SP2 Installation Error - cacls.exe open or in use

When I try to install SP2 on Windows Server 2003 I get the following error:

The file c:\windows\system32\cacls.exe is open or in use by another
application.
Close all other applications and then click Retry.

Any ideas why I'm getting this error and how I can fix it? Thanks.

"Tim" <> wrote in message
news:2AF97474-DC29-4E0B-8C60-...
> When I try to install SP2 on Windows Server 2003 I get the following
> error:
>
> The file c:\windows\system32\cacls.exe is open or in use by another
> application.
> Close all other applications and then click Retry.
>
> Any ideas why I'm getting this error and how I can fix it? Thanks.

Maybe unlocker.exe will fix it:
http://ccollomb.free.fr/unlocker/

"Pegasus (MVP)" wrote:

>
> "Tim" <> wrote in message
> news:2AF97474-DC29-4E0B-8C60-...
> > When I try to install SP2 on Windows Server 2003 I get the following
> > error:
> >
> > The file c:\windows\system32\cacls.exe is open or in use by another
> > application.
> > Close all other applications and then click Retry.
> >
> > Any ideas why I'm getting this error and how I can fix it? Thanks.
>
> Maybe unlocker.exe will fix it:
> http://ccollomb.free.fr/unlocker/
>
>
>

Thanks for your response, but that didn't work. When I tried to run
Unlocker on cacls.exe it said there was no locking handle found.

I'm not really sure what cacls.exe does and why it would be in use when I'm
not explicitly using it. I've searched all over the net and haven't found
anyone else with the same problem. When trying to install SP2, I've made
sure there wasn't anything else running and that cacls.exe wasn't running in
the background in task manager.

"Tim" <> wrote in message
news:A16CCB05-4AC5-4ABF-A2E8-...
> "Pegasus (MVP)" wrote:
>
>>
>> "Tim" <> wrote in message
>> news:2AF97474-DC29-4E0B-8C60-...
>> > When I try to install SP2 on Windows Server 2003 I get the following
>> > error:
>> >
>> > The file c:\windows\system32\cacls.exe is open or in use by another
>> > application.
>> > Close all other applications and then click Retry.
>> >
>> > Any ideas why I'm getting this error and how I can fix it? Thanks.
>>
>> Maybe unlocker.exe will fix it:
>> http://ccollomb.free.fr/unlocker/
>>
>>
>>
>
> Thanks for your response, but that didn't work. When I tried to run
> Unlocker on cacls.exe it said there was no locking handle found.
>
> I'm not really sure what cacls.exe does and why it would be in use when
> I'm
> not explicitly using it. I've searched all over the net and haven't found
> anyone else with the same problem. When trying to install SP2, I've made
> sure there wasn't anything else running and that cacls.exe wasn't running
> in
> the background in task manager.

If you don't know what a command does, get its inbuilt helpfile like so:

cacls /?

CACLS displays or modifies access control lists (ACLs) of files

CACLS filename [/T] [/E] [/C] [/G usererm] [/R user [...]]
[/P usererm [...]] [/D user [...]]
filename Displays ACLs.
/T Changes ACLs of specified files in
the current directory and all subdirectories.
/E Edit ACL instead of replacing it.
/C Continue on access denied errors.
/G usererm Grant specified user access rights.
Perm can be: R Read
W Write
C Change (write)
F Full control
/R user Revoke specified user's access rights (only valid with /E).
/P usererm Replace specified user's access rights.
Perm can be: N None
R Read
W Write
C Change (write)
F Full control
/D user Deny specified user access.
Wildcards can be used to specify more that one file in a command.
You can specify more than one user in a command.

Abbreviations:
CI - Container Inherit.
The ACE will be inherited by directories.
OI - Object Inherit.
The ACE will be inherited by files.
IO - Inherit Only.
The ACE does not apply to the current file/directory.

Since cacls is not an essential program, you can reboot the
machine in Safe Mode and rename it temporarily to cacls.ex.

caclc test /p everyone:n

cacls test /f everyone:f

that folder thus not open access denied

> On Wednesday, September 26, 2007 9:08 AM Ti wrote:

> When I try to install SP2 on Windows Server 2003 I get the following error:
>
> The file c:\windows\system32\cacls.exe is open or in use by another
> application.
> Close all other applications and then click Retry.
>
> Any ideas why I'm getting this error and how I can fix it? Thanks.


>> On Wednesday, September 26, 2007 9:11 AM Pegasus \(MVP\) wrote:

>> Maybe unlocker.exe will fix it:
>> http://ccollomb.free.fr/unlocker/


>>> On Wednesday, September 26, 2007 9:34 AM Ti wrote:

>>> "Pegasus (MVP)" wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>> Thanks for your response, but that didn't work. When I tried to run
>>> Unlocker on cacls.exe it said there was no locking handle found.
>>>
>>> I'm not really sure what cacls.exe does and why it would be in use when I'm
>>> not explicitly using it. I've searched all over the net and haven't found
>>> anyone else with the same problem. When trying to install SP2, I've made
>>> sure there wasn't anything else running and that cacls.exe wasn't running in
>>> the background in task manager.


>>>> On Wednesday, September 26, 2007 10:19 AM Pegasus \(MVP\) wrote:

>>>> "Tim" <> wrote in message
>>>> news:A16CCB05-4AC5-4ABF-A2E8-...
>>>>
>>>> If you don't know what a command does, get its inbuilt helpfile like so:
>>>>
>>>> cacls /?
>>>>
>>>> CACLS displays or modifies access control lists (ACLs) of files
>>>>
>>>> CACLS filename [/T] [/E] [/C] [/G usererm] [/R user [...]]
>>>> [/P usererm [...]] [/D user [...]]
>>>> filename Displays ACLs.
>>>> /T Changes ACLs of specified files in
>>>> the current directory and all subdirectories.
>>>> /E Edit ACL instead of replacing it.
>>>> /C Continue on access denied errors.
>>>> /G usererm Grant specified user access rights.
>>>> Perm can be: R Read
>>>> W Write
>>>> C Change (write)
>>>> F Full control
>>>> /R user Revoke specified user's access rights (only valid with /E).
>>>> /P usererm Replace specified user's access rights.
>>>> Perm can be: N None
>>>> R Read
>>>> W Write
>>>> C Change (write)
>>>> F Full control
>>>> /D user Deny specified user access.
>>>> Wildcards can be used to specify more that one file in a command.
>>>> You can specify more than one user in a command.
>>>>
>>>> Abbreviations:
>>>> CI - Container Inherit.
>>>> The ACE will be inherited by directories.
>>>> OI - Object Inherit.
>>>> The ACE will be inherited by files.
>>>> IO - Inherit Only.
>>>> The ACE does not apply to the current file/directory.
>>>>
>>>> Since cacls is not an essential program, you can reboot the
>>>> machine in Safe Mode and rename it temporarily to cacls.ex.