dad used to say Apple is evil exactly because of that - they make stuff for people who want fancy shit but have little to no interest in actual tech.

[–] AndyMFK@lemmy.dbzer0.com 12 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

I would argue windows 11 is pretty much unusable regardless

[–] BilSabab@lemmy.world 2 points 4 hours ago

LTSC is probably usable but if the base is so broken - i wonder if LTSC is still as good as Win10 LTSC.

[–] Redex68@lemmy.world 8 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

I feel like it's a testing ground for new features for them, but not sure why some aren't yet integrated. Best guess: the PowerToys team has less red tape and checks to go through than the Windows team to allow for faster iteration, but that means that integrating the features wouldn't be just the click of a button since they'd have to adapt it to fit the Windows style. But this is just a wild guess.

[–] some_kind_of_guy@lemmy.world 3 points 2 hours ago (1 children)

I think you're right on the money. There seems to be a component of enticing power users to stick with Windows as well. The app is still "in beta" despite the first release being in 1996 (!). I had to look that up, because I'd only heard about it in the early windows 10 days.

[–] Deebster@infosec.pub 1 points 18 minutes ago

The first version of PowerToys was released for Windows 95 on 17 November, 1996 as a download on Microsoft's FTP server at the time.

Well wadaya knows?

I like that it wasn't a proper installed thing, just a bunch of executables in a zip file.

[–] kuneho@lemmy.world 10 points 7 hours ago* (last edited 7 hours ago) (5 children)

Why would they not include these into base kit Windows is beyond me.

Some of them felt a bit buggy when I last time used Windows, maybe they aren't fully ready to ship (like Samsung's Good Lock apps?). And most features didn't do quite what I imagined it to do, but that's probably a "me problem".

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[–] sefra1@lemmy.zip 139 points 9 hours ago (1 children)

"Hey Linux, can you just delete this file please?"

"Sure thing bud, a program is using it, it's ok, I will just unlink the inode anyway, the program can still access it until it closes the file"

[–] xthexder@l.sw0.com 47 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

This is honestly one of my favorite features of the linux filesystem. As a dev it makes things like replacing and hot-reloading plugins way easier.

It turns out you can kind of get the same functionality on Windows if you rename the open file and place the new one with the original name, but it's a bit of a hack.

[–] oascany@lemmy.world 31 points 8 hours ago (3 children)

Windows won't let you rename a file that's being used either.

[–] mcv@lemmy.zip 10 points 7 hours ago (2 children)

Yeah, super annoying. In Linux you can rename or move it and the app using it doesn't care.

Although having the option of listing the app using a file so I can kill the app would also be really nice to have. I'm sure Linux has something for that too, but I don't know what it is.

[–] sefra1@lemmy.zip 11 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

I’m sure Linux has something for that too, but I don’t know what it is

fuser

[–] krooklochurm@lemmy.ca 2 points 4 hours ago (1 children)

I can't remember the other program that'll do it.

But there's another one that'll list all the processes using a file.

Tip of my tongue fuck.

[–] shrugs@lemmy.world 6 points 3 hours ago (1 children)
[–] krooklochurm@lemmy.ca 2 points 3 hours ago

That's the one

[–] oascany@lemmy.world 5 points 6 hours ago

You can use PowerToys on windows to see what app is using a particular file

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[–] AceFuzzLord@lemmy.zip 10 points 7 hours ago (5 children)

Same thing whenever I try to unplug a USB, Win10, on my desktop. There have been times where I plugged in one, opened a file, closed it within seconds, did the safely remove thing, and then I get the whole quick song and dance about some program still using it because of how sluggish it is to actually end what's using it in the background.

Also, my phone's keyboard software was bugging out and replaced "song" with "incest" for no discernable and wanted to replace the next word "and" with "rape incest". Not related, but fuck Gboard and that weird glitch where it'll replace words with random shit for no reason.

[–] MrScottyTay@sh.itjust.works 9 points 6 hours ago

Doesn't gboard try to promote words you've used more prior more often than ones you've used less...?

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