Completed with errors

B

BrianK

New Member
I am running Eraser 6.06 on a Windows 7 system. I am operating as the Administrator. Eraser worked fine until the latest Microsoft update. Now whenever I erase a file, whether from the recycle bin or directly in the Eraser Task panel, I receive a message that the task was completed with errors. The file seems to be gone from my hard drive and the recycle bin seems to be empty.

Here is the typical message I receive: Session: Friday, August 20, 2010 1:49:26 PM
Friday, August 20, 2010 1:49:26 PM Error The file C:\$RECYCLE.BIN\S-1-5-21-465721644-164736204-1449471911-1000\$RWTFUOV.lnk could not be erased because the file's permissions prevent access to the file.

Help please.
 
What has very probably happened is that a spurious file entry has been left in the Recycle Bin folder. Search the forum on 'Recycle Bin' to find threads where this issue is discussed.

David
 
I will research the recycle bin problems as you suggested but I doubt this is the answer. I get the same error when I try to erase a file by using the eraser interface and scheduling the task and not going through the recycle bin.
 
It would be the same in either event; both methods use the same erasing 'engine', which is where the error would be generated. In any case, this is a fairly well known problem; I've had something like it myself in the past.

David
 
My concern is whether or not my files are safely erased. I can't find them in any directory but have they been safely overwritten?
 
The files you wanted erased very probably have been. The best way to check is to use a file recovery program (such as the free Recuva, which is my favourite) to see whether they are identifiable, and, if so, recoverable. If they are, please report that.

David
 
I downloaded Recuva and used it to scan my C: drive. It didn't find any files. I guess I'm safe.

Thank you for your help.
 
BrianK said:
I downloaded Recuva and used it to scan my C: drive. It didn't find any files. I guess I'm safe.
Click to expand...
I'm glad of that. While 'safe is always a relative term, at least you know that it would take (at the very least) a particularly sophisticated and well-resourced adversary to recover your data; most of us are just not worth that kind of effort ...

David
 
I am having the same issue: here is what the status says in the log.

Session: Sunday, September 05, 2010 9:11:34 AM
Sunday, September 05, 2010 9:11:34 AM Error The program does not have the required permissions to erase the unused space on disk. Run the program as an administrator and retry the operation.

I am running the program as administrator.

Workaround if I uninstall the program and reinstall, it will work properly once, then same issue.

Win 7 64 bit.
 
This is not the same issue. Go to the FAQ (link below); you'll find details on how to run Eraser as Administrator in the topic on 'Getting to know Eraser 6'. Follow the guidance there, and your problem should be fixed.

David
 
David,

What I understand from the FAQ (" To do this, first close the running instance of Eraser by right-clicking on the small Eraser icon in the System Tray at the right hand end of the Taskbar and selecting Exit Eraser. Then right-click on the Eraser program icon on the Desktop or the Start Menu and select Run as Administrator") is that it is not possible to start eraser with the system with administrator rights ?
Cause every time I try to erase somes files, I get a "completed with errors".

I'm running under windows 7. I have the same version for XP and it works just fine each time.

It seems to have no solution, does it has any ?

Thank you in advance.

Auckland.
 
It is possible to start Eraser with administrative rights, but you have to close the running instance first, as explained in the FAQ. This is because, when the running instance is initiated on startup, it does not have administrator rights.

Future versions of Eraser (if Joel ever gets the time to write them :( ) will (1) have an option not to start the running instance with Windows and (2) implement the erasing engine as a service rather than as a process, which will hopefully get round the 'administrative rights' problem.

As regards your specific problem, security in Windows 7 (and Vista) is much tighter (IMO to some extent unnecessarily so) than it was in XP. I really need to know what error the log is giving (see the FAQ post referred to for details on how to access the log) before I suggest a solution.

David
 
Thank you for your help David,

the log says : "Access Denied. (Exception from HRESULT: 0x80070005 (E_ACCESSDENIED))"
The criticity is "error".

I had some files in the recycle bin, I don't know how many, and I got 3 identical errors after asking for erasing.

Anyway, I understand that I will have to wait the implementation of the service :)

Auckland.
 
Were these files of your own or system files? It sounds like a user/permissions issue, which is usually fixed by running Eraser as Administrator, but Windows (or the file system) can do very odd things at times. At the risk of sounding nanny-ish, are you sure that you really closed the running process before re-starting Eraser as Administrator? I ask because that is the most usual cause of the problem you describe.

If you need a workaround, sometimes the system allows you to delete the files to the Recycle Bin, and then to erase that. Sometimes it allows you a deletion with Ctrl-Delete, and then you can erase free space.

Please don't wait for a future version of Eraser. We just don't know when Joel will have the time to do the work.

David
 
In fact I face the same problem wether I use the recycle bin or directer try to erase the files.
I didn't mention an important point : I am using the real windows 7 admin account, I just unlocked it. Anyway, there are still difference, since sometimes "running as admin" seems to have different behaviors than running programs beeing admin...

If I simply erase the files unsing ctrl-delete or just empty the recycle bin, I have no problem.

I don't really want to erase a 10Kb file and then erase 500GB of free space if you see what I mean :)

Is windows 7's accounts right management just buggy or is it some kind of deliberate sabotage ?
 
auckland said:
I didn't mention an important point : I am using the real windows 7 admin account, I just unlocked it. Anyway, there are still difference, since sometimes "running as admin" seems to have different behaviors than running programs beeing admin...
Click to expand...
Yes, admin does not 'own' the files, and may not be on the list of permitted users of the file. It's usually best to work (if necessary 'as admin') from the user account that owns the files. In fact, for most purposes, the Windows 7 admin account is a waste of space. It doesn't give you the control you were used to in XP. For example there is a hidden and inaccessible account called (I think) System that owns all the OS files and makes them completely inaccessible to users for, in the Eraser context, erasing of cluster tips.

auckland said:
I don't really want to erase a 10Kb file and then erase 500GB of free space if you see what I mean :)
Click to expand...
Absolutely.

auckland said:
Is windows 7's accounts right management just buggy or is it some kind of deliberate sabotage ?
Click to expand...
No, it's just a function of Microsoft's unreasonably low opinion of users (i.e. its customers), and ludicrously high opinion of itself. I refer you to my rule of life #1: "If stupidity can be the cause, suspect that first".

David
 
hellfire said:
try eraser 6.0.8 and see if its any better
Click to expand...
Oops. I should have spotted this point, and definitely concur in this suggestion.

Another thing that sometimes helps is to un-check the setting to force files to be unlocked (remember to press the 'Save Settings' button when you do this).

David
 
The permissions on the files in there occasionally get out of whack. In those situations, running Eraser as an administrator should solve it. Switching user accounts merely hide the problem, as each user has his own recycle bin (unless you explicitly erase the Drive:\$RECYCLE.BIN folder and not use the Recycle Bin functionality.)

If it cannot be fixed, you can change the permissions on the $RECYCLE.BIN folder (look around the internet -- but if you are unfamiliar I suggest you don't try this) such that you are the owner of the folder, have Full Control over the folder, subfolder and files and retry the erase.
 
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