Task manager - Can't end processes (Access Denied)

Anonymous
2012-12-20T23:54:33+00:00

Recently I've been having problems ending processes. Whenever I try to end a certain processes I keep getting an access denied error and I have no other way of removing processes as it wont go away even if I turn off my computer. This is pretty weird considering what I'm trying to end is game processes. So now I can't play certain games as I keep getting "Program is already opened" errors when I try to play them and there's no way I can play them. Some of the games that still play even without me having to kill the task completely now have multiple copies of the process and I can't end any of them.

I've tried messing with the permissions on the files and it didn't work, I also tried messing with the admin rights and such but no luck. My account is an admin

Can anyone help me out?

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Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Performance and system failures

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Anonymous
2012-12-21T16:00:50+00:00

Hi HyperXII,

Thank you for posting this question in Microsoft Community Forums!!

I see that you aren’t able to end tasks in Task Manager.

I will certainly guide you in the right direction to get the issue fixed.

But before we continue to the resolution, could you give us more information?

1.     Do all the game processes point to a single task?

Here’s what you can try:

Method 1: Perform Safe Mode and Clean Boot.

Step 1: Follow the steps given in the link below to check if the issue occurs in Safe Mode.

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-8/windows-startup-settings-including-safe-mode

Choose Safe Mode as the Startup Setting.

If you still can’t end the processes, continue to perform Step 2.

Step 2: Clean Boot

Follow the steps given in the link below to perform Clean Boot.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929135

Check if you are able to end the processes in Clean Boot.

Note: Please go through step 3 of the Kb to keep the computer in normal startup after fixing the issue

Method 2: Re-install the games and check if the issue continues.

**Step 1:**Uninstall the games and check if you are able to end the tasks.

Step 2: Follow the link below to get help to install the games.

http://support.microsoft.com/mats/Program_Install_and_Uninstall/

Please get back to us with the results.

If you have any further questions about Windows, write to us anytime.

We are happy to help!!

Regards,

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  1. Anonymous
    2015-05-07T16:07:11+00:00

    Answers to your quiestions:

    1. This issue is exactly what the thread title says it is. See number 2 for a more detailed description.
    2. Sometimes (or all the time with some programs, as listed previously in this thread) programs refuse to quit, and if you use task manager to attempt to end/terminate the offending program, you receive a message that says something akin to "Unable to end process. Access is denied."
    3. This issue is not specific to games. I've seen many programs do this, including Skype for Windows Desktop. From my personal experience, this is mostly with older apps.

    System Requirements, and Drivers:

    For most of the offending apps, systems that run windows 8/8.1 exceed the minimum system requirements. This happens on a wide variety of hardware configurations, most of which very likely have updated chipset, and graphics drivers. With this in mind, I do not believe that this is related to system requirements, or drivers.

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  2. Anonymous
    2015-05-07T06:59:40+00:00

    Hi,

    Thank you for writing your concern on Microsoft Community.

    We understand your concern and we apologize for not being able to address your concern in a timely manner. I can see here that you have put in a lot of efforts to resolve the issue and I appreciate that.

    I would require some more information in order to assist you better:

    1. Are you referring to the same issue which is related to task manager?
    2. If not, then what is the exact issue which you are facing?
    3. Is the issue specific to games or with other programs also?

    If the issue is specific to particular games, then I suggest you to check whether the system meets the minimum requirement for the game or not.

    I would also suggest you to try the steps mentioned in the below mentioned Microsoft Article and check if it helps:

    https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/2681286/en-us

    If the issue still persists, then try updating the graphics card and the chipset from the manufacturer’s website and check the behavior.

    You may also try the following link for further reference:

    http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-8/all-drivers

    Let us know the status of the issue and get back to us for further assistance.

    We’ll be glad to assist.

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  3. Anonymous
    2015-04-21T10:51:31+00:00

    I have the issue with a decent batch of games, most of them are source engine games like Dota 2, Portal 2, And l4d2. I have done everything from reinstalling steam, to uninstalling each game in mylibrary one by one, and installing them later. I just did the syatem verification files thing the guy above you said to do, and I'll check that soon. I am running the latest version of Windows 8.1, norton 360 is installed for antivirus. I've been having this issue for almost a year now, and i hare having to reboot when these games close. I sent a ticket to steam support a while back, and alll they responded with was to reinstall my game library.

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  4. Anonymous
    2015-04-21T05:52:22+00:00

    Would there be anyway to kill a kernel process without rebooting? I just don't want to shut down my PC every time I stop playing a game, and that's been the problem right now.

    What game are you playing? What version of windows was it originally intended for?

    If your game (or program) is intended to be used on an earlier version of windows, you might try using compatibility settings for that version of windows. This suggestion is a bit of a long shot, and doesn't apply to apps and games compatible with, or designed for Windows 8/8.1.

    The other option is to uninstall, and reinstall your app to see if this fixes the issue.

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