Cannot Delete Dropbox Folder

Question

I have uninstalled Dropbox, but have a folder c:/Users/Username/Dropbox that I cannot delete. Even using DOS command I get the error message that the folder/files are in use. This is just not so. How do I get rid of it?

Answer 1

The folder is still in use by some process. This is very common for programs that integrate with the shell as the shell extension that provides the functionality is loaded until a reboot. Once you reboot you should be able to delete the folder.

If you have already rebooted then most likely there is an extra process hanging around that didn't get cleaned up properly. Use Process Explorer to find out who has a handle to any files under that folder. Once you've found the process the steps needed to clean up the process and remove the folder generally are obvious.

Answer 2

If the problem persists even after restarting the computer, then try using the Handle or Handle64 tool (https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/handle) to find the cause of file locking. Check these commands: 'handle64 c:/Users/Username/Dropbox' or 'handle64 Dropbox', and show the results.

Answer 3

I cannot find anything with the words 'Dropbox' in Process Explorer. Running Handle spins a lot of data off the screen, but no way to stop or save the data.

Answer 4

I found a Dropbox Key(s)

Should I just delete these keys?

Answer 5

Tried to run process explorer, but when opening Explorer all I get are folder icons instead of a list of files for the selected folder. Nothing to my knowledge has changed since last night, View settings are ser for 'Details'. This applies of all folders selected via Explorer.