Fix 'rm: Cannot Remove File – Device or Resource Busy” Error

When using the rm command to delete a file or directory in Linux system, if you encounter the following error:

 <code>rm: cannot remove 'file-or-directory': Device or resource busy</code>

Don't worry, this is a common problem, which means that the file or directory you are trying to delete is currently being used by the system or running process.

Cause of error

The "Device or Resource Busy" message indicates that the file or directory is in use. To avoid damaging the system or causing data loss, Linux prevents deleting files in use.

Common reasons include:

• Your terminal is currently in the directory you want to delete.
• The program or process is using the file or directory.
• The device (such as a USB drive or network mount point) is still mounted and in use.

This article will explain the reasons and provide solutions.

1. Exit the directory

To see where you are in the file system, you can use the pwd command (print working directory) and it will show you your current location.

 pwd

If the output shows that you are in the folder you want to delete, you need to switch to the home directory (or any other safe location) first using the cd command:

 cd ~

After you move out of the directory, you can try to delete it using the rm command again:

 rm -rf /path/to/the/directory

At this point, Linux will not block the command because your terminal no longer uses the directory.

2. Check the process using a file or directory

If Linux prompts a file or directory "busy", it means that some programs or processes are still using it. Before you delete it, you need to find out which process is using it and stop it from using it.

To do this, you can use the lsof command (listing open files), which can help you see which processes are taking up your file or directory.

 lsof D /path/to/directory

It will list all processes that are using files within that directory. You will see the output showing the commands that use it, the process ID (PID), the user running it, and more.

For example, you might see something like the following:

 <code>COMMAND PID USER FD TYPE DEVICE SIZE/OFF NODE NAME bash 4312 user cwd DIR 8,1 4096 2 /mnt/data</code>

After these processes are identified, you can close the associated program or stop the process using fuser command.

 fuser -v /path/to/directory

To terminate all processes using this directory (use with caution):

 fuser -k /path/to/directory

3. Uninstall the device (if it is an mounted directory)

Sometimes the directory you are trying to delete is actually used as a mount point, which means that the storage device (such as a USB drive, external hard drive, or network share (such as NFS) is currently connected (or "mounted") to that location in the file system.

When mounting a device, Linux treats it as part of the main file system, but you cannot delete the mount point directory while the device is still in use. This is why you get a "Busy Device or Resource" error.

To see if your directory is mounted, run:

 mount | grep /path/to/directory

If the command displays an output line containing your path, it means that the directory is used as the mount point.

For example, you might see something like this, which means that the USB device is mounted to /mnt/usb .

 <code>/dev/sdb1 on /mnt/usb type vfat (rw,nosuid,nodev)</code>

After confirming that the device is mounted, you need to uninstall it before deleting the directory.

 umount /mnt/usb

Sometimes, even after trying to uninstall, you may still see a "Busy Resources" message, which means the process is still using the device.

In this case you can try lazy uninstall, which will detach the device from the file system immediately, but wait until all processes stop using it before completely deleting it.

 umount -l /mnt/usb

If lazy uninstall doesn't work either, and you're sure nothing important is using the device, you can try force uninstalling:

 umount -f /mnt/usb

Warning: Forced uninstallation may result in data loss if the device is still writing data. Use this option only if you are absolutely sure that this is safe to do – for example, if the device is stuck and you just need to delete it.

After uninstalling the device, continue to delete the directory.

 rm -rf /mnt/usb

Summarize

A "Busy Device or Resource" error usually means that something is still using the file or directory. You can quickly resolve issues with simple checks such as leaving the directory, checking for running processes, or uninstalling the device.

Before performing an action, be sure to ensure that the process is terminated or uninstalling the device is safe. Once this is done, your rm command should work as expected.

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