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

Anonymous

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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Anonymous

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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61 additional answers

Anonymous

2014-08-29T15:14:39+00:00

I have the same problem.. I simply turned off the User Account Control (switched to Never notify) and it worked for me!
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Anonymous

2014-08-25T03:11:34+00:00

This it happening to me with OUTLOOK. I cannot access the server on one machine although I can with the other so I know it isn't the server. Go to Task Manager and it shows and Outlook process running. I cannot end it even though I am an administrator. REBOOTING DOES NOT EVEN FIX IT. Third party "kill process" apps to do not fix it. So I have a MICROSOFT WINDOWS machine and I cannot run MICROSOFT's flagship product?????? So seriously not a happy camper
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Anonymous

2014-08-08T17:42:28+00:00

Reinstalling your operating system will not resolve this issue...

Well, there's no guarantee we're dealing with the same problem so it might disappear after a re-install, considering it was once working. I'm very reluctant to do this though, not just because of the time involved but because it might re-appear after a Windows update (as you mentioned). Unfortunately I develop software on this machine which needs to be debugged and tested. Moreover, if it doesn't work then I also need to pin down the reason, i.e., which Windows update caused it to break if any. My customers will be using this software so they may have the same problem and I'll be blamed. I therefore need to provide work-arounds if possible or provide MSFT with the information required to fix it. I don't expect they will usually, unless it's a significant bug, since I've (officially) reported many problems to them over the years and they won't fix most of them. They usually don't ignore these issues however if you file a detailed report at their "Connect" feedback site, but it's irrelevant if they're not going to fix most of them (so I've stopped reporting most). If their triage system flags it as serious however (potentially affecting many users), they will fix it, since some of my own bug reports have made it into their updates. Unfortunately it might be many months or more depending on the severity, and you typically won't know if and when they're going to (since the feedback system at their bug reporting site is very poor).
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Anonymous

2014-08-08T16:05:53+00:00

Reinstalling your operating system will not resolve this issue. This issue still exists with some programs, even after reinstalling windows 8.1 multiple times. If you are looking to resolve this issue, DO NOT reinstall your operating system! Doing so, in attempt to resolve this issue is a complete waste of your time.

Microsoft broke something in one of their updates somewhere, and since they do not receive error reports from windows about this, it seems as though they are simply ignoring the issue.
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