How to kill a process that even taskkill cannot terminate?

[yankleber]

Right in this moment I am with a recalcitrant process (foobar2000.exe *32) allocated in the memory. The application already was terminated but I cannot eliminate the process. First I tried the Task Manager Window and nothing. Then I tried the taskkill prompt command, it said that the process was terminated but it is still there.

The weird part is that either tasklist (cmd) as well Task Manager shows it there but it I try to run taskkill again it says that it is not.

There is a way of put it down without to reboot the system?

Thanks!

 

[MourningStar]

If me, I take no chance and I reboot immediately.

 

[yankleber]

Sure, but I didn't understand... why not reboot would be "to take a chance"?

:huh:

 

[MourningStar]

because for me a unkillable process could be dangerous

 

[yankleber]

I see, but I don't think that's the case... annoying yes, very, but not harmful...

 

[XweAponX]

I use Unlocker to do it, you can get it from major geeks. If it's a malicious process and you're trying to just get rid of it, Unlocker can shut it down and then delete the executable.

But I just noticed the name of your app, that's a popular music playing app, Foobar2k. It runs in the background because it pops up really quick and then closes down really quick. It's basically just an MP3 player.

 

[MourningStar]

... foobar2000 ... It's basically just an MP3 player.

Ohhh ... it is much much more than 'basically just an mp3 player'. In fact, playing mp3's is the least important feature.

 

[yankleber]

I use Unlocker to do it, you can get it from major geeks. If it's a malicious process and you're trying to just get rid of it, Unlocker can shut it down and then delete the executable.

But I just noticed the name of your app, that's a popular music playing app, Foobar2k. It runs in the background because it pops up really quick and then closes down really quick. It's basically just an MP3 player.

Yep, it's the mp3 player. I have used it for ages and yesterday for the first time it froze when I was listen to some tunes then I killed the application but the process remained in the memory. I don't think that it's a malicious stuff and I really don't believe that it is harmful in any way (I never heard of it).

Thanks for the tip about Unlocker; I know this. But as far as I know it is not to remove a process from memory, instead its usage is to "unlock" files that cannot be deleted.

 

[yankleber]

I just ran a complete scan with Avast and Spybot and nothing was found, so I am sure that I don't have any kind of infection. Probably it was just an isolated case not related with any kind of threat.

To be honest I didn't get concerned when it happened. I just wanted to continue listening to my tunes and I had so many opened applications with files I was working on that to reboot my computer at that time didn't seem to be a reasonable option. At the end I just continued doing what I had to do and accepted the fact that I wouldn't be able to listen to music at the same time... then I rebooted the PC an hour or so later.

Still in the search for a solution for such problem though...

:huh:

 

[Barman58]

I would always reboot in this circumstance, just as a precaution against the slight chance that something malicious has taken over/replaced the original safe application. Once rebooted run a full Virus/Malware sweep of your system, and once clear check for updates to the application As this could be a case of non compatibility with a recent windows or other system update.

 

[Tpau]

Its much more than a music player, it also has support for ripping Audio CDs and burning them as well, and it can also read inside ZIP, GZIP, 7z and RAR archives.
It can probably do a few more things that I don't know of that just a normal music player can't do so I believe that's what MourningStar is referring to, its not paranoia its called knowledge.

 

[yankleber]

I would always reboot in this circumstance, just as a precaution against the slight chance that something malicious has taken over/replaced the original safe application. Once rebooted run a full Virus/Malware sweep of your system, and once clear check for updates to the application As this could be a case of non compatibility with a recent windows or other system update.

I see. I just didn't get scared because I use Foobar2000 for a couple years now and I never had a single problem with it so it was obvious to me that it wouldn't start harming my stuff just out of the blue. If it was an unknown process I wouldn't had stayed so calm though. In this case I am really sure that it was not nothing else than a Windows memory mismanagement.

Anyway, the thread ended going to a different direction than I wished. I am not asking how to proceed next to an appearing threat. Please don't get me wrong... I just want to know if there is some application able to kill an unkilling process when you cannot do it using Windows resources. Just that.

I'll appreciate any input in this direction. Thanks!

 

[Barman58]

The best set of windows utilities is , IMHO, Windows Sysinternals: Documentation, downloads and additional resources There is at least one Task Killer in the suite - I've provided the complete link as you may find a few other useful tools there ( Autoruns & Process manager are essential for me to find out what's happening under the skin of windows)

 

[MourningStar]

...To be honest I didn't get concerned when it happened. I just wanted to continue listening to my tunes and I had so many opened applications with files I was working on that to reboot my computer at that time didn't seem to be a reasonable option. ...

In future, the focus of concern should be 'preventative'. Spend as much time learning what caused the problem, this can be good, imo. My hypothesis is that you were multi-tasking the system and may have taken it to the 'borderline' (the one where if you cross it you enter bsod land).

 

[LMiller7]

Another possibility not mentioned:

When a process is about to terminate for any reason it will attempt to abort any outstanding IO requests. Sometimes this fails. When this happens a remnant of the process will be left in memory, and in Task Manager, and Windows will resist all attempts to remove it. If the process were totally removed and the deice at some point responded to the now non existent process the results would be unpredictable, but generally unpleasant. The only way to remove the process is a restart.

 

[murky]

taskkill /f /IM foobar2000.exe

try that at a command prompt (Start menu, CMD in Search Programs and files)

 

[XweAponX]

I use Unlocker to do it, you can get it from major geeks. If it's a malicious process and you're trying to just get rid of it, Unlocker can shut it down and then delete the executable.

But I just noticed the name of your app, that's a popular music playing app, Foobar2k. It runs in the background because it pops up really quick and then closes down really quick. It's basically just an MP3 player.

Yep, it's the mp3 player. I have used it for ages and yesterday for the first time it froze when I was listen to some tunes then I killed the application but the process remained in the memory. I don't think that it's a malicious stuff and I really don't believe that it is harmful in any way (I never heard of it).

Thanks for the tip about Unlocker; I know this. But as far as I know it is not to remove a process from memory, instead its usage is to "unlock" files that cannot be deleted.

Yah, that's what I use it for mainly, but sometimes I've been able to use it to kill a locked process, by moving the file then moving it back. Sometimes the process can't be killed though.

 

[XweAponX]

taskkill /f /IM foobar2000.exe

try that at a command prompt (Start menu, CMD in Search Programs and files)

That should work too! Good idea!

 

[Eric3742]

Have you update (foobar2000.exe *32).


Maybe suggest to screenshots all the process in the task manager.

It may not be this (foobar2000.exe *32)
as it may be another process using (foobar2000.exe *32) and hence you cannot kill the process.

Some program may rely on another program /process at the same time.


Just a long shot