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Fix “The Requested Resource Is in Use” Error in Windows 10/11: The box that says “The requested resource is in use” only shows up when you try to move or copy a file or folder. When you try to run a program or open a drive, and Windows tells you that it can’t access it, you might be confused. If that’s the case, you can keep going. Who doesn’t want to do school, office, and college work quickly? We know you want to get it done right away. Your boss wants you to get the papers he asked for as quickly as possible.
When you are in a hurry to copy the file you want to use and make sure everything gets done, you see an error message that says, “The requested resource is in use.” If this happens, you won’t be able to open a certain file. If you’re having the same problem, you’ve come to the right place because we’ll show you how to Fix “The Requested Resource Is in Use” Error in Windows 10/11.
What is the “The Requested Resource Is in Use” error?
This error usually happens when a user tries to use a resource that is already being used by another process. For example, when you try to copy a music or video file that is currently playing in the player. But if this error happens even when the file or drive you are trying to access is not being used by any other user or process, it means that the SmartService trojan is infecting your system.
When you’re using a PC, you’ll often see the message “Not enough space on disk.” Many users have had the same problem: when they try to copy a file or folder to a destination, a window pops up saying “Error Copying File or Folder: There is not enough disk space to finish operation.” Users should know at this point that they can’t finish the task until they fix the problem that caused the error.
What are the causes of “The Requested Resource Is in Use” error?
- File in Use by Another Program: The most common cause is that another program or process is currently using the file or resource you are trying to modify or delete. This can include open applications, background processes, or even system services.
- File Locking: Some programs or services may lock files to prevent them from being modified or deleted by other processes. This is often seen with critical system files or files in use by antivirus software.
- Pending File Operations: If there are pending file operations in the system queue, such as a file being moved or copied, it can prevent you from performing additional operations on the same file until the previous operation is completed.
- Malware or Virus Infections: Malicious software can sometimes interfere with file operations and create situations where resources appear to be in use.
- Network Share or Remote Access: If the resource you are trying to modify or delete is on a network share, it might be in use by another user or process over the network.
Fix “The Requested Resource Is in Use” Error in Windows 10/11
Use system Restore

- Type “Control Panel” into the search box on Cortana to find it.
- System and Security > System
- Choose System Protection from the list on the left, then click System Restore.
- Choose a point in time before the trojan got on your computer and follow the on-screen instructions.
Eliminate using anti-rootkit tool
- Malwarebytes Anti-Rootkit beta can be downloaded and run.
- Update the database and click Scan. Make sure that the boxes next to Drivers, Sectors, and System are checked.
- Click the Cleanup button when the scan is done. Your computer will restart once the process is done.
- You should now be able to use your anti-malware or antivirus software. You can use your antivirus software, Malwarebytes, or programs like Fortect. Keep in mind that different programs do different things, and none of them can get rid of every single virus. If one doesn’t work, try another.
Uninstall Any Suspicious-Looking Programs
- Use one of the steps in our guide on how to open Programs and Features to bring up the Windows uninstaller tool.
- Check the list of installed programs to see if there is anything that looks suspicious. Look for a program you don’t remember installing and whose publisher name you don’t know.
- Right-click on the SmartService file you think is malware and choose “Uninstall.”
- If you can’t get rid of the suspicious software, restart Windows in safe mode. Then, try getting rid of the same suspicious item in safe mode by going to Programs and Features.
Run system scan with Windows Defender
- Right-click on “Start,” then go to “Settings” and “Update & Security.”
- On the left, click Windows Security and then click Virus & Threat protection.
- Start a new in-depth scan.
- Choose Windows Defender Offline scan and click Check now.
- Find a free CD, USB, or other device that can store data on the go. Get the 32-bit or 64-bit version of Windows Defender Online and run it. You can use the tool to make a removable media.
- Restart your PC using the Windows Defender Offline media and scan it for malware and spyware.
- Get rid of any software that has been found.
Disable Any Unknown Programs in Task Manager
- Right-click on a space on the taskbar, you can choose a shortcut from the Task Manager context menu.
- Then, click Startup to go to the Startup tab.
- On the Startup tab, look for any programs that you don’t know.
- If you see something that looks odd, click the Disable button next to it.
- Then, restart your computer and see if the problem is still there.
Conclusion
When you try to copy a file or open a drive, do you get the message “Requested Resource is in use”? If you answered “yes,” then this article will show you how to fix this error. On the surface, this error message seems to be nothing to worry about, but it could be a sign that your computer is infected with SmartService malware. After getting into your system, this malware blocks your antivirus program so that it can’t be found by security programs. But you don’t need to worry because we’ll talk about how to fix the “Requested Resource is in use” error in this article. If you want to know more information about this issue so you can visit Microsoft Official Website.
Questions and Answers
The error code 0x800700aa is usually caused by system files in Windows that are not set up right. Since you’ve already run the SFC scan and found corrupted files, you should run DISM to try to fix the corrupted files and fix the problem.
What does 0x800701E3 stand for? When you try to copy or move files from your computer to an external hard drive, you get the error 0x800701E3. Most of the time, this error is accompanied by the message “Error 0x800701E3: The request failed due to a fatal device hardware error.”
How to Fix “File in Use/Folder in Use” in Windows 10/11? Method 1: Get rid of the app that’s giving you trouble. Method 2: Close all apps that are open. Method 3: Get into Safe Mode and delete the file or folder.