To fix this, run the following command from the run window (Press WINDOWS KEY + R):

chkdsk c: /f

This will scan and fix and errors, but will require your PC to be rebooted in the process.

Once you are back in Windows, copy the Vista setup CD to a directory on your hard drive. From here, run the installation and choose “update”. This will install Vista over the top of the current installation and fix any corrupt files.

It is recommended that you make a backup of any important data, as if this last step is performed incorrectly or goes wrong then you may lose your files.

Go to the device manager by pressing WINDOWS KEY + R to go to the run menu, and then run “devmgmt.msc“.


From here, select your malfunctioning audio device(s) and make a note of the driver name. Then, right click on it and select Uninstall. This will remove the audio drivers from your system.

Once this is done, re-load the drivers for your sound card from the CD your manufacturer gave you with your PC or sound device. If you cannot find this, search for the driver on the manufacturers website using the driver name that has been written down.

The easiest way to solve this problem is to disable automatic restart within the Vista control panel. This won’t solve the problem causing the crash, but it will provide some on-screen information that will help you diagnose the error.

To disable automatic restart, press WINDOWS KEY + PAUSE/BREAK to load the System Properties Dialog (you can also access this via the Control Panel > System). Then click on “Advanced Settings“:

Then, select Settings in the “Startup and Recovery” area:

This will load the Startup and Recovery window, allowing you to untick the Automatically Restart box and then click OK:

Next time your have a crash in Windows Vista, your PC will not automatically reset and you will be able to view the error message.

Cannot delete file: It is being used by another person or program

This means that an application is currently using this file and you cannot delete it, this shouldn’t normally happen but may occur if a network is using a shared file or a program hasn’t closed a file properly.

Usually, a restart will allow you to delete the file/folder safely – but if you don’t want to restart or the problem persists then you need to download a 3rd party tool.

There is a great freeware tool called Unlocker that lets you delete any file/folder in use by right clicking on it and selecting the unlocker option. This stops applications from accessing the file and deletes the “in use” file:

This next window shows you all of the applications currently using the requested file, ready for you to select an action from the lower-left dropdown box (such as Delete) then click on Unlock All:

Be sure that you do not do this to any system critical files, as it is possible to stop Vista from loading if you use this application improperly.

First, insert the Vista DVD into the computer and restart it (to start the boot process). You will be asked to press any key to boot from the DVD:

Then, fill in the language and location options and click Next:

Now, click Repair your Computer:

Then, select your Vista partition and click Next:

Click Startup Repair from the next menu:

This will launch an automated process to see if there are any problems which may prevent Windows Vista from loading. Your PC may reboot several times during this test, helping the software to detect any faults. If the problem can be fixed, Vista will try to repair the drive and then reboot your PC.