The cookie: "sonicdrivein.com" sits in my CCleaner "Cookies to Delete" box, yet it never gets deleted when I run "Cleaner".

I don't know if this is a problem. Still, it is curious.

Couldn't find a similar topic in the forums. Is there any action I need to take?

Hi SkyWired, and welcome to the forum.

The site uses Flash Player.
Do you have the box checked for Adobe Flash Player?

Cleaner -> Applications -> Multi Media -> Adobe Flash Player.

Thanks for the welcome message.

I just dbl checked & I do have that box ckd. Any other thoughts?

In CCleaner click on the cookie to delete and look at the bottom of the screen to see the browser and or if it's a flash cookie.

It shows as a flash cookie. I guess that's why I couldn't find it in my browser temp files, yes?

What operating system and browser(s) are you using?

XP Home-SP3 & IE8.

If you want to manually delete the file(s).

First you must show hidden files and folders.
OS(C:) Under Tools -> Folder Option -> View -> Show hidden files and folders then click OK.

C:\Documents and Settings\{username}\Application Data\Macromedia\Flash Player\#SharedObjects\{Randomword}

C:\Documents and Settings\{username}\Application Data\Macromedia\Flash Player\macromedia.com\support\flashplayer\sys

Look for The file(s) in both locations and delete.

Restore: Do not show hidden files and folders then click OK.

That’s interesting, when this first came up, I searched for the location, but it did not show up. I followed your directions and found it.

After that I tried multiple searches and curiously the folders were not found until I narrowed the search to the Application Data folder. What’s that about?

So, now when I try to perform actions on the sonicdrivein.com. folder, here’s what happens:

• Attempt to Delete: “Cannot delete file: Cannot read from the source file or disk.”
• Highlight folder: “folder is empty”
• Attempt to Open: “ … refers to a location that is unavailable … info may have been moved to a different location.”

So what’s all this about? If it’s nothing why can’t I simply get rid of it?

If you use Malwarebytes Anti-Malware you could try FileASSASSIN under more tools.

http://filehippo.com/download_malwarebytes_anti_malware/

You could download and try Unlocker.

http://www.filehippo.com/download_unlocker/

Click on Download latest version for either program and save.

FileASSASSIN is ineffectual. It simply yields the error message: “ … refers to a location that is unavailable … info may have been moved to a different location.”

Unlocker claims to delete the object, but it doesn't.

Judging by all of the error messages from your last two posts it sounds as though it's no longer there!

What is now telling you that it is still there? Have you refreshed any apps where it is(was) visible?

Could also try deleting in safe mode.

Or making an empty folder and drag and drop the file into it and then delete the folder.

The the sonicdrivein.com. folder still exists in the same 2 paths:

• C:\Documents and Settings\{username}\Application Data\Macromedia\Flash Player\#SharedObjects\{Randomword}
• C:\Documents and Settings\{username}\Application Data\Macromedia\Flash Player\macromedia.com\support\flashplayer\sys

CCleaner still shows it in Cookies to Delete, after refreshes & reboots.

Safe mode: same problems as Normal Mode.
Empty Folder Gambit yields error mess. something like: “Cannot move file: Cannot read from the source file or disk.”

Try this one: http://killbox.net/

How to use killbox: http://metallica.geekstogo.com/killboxexplanation.html

Killbox says: "This file does not seem to exist". But I still have to look at it.
Well the folder is apparently empty, so why can't I just throw it away???

Close your browser then try to rename the folders and delete, or are they read only?

What info do you get from the folders properties?

Visit sonicdrivein.com, close your browser and then try to delete.

think your problem is the flash cookie,,,did you try flash cookie cleaner,,,but after a couple of ckicls his comes back .
so i guess what you need is to set include and exclude in ccleaner.

for vista
In CCleaner - Options - Include (Select Add Folder)

Add these two folders to the Include List: (Location will be different in XP. This is for Vista)

C:\Users\YOURNAME\AppData\Roaming\Macromedia\Flash Player\#SharedObjects

C:\Users\YourName\AppData\Roaming\Macromedia\Flash Player\macromedia.com\support\flashplayer\sys

======================
Next select the CCleaner - Options - Exclude (Select Add File)

Browse to:

C:\Users\YourName\AppData\Roaming\Macromedia\Flash Player\macromedia.com\support\flashplayer\sys\settings.sol

The settings.sol is what you want to select.

Now when you run CCleaner it should empty both flash folders but protect your settings.



for XP

Include in CCleaner:

C:\Documents and Settings\your user name\Application Data\Macromedia\Flash Player\#SharedObjects

C:\Documents and Settings\your user name\Application Data\Macromedia\Flash Player\macromedia.com\support\flashplayer\sys

Exclude in CCleaner:FILE

C:\Documents and Settings\your user name\Application Data\Macromedia\Flash Player\macromedia.com\support\flashplayer\sys\settings.sol

You could try deleting the folder using the Command Prompt.

http://www.cybertechhelp.com/tutorial/arti...les-and-folders

Some say to kill explorer during the process using Task Manager (leave open) then go back to Task Manager, click File, New Task and enter EXPLORER.EXE to restart the GUI shell.

It seems that killbox does something like that.

Sysinternals' MoveFile can be used to schedule the file to be moved/deleted at reboot before anything gets a handle on it.

Deleting the folder at reboot is probably the way to go.
I could only recommend killbox as an app that could do this.
You have to trust a program to run at boot.
Good find on a second app.
They may use different methods and one may work.

MoveFile just uses the standard Windows 'PendingFileRename' registry keys ... you could enter the details manually in the registry if you really want to. It's the same mechanism Windows itself uses to move or rename files. So it's not so much a program running at startup, as supplying filenames to the out-of-the-box Windows start-up functionality. Not sure if it works at folder level too though.

I've never used killbox, but as you say it might well incorporate the same mechanism.

This is a good little app for seeing what moves are pending without having to dig around in the registry ... http://exodusdev.com/products/whyreboot (although it was written for a slightly different purpose).

Oh and incidentally it's also the same mechanism that ccleaner uses to remove temp internet index.dat files.

How do you use PendMoves v1.1 and MoveFile v1.0.

Are they Vista compatible?

Thanks for WhyReboot thats a cool little app. that will come in handy.

They're both just simple command-line apps ... the usage is given at the end of the linked page posted earlier.

PendMoves is effectively just a command-line version of WhyReboot.

MoveFile always needs two parameters ... the first is the file to be moved/deleted and the second is either the new file name if the file is to be moved, or "" if the file is to be deleted.

As far as I know they should work on Vista ... easy enough to try PendMoves and see if that runs okay

The command-line window just flashes open & closed.

Must not be Vista compatible given the release date of "Published: November 1, 2006".

Thanks again

You have to open a command window (just type cmd in the run box) and then run it from inside there. You also need to be in the right folder for your exe location (or put in the system directory since that path is always available). Type 'PendMoves at the command prompt.

The date shouldn't be an issue, assuming Vista still uses the same registry locations.

Makes sense now that I understand I need to run the command-line app through a command window.

Yeah ... there's kind of a clue in the name

Hope it's working now anyway.

I haven't used command-line much so this is a learning curve for me.
I extracted the PendMoves folder to Program Files.
Opened a command window (Run as Admin for Vista)
cd "\Program Files\"
C:\Program Files>cd Pendmoves
C:\Program Files\Pendmoves>pendmoves.exe
This worked for Pendmoves.

Can you give me an example for MoveFile?
Do I need navigate to folders or show a path?
1) To move a file.
2) To delete a file.

TIA

and you could give unlocker a go as well http://ccollomb.free.fr/unlocker/

NOTE: If you are using IE you may get a big red warning blocking access.
http://www.microsoft.com/security/portal/T...tID=-2147338578

All it is is optional shortcuts to ebay, Microsoft think its a severe issue lol.
and this virustotal scan shows it's clean aswell (except NOD32 sees the adware)
http://www.virustotal.com/analisis/4e04619...3cb4-1257337629

No worries


Okay. To make sure your exe is picked up easily, stick PendMoves and MoveFile in your system32 directory for now. This means that no matter what folder your command window opens at, the OS will be able to find the MoveFile exe easily.

To do a move, create a file something like c:\movetest.txt in explorer.

Then do: MoveFile c:\movetest.txt c:\moved.txt

(If your folder/file has spaces in it you'll need quotes around the name ... eg MoveFile "c:\my movetest.txt" c:\moved.txt)

Run both PendMoves and WhyReboot and you should now see this listed for a move.

To do a delete, create a file something like c:\delete.txt in explorer.

Then do: MoveFile c:\delete.txt ""

Run both PendMoves and WhyReboot and you should also now see this listed for deletion.

Reboot and see what happens! Rather than c:\movetest.txt and c:\delete.txt, you should now just have c:\moved.txt

Obviously if either of these were locked, it would enable them to be (re)moved at reboot.


My example files were conveniently located in c:\ ... longer paths are a pain to type in. One really useful tool for getting the path to a file is PathCopyEx (http://www.mlin.net/other.shtml), which adds a Windows explorer context menu 'Copy Path to Clipboard' for copying the selected file or folder path. One of the most useful context menu entries ever.

@marmite/Thanks
Works like a charm and will come in handy.

@Skywired
I thought we should rule out some more easy fixes.

1) Drag and Drop to Desktop and delete.
2) Cut and Paste to Desktop and delete.
3) Sometimes memory can hold on to a file or folder even if rebooted.
Shutdown your pc and wait two minutes, then startup and try to delete the folder.
4) Defrag
5) chkdsk
6)How to take ownership of a file or a folder in Windows XP

Are you still there Skywired?

The following is advice from the Tech at work.

Download Ubuntu which is a free operating system by Linux.
http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/download

Burn the ISO image file to a CD.
http://filehippo.com/download_imgburn/

Leave CD in drive and reboot.

The Ubuntu program offers the option of using the operating system as a demo directly from the CD, without an
installation or change to the computer settings.
Once booted up into the Ubuntu operating system, go to "Places" in the top menu bar and delete any file or folder at will.

Use with care because you can delete without Windows rules and permissions.
You wouldn't want to delete something like your Windows XP operating system.

If you think this could be some type of malware, virus or rootkit you should visit the Spyware Hell section of the forum.
http://forum.piriform.com/index.php?showforum=12

Read and do as much as you can before you post.
http://forum.piriform.com/index.php?showtopic=20120

Good Luck!

Agree with the above. I hadn't thought of that and I'll add it to my ideas list . Doesn't have to be Ubuntu ... could be (for example) any recovery disk that gives you independent access to your file system.

The only thing that concerns me about the general principle is that files get locked (or have their access permissions changed) for a reason. I've never yet been unable to delete a file without good reason ... like that it's an essential operating system file. In a healthy (non-infected) system there's pretty-well always a service or an exe or a driver you can disable at start-up (as usual, used with care Sysinternals autoruns is excellent for this). If you resort to a boot cd any old time you get a locked file, without considering or being aware of what you're deleting, there is a possibility of messing up your installation ... so I fully echo the comment in Jamin4u's post about taking care!

But ... this method wouldn't seem be a problem in this instance.

Yet, an "important system file" should not be stored in a temporary directory.

+1 to the Ubuntu bootdisk idea if all the above fails.

Absolutely, which is why I then said ...


The point I was making is about the general principle of using this method for 'any locked file file' ... original post now tweaked for clarity

Thanks for the ideas, but ...
Flash cookie cleaner has no effect.

Same is true for include and exclude in ccleaner

WHOA ... until my last reply, I didn't realize there is a "Page 2" to this thread.

UPDATE:

I've tried everything on Page 1 to no avail.
I retried various options w/ Unlocker and was able to Move the offending folders to a folder I named JUNK.


However, I was unable to move it to Recycle Bin or to a Compact Flash Card.
So now "sonicdrivein.com." no longer shows up in CCleaner.

NEXT: I'm going to attempt to "process and absorb" page 2. This may take some time as I've got much going on outside of this issue right now. I'm vastly appreciative of all the help. Thanks to all of you.

I'll post my next moves as soon as I'm able.

Aside from my "sonic cookie" issue, I'm curious about Malwarebytes. I ran it's Scan function and it comes up w/ some same issues, but also w/ more issues than SpyBot.

I'm needing feedback from those more computer literate than me (everybody here):

Is this program, Malwarebytes, trustworthy?
Is there a way to backup only the things about to be changed before doing "fixes"
If I needed to restore an item or items, could I cut & paste from the Malwarebytes log file to the appropriate Registry location?

The thing is that these "issues" are all Registry issues ... and I'm not "fluent" in Registry. So I don't want to make a mistake here.
But I would like to get rid of these nasty sounding items (See Attachment).

Any comments?

Malwarebytes is totally trustworthy, and is one of the best applications for malware detection and removal.
When you remove the selected objects found, they are quarantined and can be restored from the quarantine tab.
Always update before scanning, and it's recommended to use the quick scan because it will do a very thorough job.
Here's a great program to back up the registry.
http://www.larshederer.homepage.t-online.de/erunt/

If you need help with an infection, visit the Spyware Hell section of the forum. Read and do as much as you can in the pinned "Before you post".
http://forum.piriform.com/index.php?showforum=12

@SkyWired,

Its funny that I just suggested Erunt to you because it just saved me today.
I rarely use it but I'm always glad I have it.
System restore failed to restore my laptop today due to an error.
I used Erunt to restore the registry to this mornings backup and bam, I was good.
Its very easy to use and you won't even know its there until you need it.

Just a few helpful hints.

1) When installed, allow the program to autobackup at startup.
I shutdown at night, and the next day when I startup the backup it created.

2) I changed the total number of days that will be backed up to seven, as 30 days by default is to many for me and can use to much space.
Open the startup folder in all programs then right click on Erunt Autoback then select properties.
In the target add the switch /days:7 or whatever days you want to the end of the target then click OK.

It should look like this...notice the space.


3) You can manually create backups too. Lets say you want to try out some new software that you don't want to trash your PC.
Just create a backup before installing, then if you have the need to restore the registry after uninstalling the software, your able to.
A Manual backup with Erunt has multiple uses, like when cleaning or editing the registry.

4) To restore the registry from a backup, navigate to the Windows folder ERDNT.
Open the Autobackup folder and the date you want, double click the ERDNT application then click OK, OK or Cancel.
After the program has finished restoring the registry, click OK to restart the computer which will activate the restored registry.

Thats it.

Windows Vista and Windows 7 users should use the task scheduler instead of the startup folder for autobackups, this will avoid the UAC blocked program popup at startup.

Here's a link to a topic that I posted to show you how.

http://forum.piriform.com/index.php?showtopic=19731

Nice post Jamin.