the action can't be completed because the folder or a file in it is open in another program

This isn't annoying, it's infuriating. It happens all the time. For no reason that I can find or fix. My computer wasn't launching folder windows in a separate process and it still does this. It wasn't a problem in XP. If I have problems with my car's tires, I don't want to be checking the tire pressure every 10 miles and having to monkey around with inflating and deflating them all the time. Similarly, I don't want to do the **** with Safe Mode and looking for crashed processes. I want my OS to work properly.

Just like the constant constant constant "Not Responding" hangs in 7 and 8 that drive me crazy. And it's not the computer, it's the OS, because every single stinking machine I use that runs 7 or 8 does it.

Just like the fact that Task Manager was something you could depend on in XP. You pressed Ctrl-Alt-Del and up it popped. Not in Windows 8, no siree bob. Sometimes it takes up to a minute for it to open, often only after I repeat the key combination a couple of dozen times. And Task Manager does something in 8 that it never did in XP: It hangs! I get (Not Responding) with the Task Manager too in Windows 8! That leaves you with nothing but having to force a restart.

Windows 8 STINKS STINKS STINKS. Microsoft STINKS STINKS STINKS. Whoever had the idiot fool notion that 7 or 8 is an improvement over XP is an idiot fool. There's no better advertisement for Mac OS or Linux than Windows 8. I bought a Toshiba laptop that was running Windows Vista and I finally got fed up with that piece of dreck and planned to replace it with Linux, but then my wife found out that we could upgrade to Win 8 for $40 and told me to do it. I made the mistake of listening to her. Every daily frustration with Windows 8 puts me a little bit closer to going over to Linux.

I am baffled why there are so many user recommendations for ways that MIGHT work to fix this annoying problem, yet there are NO PERMANENT SOLUTIONS FROM MICROSOFT. This is Shameful.

Arrrrgh!! Agreed! Fix the problem already!!!! 

This **** has been going on for years!!! http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2025703 I'm using a Windows 8 fresh install and it's still there!!! Do you know how freaking annoying this is to have to use a file unlocker (LockHunter) and HOPE AND PRAY that it will be successful (best case = 50% success) almost every single time I want to rename, move, or delete a freaking folder containing a thumbs.db file!!?

God... I'd gladly sacrifice Internet Explorer, the Start Screen AND the oh so wonderful (read sarcasm) Charms, ALL accessories, and probably even support for SOUND in order to have this fixed... let's see what else I can say to communicate to you guys how incredibly frustrating this debacle is!!!

I've been a champion of Microsoft for over 2 decades; but I'm at my END!!! I'm thrilled at the prospect of Android for general use soon... (just bought my first tablet, besides my android phone, and I'm loving it) and I'm ready to give Apple a try again if you guys can't fix this single stupid issue!!! ARRRGHHHH!! I'M PISSED!!!

Yeah, I've seen all the various "fixes" posted over the years. I understand the problem... what I don't understand is why there is STILL no fix for it!!

1. ME: Why should I have to edit Group Policy and disable a useful feature such as thumbnail caching just so I can move or delete folders? ANSWER from Microsoft: "BECAUSE IT'S BROKEN DUMMY! And we haven't gotten around to fixing it yet... so p_ _ _-off will ya!"
2. ME: Why should I have to give up file/folder network sharing just so I can move or delete folders? ANSWER from Microsoft: "BECAUSE IT'S BROKEN DUMMY! And we haven't gotten around to fixing it yet... so p_ _ _-off will ya!"
3. ME: Why should I have to edit "View" settings for the folder and again, disable thumbnails, or preview mode for the folder? Again, if you guys put the thumbnail feature into Windows, shouldn't it work? ANSWER from Microsoft: "BECAUSE IT'S BROKEN DUMMY! And we haven't gotten around to fixing it yet... so p_ _ _-off will ya!"
4. ME: Why has this problem existed since Vista, through Win7, and now again here in Win8 and can be reproduced with 100% regularity on ANY windows computer -- including all 4 Windows machines in my household? ANSWER from Microsoft: "BECAUSE IT'S BROKEN DUMMY! And we haven't gotten around to fixing it yet... so p_ _ _-off will ya!"
5. ME: Ok, trying to be constructive here, so please bear with me. Clearly it's not an outside application or process, the error message states that the thumbs.db file is in use by "Windows Explorer" itself. Now, that's code you guys wrote... uhh, right??? So, can't you just write a line or two to see if I -- the User -- have actually initiated the delete, rename, or move process and then approve it if its initiated by actual keystrokes? Hey, here's an idea, cache the offending thumbs.db file temporarily somewhere else until you get the network share release. If it solves the problem and allows me to continue, I'm even ok if you prompt me again with a UAC prompt, and ask me, "Are you sure you want to delete the file you just finished confirming you were indeed sure you want to delete?" Yeah, I can live with that, I'm not overly demanding... JUST UNLOCK THE FREAKING THING ALREADY!!!! Sheesh!!

FINAL ANSWER from Microsoft: "BECAUSE IT'S BROKEN DUMMY! And we haven't gotten around to fixing it yet... so p_ _ _-off will ya!... Besides... we have REALLY important stuff to do for Windows 8.1, like making the Start Menu tiles re-sizable... and... and stuff like, yeah... other important stuff."

Actually, this is pretty annoying, does happen a lot, and none of the the "solutions" put forward fix the problem or are unacceptable/irrelevant. It is definitely a problem with Explorer thinking the file is still open as restarting the Windows Explorer process in task manager immediately frees up the folder.  Otherwise they stay locked for a couple of minutes till Windows works it out for itself.

I used to think this was a network problem I had, however I am not running a full gigabit network and it can still happen locally on my i7 machine with SSD.  Fairly poor on what should be a fairly mature and crucial part of the OS.