locked files in C:\ root

[dougblair]

My laptop (Dell Inspiron 9100, Windows XP Pro SP2, Office 2003 w/Biz contacts
manager) has developed a new trick.

After each invocation of Outlook 2003 I find a number of files in the C:\
root folder with odd file names. Each file contains the plain ascii text of
an email message, but each file yields an "Access denied" message when I
attempt to open it with Notepad or VIM. The file names are named with the
letter "s', followed by a number, followed by 4 alphanumeric characters.
Sometimes a dot is placed in the 5th position, resulting in Explorer
displaying these as a "5 file" or a "6 file". The file names are
incrementing. Today's batch are named

s3s0
s3s0.1
s3s0.2
s3s0.2
s3s0.4
s3s0.5

and so forth. I cannot open these files, but I can move them to the recycle
bin. If I restore them, the file still appears locked and I get an Access
Denied message.

If the computer is rebooted, the files are then accessable, which is how I
know what's in them now. After a restart the files are no longer locked.

Has anyone seen anything like this?

 

[Brian Tillman]

My laptop (Dell Inspiron 9100, Windows XP Pro SP2, Office 2003 w/Biz
contacts manager) has developed a new trick.

Didn't you ask this question already?

 

[Roady [MVP]]

Yes, when you posted this before as "Dave" some hours earlier. See my reply
to that message.

--
Robert Sparnaaij [MVP-Outlook]
www.howto-outlook.com

Tips of the month:
-FREE tool; QuickMail. Create new Outlook items anywhere from within Windows
-Properly back-up and restore your Outlook data

-----
My laptop (Dell Inspiron 9100, Windows XP Pro SP2, Office 2003 w/Biz
contacts
manager) has developed a new trick.

After each invocation of Outlook 2003 I find a number of files in the C:\
root folder with odd file names. Each file contains the plain ascii text of
an email message, but each file yields an "Access denied" message when I
attempt to open it with Notepad or VIM. The file names are named with the
letter "s', followed by a number, followed by 4 alphanumeric characters.
Sometimes a dot is placed in the 5th position, resulting in Explorer
displaying these as a "5 file" or a "6 file". The file names are
incrementing. Today's batch are named

s3s0
s3s0.1
s3s0.2
s3s0.2
s3s0.4
s3s0.5

and so forth. I cannot open these files, but I can move them to the recycle
bin. If I restore them, the file still appears locked and I get an Access
Denied message.

If the computer is rebooted, the files are then accessable, which is how I
know what's in them now. After a restart the files are no longer locked.

Has anyone seen anything like this?

 

[dougblair]

Brian,

No, I'm new to this forum, and I'm not "Dave." I am doug at blairing dot
com, and I do appreciate the pointer to anyone else who has experienced this
problem...

I'll check that thread

Thanks

Doug

 

[Dave]

Different guy, same problem as mine and just a coincidence I guess. I am
dmonshaw (@) hotmail.com. Looks like it is related to the virus scanner,
take a look at the other thread for conclusion...

Dave

 

[dougblair]

Roady,

thanks for pointing us in the direction of the virus scanner. Dave has
reinstalled his Norton/Symantec product and still has the problem of the
locked files in C:\root. I have not reinstalled yet (based on Dave's
experfience) and have been following this up with Symantec support. That
discussion has led to the almost inevitable reccommendation that I uninstall
all my Symantec products and reinstall them. Based on Dave's report I am not
certain this will actually elimninate the issue.

Roady, you responded very early on in my research and correctly identified
this as related to the anti-spam/virus add-in for Outlook. Symantec has not
responded about whether these files are actually written by their product or
not, but you knew right away.

My question, Roady, is how did you know this was connected to NAV/NAS
software? If you've run across this somehwere before I would really like to
understand what caused the problem before I just attempt to cauterize the
laptop ;-)

Thanks

Doug

Different guy, same problem as mine and just a coincidence I guess. I am
dmonshaw (@) hotmail.com. Looks like it is related to the virus scanner,
take a look at the other thread for conclusion...

Dave

Yes, when you posted this before as "Dave" some hours earlier. See my reply
to that message.

--
Robert Sparnaaij [MVP-Outlook]
www.howto-outlook.com

Tips of the month:
-FREE tool; QuickMail. Create new Outlook items anywhere from within Windows
-Properly back-up and restore your Outlook data

-----
My laptop (Dell Inspiron 9100, Windows XP Pro SP2, Office 2003 w/Biz
contacts
manager) has developed a new trick.

After each invocation of Outlook 2003 I find a number of files in the C:\
root folder with odd file names. Each file contains the plain ascii text of
an email message, but each file yields an "Access denied" message when I
attempt to open it with Notepad or VIM. The file names are named with the
letter "s', followed by a number, followed by 4 alphanumeric characters.
Sometimes a dot is placed in the 5th position, resulting in Explorer
displaying these as a "5 file" or a "6 file". The file names are
incrementing. Today's batch are named

s3s0
s3s0.1
s3s0.2
s3s0.2
s3s0.4
s3s0.5

and so forth. I cannot open these files, but I can move them to the recycle
bin. If I restore them, the file still appears locked and I get an Access
Denied message.

If the computer is rebooted, the files are then accessable, which is how I
know what's in them now. After a restart the files are no longer locked.

Has anyone seen anything like this?