Windows 2008 R2 - Kernel (System Process PID=4) is locking files and folders

Question

Windows 2008 R2 - Kernel (System Process PID=4) is locking files and folders for a long time. For example when deleting a file, the file may remain locked for 1 minute or more and only after that be deleted. On another occasions I encountered files or folders I could not delete. ProcMon showed that the System Process was holding a handle to those resources for a couple of minutes and then released them None of the resources I mentioned were system resources, only files and folders installed be me and handled by my applications.

Answer 1

As Dani has already mentioned in the comment:

It's a bug in Windows 7 and likely in Windows Server 2008 (possibly 64bit versions only). It surfaces when you disable Application Experience service.

Re-enabling this service has fixed this problem for me.

A bit more info here as to why it's causing a problem.

List of other SO questions which seem to be related:

• Visual Studio output file permissions?
• Under which circumstances does the System process (PID 4) retain an open file handle?

Answer 2

Files accessed through a share will be locked by the system process (PID 4).

Try opening compmgmt.msc -> System Tools -> Shared Folders -> Open Files to see if the locked file is listed there

See also the sysinternals forum for a way to replicate this.
Not all applications lock files when they are opened, Excel however does...