Close then re-open software (or a process) at set intervals ?

[andy15star]

Hi, i'm pretty much a novice, so i'm not all that confident with batch scripts etc. But i'm trying to find a way (or freeware) which will enable me to stop a process then restart it at a user defined interval.

I run a piece of software on my PC called JumiCam. It's just basically a piece of software which lets me view our CCTV system when i'm out and about.

I've been having issues with the software lately in that if it has been running a long time it just crashes, but then does not restart itself.

What i'm wanting to do is to force "Jumi.exe" (in task manager) to close and restart itself back up, maybe each hour, on the hour.

Is there an easy way to do this ?

It would be great if i was able to set a certain process to close down at maybe 08:00am, and restart it at maybe 08:02am, or similar.

It sounds very easy, but i haven't found a way to do this yet.


Many Thanks
Andrew

 

[DavidE]

I found this free program you can try, ReStartMe.
I've never used it, but i scanned it at VirusTotal and it shows clean.
https://www.virustotal.com/en/file/...9d312a433ca756d5e113a91e42f3a855d8b/analysis/

You can read about it here:
Quickly and Automatically Restart a Windows Program When it Crashes

 

[Alejandro85]

With a batch file together with task scheduler it's easy to do.
First of all create a .bat file somewhere with the following code:

taskkill /im jumi.exe
c:\program files\jumicam\jumi.exe

This just kills the program in the first line and the second starts it again. For the second line check the real full path to the .exe, I'm just putting that route as an example.

Try running that by hand, the program should restart.
Then, using task scheduler you can set it to run that bat file at any time you want automatically.

 

[andy15star]

Thanks DavidE, i've downloaded that software and it seems good. It doesn't allow me to stop/restart it at a user defined time, but it does restart it if it stops, which will be very useful even if it only does that.

Alejandro85, many thanks for that too, i'll find out the exact location of the file on my C:/ drive and give that a try. Sounds promising too.

Thanks very much

Andy

 

[andy15star]

Alejandro85, i've just tried that and nothing happens.

The file location is C:\Program Files (x86)\Jumi.exe

So, i created a new notepad file (and renamed the extension to .bat), and entered the following:

taskkill /im jumi.exe
C:\Program Files (x86)\Jumi.exe

But Jumi didn't close or reopen

Thanks
Andy

 

[DavidE]

Andy,
Yea, the program i found only restarts the program if it stops/crashes.
I thought that might accomplish what you really need and is worth trying.

For the BAT file try this:

taskkill /im Jumi.exe
"C:\Program Files (x86)\Jumi.exe"

pause

The pause statement keeps the CMD window open until you press enter.
That way you can see any errors, and delete the pause statement when the BAT file works.
Can you post a screen print of the CMD window showing errors ?
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/9733-screenshots-files-upload-post-seven-forums.html

 

[Alejandro85]

One more thing that slipped me before, if the program is run "as administrator", you'll also need to run the bat as administrator.

To debug you may also try to enter the individual commands into the command prompt to see what or why they fail and what each one does.

 

[Callender]

Suggestion

You could try System Scheduler although the service will need to be left running in the background. You could use it to launch your process killing batch file at defined times and launch your problem program a minute or two later.

Easily automate many PC tasks with System Scheduler from Softwarecrew | Software Reviews, News, Tips & Tricks

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Website: FREE - System Scheduler, task scheduler alternative for Microsoft Windows.

Note: I've never used this software. You can probably create an elevated shortcut to a batch file so that it runs without prompt.

 

[DavidE]

One thing to consider if using a solution that uses a schedule to stop and restart the program,
If the program crashes after 30 minutes from the last restart, it won't get restarted for another 30 minutes.
That means there will 30 minutes of "black-out" until the next scheduled restart.

If the ReStartMe program proves to be reliable, it will restart the program immediately after a crash at any time.

Is there any real need to stop and restart the program on a pre-defined schedule ?

You could also check event viewer and see if there is an event for the program crashes.
If it is logged, you may be able to find a solution to fix the crashes ???

 

[Callender]

Good advice

You could also check event viewer and see if there is an event for the program crashes.
If it is logged, you may be able to find a solution to fix the crashes ???

That's the best answer so far!

 

[andy15star]

Andy,
Yea, the program i found only restarts the program if it stops/crashes.
I thought that might accomplish what you really need and is worth trying.

For the BAT file try this:

taskkill /im Jumi.exe
"C:\Program Files (x86)\Jumi.exe"

pause

The pause statement keeps the CMD window open until you press enter.
That way you can see any errors, and delete the pause statement when the BAT file works.
Can you post a screen print of the CMD window showing errors ?
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/9733-screenshots-files-upload-post-seven-forums.html

Hi, i've tried this and the batch file says it's not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file

Regards
Andy

 

[andy15star]

Thanks guys, i'll also give System Scheduler a try. I think DavidE is right in what he says, it's probably not necessary to have the program close/restart and 'Restart Me' seems to work flawlessly.

The only reason i was wanting it to close and restart at a user defined interval was for stability issues. Sometimes the jumi.exe file doesn't actually crash, it hangs, and ReStart Me doesn't pick this up. But it does solve my problem for the most part in that i'd say 80% of the time it crashes, and probably only 20% of the time it hangs.


Regards
Andy

 

[DavidE]

Which statement gets the "not recognized as an internal or external command ..." error ?
If you have the pause statement in the BAT file, can you post a screen print of the BAT CMD window showing the error(s) ?

Did you look in Event Viewer to see if anything is logged ?

Are you sure Jumi.exe is listed in Task Manager / Processes as an Image Name ?

With your "20% hang" comment, you do have a reason for using a scheduled "kill" task ...
If we can't find a fix for the problem(s), you might be best with a combo of a scheduled task and using ReStartMe...

 

[andy15star]

Thanks DavidE, below is a screenshot of the .bat file. I've also enclosed a screengrab of the processes (below the batch file screengrab), jumi.exe is listed there as a task.

Yeah i do hope for a solution to the stop/restart issue, but for the time being RestartMe goes a long way in sorting out any crashes on the program

 

[DavidE]

Back in post #5 you stated

The file location is C:\Program Files (x86)\Jumi.exe

There is probably a folder missing from that location for the Jumi.exe ...
It's probably something like C:\Program Files (x86)\Jumi\Jumi.exe

 

[andy15star]

Hmm you have a point DavidE. However, i've just tried it as C:\Program Files (x86)\Jumi\jumi.exe (which is correct), but it does not kill it or reopen it. It appears to close the program (the program minimises off screen), but it does not kill the program (or it's entry in task manager)... I give up :S

Regards,
Andy

 

[Callender]

Suggestion

Hmm you have a point DavidE. However, i've just tried it as C:\Program Files (x86)\Jumi\jumi.exe (which is correct), but it does not kill it or reopen it. It appears to close the program (the program minimises off screen), but it does not kill the program (or it's entry in task manager)... I give up :S

Regards,
Andy

Maybe check your services list. Some programs install a service and it runs in the background all the time.

 

[DavidE]

It might also be killing and restarting but is not apparent in Task Manager because of timings and displayed info ?

In Task Manager > Processes
Click View > Select Columns...
Select the PID (Process Identifier) column, so you see the PID column in TM.

If the PID changes when you run the BAT file, it has restarted ...

 

[andy15star]

Hi DavidE, it's definitely not killing it because if i actually 'force' kill it then it takes time to reopen itself and re-establish an internet connection. This takes around 1 minute or so. When i use the batch file it still sits there (although minimised) with a connection throughout.

Best Regards
Andy

 

[DavidE]

Try using the /F (force) option with this command:

taskkill /F /im Jumi.exe