Obstinate desktop shortcut: Obscure Windows glitch!

[Grall]

When I ran the setup utility for my new ADSL modem (see other thread, hehe), I noticed it placed a "Router Login" shortcut on my desktop without asking me. It referred to a site called routerlogin.com, but seeing as I didn't need that shortcut (I know how to log in to my own router, thankyouverymuch ), I thought I'd just as soon be rid of it.

Lo and behold, the shortcut refused. Claimed to be open in another program. It bloody well was NOT!

So I started a huge search, googling the web for this damn shortcut and how to get rid of it, peering closely at process explorer and scratching my head, running a search through the entire registry and so on, all while swearing at netgear and how dare they exploit windows file locks just to keep a stupid shortcut on my keyboard...!

Coming up with absolutely NOTHING on all fronts, I opened the file properties for the damn shortcut one more time just to check its file flags, and then I notice it's set to read-only. So I toggle that checkmark off, apply changes, and lo and behold, the fucking file is gone.

Whoah.

So a read-only .url shortcut is now NOT listed as write-protected, but rather open in another program when trying to delete it? Far out.

Oh well. At least I did get it killed eventually. Just wish I hadn't had to fsck around so much to get it done.

 

[dZeus]

which windows version is that in? Just tried it in Vista, could delete a read-only url shortcut without any issues.

 

[Grall]

Sorry. I run Win7.

 

[Silent_Buddha]

It happens occasionally with icons and folders in XP/Vista/Win7 (more often in XP). There was actually an application made by the same person that made Process Explorer to close and delete just such items for XP (can't delete because item is in use) but I don't think he made one for Vista or XP (being much more rare in those cases).

Easiest way to get rid of it is to either reboot and delete it. If that doesn't work, reboot to safe mode and delete it. Have had this happen once with a Folder which Windows insisted was open. All I did was reboot and delete it.

Regards,
SB

 

[ShaidarHaran]

If none of the above works, try Unlocker.

 

[digitalwanderer]

I've found this a very useful little utility for those type of stubborn things.

It adds a "Take ownership" option to your right-click file menu that helps oodles sometimes with stubborn files like those.

 

[fbuffer]

Sounds like Netgear up to their old antics again.. another favorite of theirs is to map routerlogin.com to 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1 (fixed in HOST file).

 

[hoom]

Whats wrong with that? Routerlogin.com is owned by Netgear & points to their main website otherwise.
You'd be surprised how many people have issues typing 192.168.1.1 into a browser address bar

 

[Grall]

All I did was reboot and delete it.

Heh, yeah, now that I think about it I have had this problem at least once before, with an empty folder. Completely empty, nothing using it whatsoever anymore, refused to allow itself to be deleted...

The more complex OSes get, the wackier the bugs in them also get (and more impossible to root out, one might add).

Now, I wish simply restarting would allow me to uninstall Adobe's friggin' download manager that it tricked me into installing on my PC... First they make a critical bug in flash player that causes massive amounts of browser crashes, then they make it so you CAN'T solve the bug by auto-updating the player, you MUST run a fucking uninstall.exe first and then re-download flash from their website...

...which was when Adobe managed to poison my PC with their accursed download manger, which serves no useful purpose whatsoever from what I can tell. Now it just sits there in the add/remove programs applet ("programs and features" or wtf MS calls it now) and taunts me. Makes me so mad!