How to delete database, error 5030 database can't be locked

Question

I am trying to delete an existing database in SQL Server 2005. My first attempt produced the following error:

5030: The database could not be exclusively

Answer 1

In the management studio, goto Management->Activity Monitor (right click) -> View Processes. That will give you a full list of everything running, you can sort the list by Database to see what is still attached, and you can also kill any connections. It's easy to end up with orphaned connections that will prevent you from getting the exclusive access that you need.