The Unlocker by Cedrick ‘NITCH’ Collomb used to be one of my must have software on my computer because it is very helpful in releasing locked files so that I can move, delete or rename the file or folder. Other than it works on files and folders, The Unlocker can also unlock a drive letter which is very useful when when I am faced with the problem of unable to eject or safely remove my USB flash drive. However recently I found that The Unlocker is not as up to date with the current Windows operating system anymore. Don’t get me wrong, The Unlocker still works but it requires a reboot to delete a file that cannot be deleted instantly which is a waste of time.
Recently IObit has released an unlocker software called IObit Unlocker which seems to do the same thing as The Unlocker, but it is definitely smarter and coded to work with the latest Windows 7. Most of the time there are two ways to use these file unlocking software. You can either right click on the locked file and select the software from the context menu, or drag and drop the locked files to the software.
Here is a simple test why I say IObit Unlocker is better than The Unlocker or even FileASSASSIN. The file that I would like to delete is “avast5.ini” belongs to avast! Internet Security. An attempt to manually delete the file from Windows 7 and it reports “You require permission from Administrators to make changes to this file”. I am a local administrator of the computer and I can’t delete the file due to protection by avast!
I right click on avast5.ini file and select IObit Unlocker from the context menu. IObit Unlocker program appears and I select “Unlock & Delete” from the button and click OK for confirmation. IObit Unlocker reports that the avast5.ini file has been instantly unlocked and deleted successfully.
I restored the avast5.ini file to test with The Unlocker 1.9.1. I right clicked on avast5.ini and select Unlocker from the context menu. I select Delete from the drop down menu, clicked the OK button and it reports “The object could not be deleted. Do you want to perform the requested delete operation at next reboot?”. The Unlocker failed to “instantly” delete the file.
Finally I tried using the famous Malwarebytes FileASSASSIN to see if it can instantly delete the avast5.ini file without requiring a reboot. I drag the avast5.ini file to FileASSASIN, use the FileASSASSIN’s method of file processing and check all the boxes including delete file. Clicking the Execute button and it reports “The file could not be deleted!”.
The only thing you may want to take note of is the optional installation of their toolbar and other IObit software. During installation, the setup will prompt you to install IObit Toolbar for Internet Explorer and Firefox. You can either click Decline or Skip to avoid installing the IObit Toolbar (Most people make mistake by automatically clicking the “Accept” button during installation). Next, you will be prompted to download and install IObit Malware Fighter and Advanced SystemCare. Again, you can click the Skip button to avoid installing those software. If you didn’t know, The Unlocker also by default installs the Bing Bar to support its development unless you manually uncheck it from the “Choose Components” window.
Probably there are still people that will stay away from IObit’s software due to a previous issue with Malwarebytes because of their principles but I personally won’t push away a good software. If it is good, I’ll publish it on my blog and use it on my computer. If it is bad, you probably won’t even read it from here…
IObit Unlocker is free and works on Windows 2000, XP, Vista, 7 on both 32bit and 64bit. It can also unlock drive letters, useful for USB flash drive. Would be really nice if they have a portable version of IObit Unlocker so that I can carry around with me on my USB flash drive.