the action can't be completed because the folder or a file in it is open in another program

Question

When deleting a folder that contains a file that is in use, it is common to see the following Windows 7 message,

"The action can't be completed because the folder or a file in it is open in another program."

I commonly have 10-20 programs open, 30-40 folders open, etc. In short, I have many executables running and many windows explorers open.

Does anyone know a simple trick to determine which program is using the file? Does anyone know a simple trick to determine which file is blocking the delete operation?

This information would be highly useful to display in the Windows 7 'folder in use' dialog, but it is missing.

Consequently I have to close many of my open applications and folders to complete the delete operation. This is annoying because I have to re-open them after deleting them.

Answer 1

Have you seen this other question or this one?

I use to run ProccessExplorer and Find for the blocked folder.