Keeping your computer's hard drive clutter-free is a good goal. It frees up space and lets your computer run more smoothly. There are plenty of tools available to accomplish this.

Sometimes, however, you find yourself deleting files manually. There's nothing wrong with that. It can lead to some problems, though.

You might get errors when trying to move or delete a file. Windows could say that the file is locked or in use. Sometimes this is a bug in the system. There isn't anything you can do to correct it.

That's where Unlocker comes in handy. It lets you override Windows locking errors. Once Unlocker is installed, simply right-click the offending file and select Unlocker.

The Unlocker program will launch and give you some options. You can choose to unlock the file. The file can also be moved or deleted from within the program.

Be very careful about the files you delete. Windows system files are locked for a reason. Removing them could crash your system. Only remove files you are sure you created.

Note that during installation, Unlocker offers several items to install. Some of those items are things like browser toolbars. You do not need to install those for Unlocker to work.

Cost: Free

Link: www.filehippo.com

System: XP, Vista, 7