OT: IT support request. (XP)

[dogscoff]

Hi,

I'm trying to replace an older dll on an XP machine with a more recent Version. Now on the machine I'm using now (also XP) I can just copy the file straight into windows/system32, but this other machine isn't having any of it. Insists that it's in use, even if I try to copy from a DOS prompt. I'm logged in with full admin rights on both machines.

-I assume it wont allow the copy on this one machine because there's some application using the dll. Is there any way to find out which application it is so I can kill it off?
-Could it be down to some system setting or windows-protecting-you-from-your-damn-self feature? If so, how do I disable it?
-Is there any way to just over-ride the complaints and copy the damn file anyway?
-I thought of using a bootdisk to bypass windows and copy the file straight onto the HD, but of course XP won't let you touch the C: drive from a bootdisk. Anyone know a way around this?

Thanks in advance for any help provided.

[Fyron]

It is not so much XP that won't let you touch the C: drive from the DOS prompt, as it is the NTFS file system you seem to have formatted with. It is designed to be more secure than FAT 32, and with FAT 32, an easy way to hack someone's install of windows is to go into DOS, which does not require the windows login or password at all, and mess with the files. Windows 2000, of which XP is Version 2, had NTFS as well. You are not required to format using NTFS, but there are problems with FAT 32 and larger hard drives, so you have to partition them accordingly.

[Spoo]

You say you have 2 XP machines? You can pull the hard drive out of the troublesome one and connect it to the working one. Then you can access the contents of the drive from windows explorer and copy what you like. (This is of course, a rather crude way to do things)

[Slynky]

A couple of things to try:

Can you boot up in safe mode and try the copy?

Or...

Will it let you rename the other (old) file so you can copy the new one in?