Item "filename" is used by mac os x and cannot be opened

Several files within a folder on my son's iMac have become unopenable. The error message is...
Item "filename" is used by mac os x and cannot be opened
Here are some details...
1) The suspect files represent approximately half a folder's worth of files.
2) If I list files alphabetically within the folder, the suspect files occupy a contiguous block within the directory (halfway through the m's to the z's).
3) The files all report zero KB size and a Date Modified as 1 January 1970, 01:37.
I have tried the following, but to no avail...
1) Attempt to fix permissions.
2) Attempt to accessing the suscpect files my placing the computer into Target Disk mode and attempt to access from another mac.
3) Play about with the application Onyx (I read somewhere this may help)
4) Attempt to duplicate the files.
5) Attempt remote access from a networked computer.
6) Attempt access as admin and root user.
The computer is an iMac G3 DV 400MHz running 10.4.10.
I would be grateful for any advice on how to access these files.
Many thanks,
Paul
(I posted this in the Finder forum but didn't get a response, so I posted here - hope that's alright)
Message was edited by: Paul Tuli

You might be able to open those files in, say, TextEdit or Terminal, but what is the point? If they are of zero size they aren't going to be bristling with information!
I suggest it would be more fruitful to try to identify what is putting those files there. Which folder is involved? Just that folder, or others as well?
Just a wild guess, to be ignored if not appropriate, but has anything from Adobe been installed recently? Is the folder by any chance ~/Library/Preferences? Are all the file names human readable, in which case does your son recognise the names as connected with anything he created or has been working on, or are the names gobbledegook? Please copy and paste here a couple of samples of the file names. What does Finder 'Get Info' show as the extension? and the "Open with:"?

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