text: how to delete program/file that refuses to go away? why does it refuse to go away? is this spyware?   it's probably in use  first. if it's a program remove it from control panel-->add/remove programs second if it's an exe...try terminating it through task manager first (ctrl+alt+del)  third..if it's a large media file (audio or video) just wait it might be in use just to calculate length or generate thumbnail  fourth. if doean't work restarting might fix the problem  fifth. even if doesn't work..delete it from dos by using start-up disk