Applies to: All editions
Common causes
An item can fail because it is:
- Open or locked by another process;
- Protected by access-control permissions;
- Owned by another account or protected service;
- Unavailable on a disconnected drive or share;
- Changed, moved, or deleted after selection;
- Inside an inaccessible subfolder;
- Subject to a file-system or storage error;
- Blocked by endpoint security;
- On read-only or write-protected media;
- Recreated by synchronization or an active application.
Folder remains after processing
A folder can remain because it contains an unprocessed file, hidden item, new item, inaccessible child, or mount point. Enumerate its actual contents and do not assume that an empty-looking Explorer window proves the directory is empty.
File is damaged but not deleted
An overwrite or metadata stage can modify a file before a later stage fails. Treat it as sensitive residual data until a successful follow-up operation or an approved alternative sanitization method is completed.
Escalation information
Provide Probativa support with:
- CertErase version and edition;
- Windows version;
- Physical or virtual environment;
- File system and storage type;
- Target path with sensitive elements redacted where possible;
- Selected method and options;
- Complete error text;
- Relevant exported log;
- Whether the item changed or disappeared;
- Steps already attempted.