Win8.1, how to kill a task without seeing it

Muyfa

New Member
Messages
68
Every now and then, a game or something crashes. The crashed window of the game remains thou, and blocks all viewing of the desktop.

This has annoyed for for a long time. Are there any way to get around this?

Often I have to restart my computer and break downloads and open apps etc.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
    System Manufacturer/Model
    -
    CPU
    i5 3570K
    Motherboard
    Asus P8Z77-M
    Memory
    Corsair 16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA GTX670 FTW
Right click Taskbar & choose Task Manager & End Task of the crashed item.

screenshot_55.jpg
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1.1 Pro with Media Center
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Gateway
    CPU
    AMD K140 Cores 2 Threads 2 Name AMD K140 Package Socket FT1 BGA Technology 40nm
    Motherboard
    Manufacturer Gateway Model SX2110G (P0)
    Memory
    Type DDR3 Size 8192 MBytes DRAM Frequency 532.3 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI AMD Radeon HD 7310 Graphics
    Sound Card
    AMD High Definition Audio Device Realtek High Definition Audio USB Audio Device
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Name 1950W on AMD Radeon HD 7310 Graphics Current Resolution 1366x768 pixels Work Resolution 1366x76
    Screen Resolution
    Current Resolution 1366x768 pixels Work Resolution 1366x768 pixels
    Hard Drives
    AMD K140
    Cores 2
    Threads 2
    Name AMD K140
    Package Socket FT1 BGA
    Technology 40nm
    Specification AMD E1-1200 APU with Radeon HD Graphics
    Family F
    Extended Family 14
    Model 2
    Extended Model 2
    Stepping 0
    Revision ON-C0
    Instruction
    Browser
    Opera 24.0
    Antivirus
    Avast Internet Security
Cannot do that as I can't see anything.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
    System Manufacturer/Model
    -
    CPU
    i5 3570K
    Motherboard
    Asus P8Z77-M
    Memory
    Corsair 16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA GTX670 FTW
Cannot do that as I can't see anything.

Ctrl + Alt + Delete should get you a link to the Task Manager.

(@ David: Just helpin ya out a bit! :D)
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 7 Home Premium
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavillion
  • PC2
    Tablet - Windows 10 Home

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1.1 Pro with Media Center
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Gateway
    CPU
    AMD K140 Cores 2 Threads 2 Name AMD K140 Package Socket FT1 BGA Technology 40nm
    Motherboard
    Manufacturer Gateway Model SX2110G (P0)
    Memory
    Type DDR3 Size 8192 MBytes DRAM Frequency 532.3 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI AMD Radeon HD 7310 Graphics
    Sound Card
    AMD High Definition Audio Device Realtek High Definition Audio USB Audio Device
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Name 1950W on AMD Radeon HD 7310 Graphics Current Resolution 1366x768 pixels Work Resolution 1366x76
    Screen Resolution
    Current Resolution 1366x768 pixels Work Resolution 1366x768 pixels
    Hard Drives
    AMD K140
    Cores 2
    Threads 2
    Name AMD K140
    Package Socket FT1 BGA
    Technology 40nm
    Specification AMD E1-1200 APU with Radeon HD Graphics
    Family F
    Extended Family 14
    Model 2
    Extended Model 2
    Stepping 0
    Revision ON-C0
    Instruction
    Browser
    Opera 24.0
    Antivirus
    Avast Internet Security
Well, I know of these things, but my point is that I cannot *SEE* enough to do that. The crashed 3D-application is still like a layer over the whole desktop even thou it actually stopped running.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
    System Manufacturer/Model
    -
    CPU
    i5 3570K
    Motherboard
    Asus P8Z77-M
    Memory
    Corsair 16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA GTX670 FTW
Alt/F4
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    8.1 Pro X64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Acer T690
    CPU
    Intel Pentium D Dual Core
    Motherboard
    Acer/Intel E946GZ
    Memory
    2GB (max upgrade)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 3000 - PCI Express x16
    Sound Card
    Integrated RealTek ALC888 high-definition audio with 7.1 channel audio support
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Acer AL1917W A LCD
    Screen Resolution
    1440 X 900
    Hard Drives
    350 GB Seagate Barracuda 7200.10
    Thumb drives
    PSU
    Standard 250 watt
    Case
    Desktop 7.2" (183mm) W x 17.5" (445mm) L x 14.5"
    Cooling
    Dual case fans + CPU fan
    Keyboard
    Acer Windows PS/2
    Mouse
    Wireless Microsoft Arc
    Internet Speed
    54mbp/s
    Browser
    IE11
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    Office Pro 2013 / Nokia Lumia 1520 Windows Phone 8.1DP GDR1
Alt-F4 doesn' work either.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
    System Manufacturer/Model
    -
    CPU
    i5 3570K
    Motherboard
    Asus P8Z77-M
    Memory
    Corsair 16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA GTX670 FTW
Well, if Alt/F4 doesn’t rid it nothing will. Did you wait awhile for it to work? If so, we have to conclude it is in a frozen state and nothing short of a hard reset will work to rid it. Not a good thing I know. Let’s find the reason why the game crashes or does this happen with other programs as you hinted below?

Every now and then, a game or something crashes.

Which game and how old?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    8.1 Pro X64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Acer T690
    CPU
    Intel Pentium D Dual Core
    Motherboard
    Acer/Intel E946GZ
    Memory
    2GB (max upgrade)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 3000 - PCI Express x16
    Sound Card
    Integrated RealTek ALC888 high-definition audio with 7.1 channel audio support
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Acer AL1917W A LCD
    Screen Resolution
    1440 X 900
    Hard Drives
    350 GB Seagate Barracuda 7200.10
    Thumb drives
    PSU
    Standard 250 watt
    Case
    Desktop 7.2" (183mm) W x 17.5" (445mm) L x 14.5"
    Cooling
    Dual case fans + CPU fan
    Keyboard
    Acer Windows PS/2
    Mouse
    Wireless Microsoft Arc
    Internet Speed
    54mbp/s
    Browser
    IE11
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    Office Pro 2013 / Nokia Lumia 1520 Windows Phone 8.1DP GDR1
A GOG-game this time. Other old games sometimes. Yes, they are frozen. It's not permanent, it's very random.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
    System Manufacturer/Model
    -
    CPU
    i5 3570K
    Motherboard
    Asus P8Z77-M
    Memory
    Corsair 16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA GTX670 FTW
I'm older and not a gamer in the true sense. I play solitaire, mahjong, and other "older people" games. :p

Excuse my ignorance then and tell me what GOG-game is. Gog.com?

Do you install them in compatibility mode? Play these through a browser?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    8.1 Pro X64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Acer T690
    CPU
    Intel Pentium D Dual Core
    Motherboard
    Acer/Intel E946GZ
    Memory
    2GB (max upgrade)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 3000 - PCI Express x16
    Sound Card
    Integrated RealTek ALC888 high-definition audio with 7.1 channel audio support
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Acer AL1917W A LCD
    Screen Resolution
    1440 X 900
    Hard Drives
    350 GB Seagate Barracuda 7200.10
    Thumb drives
    PSU
    Standard 250 watt
    Case
    Desktop 7.2" (183mm) W x 17.5" (445mm) L x 14.5"
    Cooling
    Dual case fans + CPU fan
    Keyboard
    Acer Windows PS/2
    Mouse
    Wireless Microsoft Arc
    Internet Speed
    54mbp/s
    Browser
    IE11
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    Office Pro 2013 / Nokia Lumia 1520 Windows Phone 8.1DP GDR1
It's basically old games with new installers, made to work with new computers. They also have some new games. All GOG-games are also DRM free.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
    System Manufacturer/Model
    -
    CPU
    i5 3570K
    Motherboard
    Asus P8Z77-M
    Memory
    Corsair 16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA GTX670 FTW
Ok. I see. I gotta take a break away from this machine. I'll be back.

Did this always do this or just recent? On other OSs? Is there anything you found in game forums or online for a cure? Run in a VM perhaps?

Where did you other two helping out go?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    8.1 Pro X64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Acer T690
    CPU
    Intel Pentium D Dual Core
    Motherboard
    Acer/Intel E946GZ
    Memory
    2GB (max upgrade)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 3000 - PCI Express x16
    Sound Card
    Integrated RealTek ALC888 high-definition audio with 7.1 channel audio support
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Acer AL1917W A LCD
    Screen Resolution
    1440 X 900
    Hard Drives
    350 GB Seagate Barracuda 7200.10
    Thumb drives
    PSU
    Standard 250 watt
    Case
    Desktop 7.2" (183mm) W x 17.5" (445mm) L x 14.5"
    Cooling
    Dual case fans + CPU fan
    Keyboard
    Acer Windows PS/2
    Mouse
    Wireless Microsoft Arc
    Internet Speed
    54mbp/s
    Browser
    IE11
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    Office Pro 2013 / Nokia Lumia 1520 Windows Phone 8.1DP GDR1
running old games on new hardware always had issues ,back in the early dayse they used emulators and stuff with all sorts of issues iam not a gamer either,so just a suggestion ,gog support link .and gog stands for good old games ,
Games Support - GOG.com
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    win8.1.1 enterprise
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Hinze57
    CPU
    AMD FX 6100 6core 3.30gHz
    Motherboard
    gigibyte ga-78lmy-s2p
    Memory
    4gig ddr3
    Graphics Card(s)
    Radon hd5000 Series
    Sound Card
    onboard realtek hd
    Monitor(s) Displays
    19" viewsonic/ 22"Samsung
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    128gig ssd Kingston
    80gig WD 10000 rpm spinner
    Case
    micro
    Keyboard
    microsoft curve 200
    Mouse
    Logitech wireless M215
    Internet Speed
    high speed 20
    Browser
    ie 11
    Antivirus
    windows defender
    Other Info
    updated enterprise apr 2/14
It's not really a GOG issue. Other older games and apps does it from time to time. I've usef taskkill from time to time, but this time it didn't work
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
    System Manufacturer/Model
    -
    CPU
    i5 3570K
    Motherboard
    Asus P8Z77-M
    Memory
    Corsair 16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA GTX670 FTW
As for answering the original question. If the process has crashed, it should not be in running processes. There are times when you end up with an Orphaned process out there eating up CPU cycles.

You can use Sysinternals Process Explorer at microsoft.com, to show all processes. Whether they are running or just hung up.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Linux Mint 17.2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Toshiba Satellite C850D-st3nx1
    CPU
    AMD E1-1200 APU with Radeon (tm) HD Graphics 1.40 GHZ
    Memory
    12GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    AMD Radeon™ HD 7310 Graphics
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LCD
    Screen Resolution
    1366 x 768
    Hard Drives
    Crucial M500 240GB SSD
    Mouse
    Logitech M525
    Internet Speed
    45/6 - ATT U-Verse
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    None needed. It is Linux.
    Other Info
    Arris NVG589 Gateway; Router - Cisco RV320; Switch - Netgear GS108 8-Port Switch & Trendnet TEG-S50g 5-Port Switch; Access Points - Engenius ECB350, Trendnet TEW-638APB; NAS - Lenovo ix2-4; Printer - Brother HL-2280DW; Air Print Server - Lantronix XPrintServer

    A/V UPS - Tripp-Lite Smart 1500LCD 1500 Va/900 W.
Ok, the real problem is that I cannot see any app at all. The frozen or crashed game lies like a layer I cannot alt-tab out of. Is there any alternative to hard reboot?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
    System Manufacturer/Model
    -
    CPU
    i5 3570K
    Motherboard
    Asus P8Z77-M
    Memory
    Corsair 16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA GTX670 FTW
I take it that you never used SysInternals Process Explorer to look for an Orphaned process out there, that is hung up and not shut down.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Linux Mint 17.2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Toshiba Satellite C850D-st3nx1
    CPU
    AMD E1-1200 APU with Radeon (tm) HD Graphics 1.40 GHZ
    Memory
    12GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    AMD Radeon™ HD 7310 Graphics
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LCD
    Screen Resolution
    1366 x 768
    Hard Drives
    Crucial M500 240GB SSD
    Mouse
    Logitech M525
    Internet Speed
    45/6 - ATT U-Verse
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    None needed. It is Linux.
    Other Info
    Arris NVG589 Gateway; Router - Cisco RV320; Switch - Netgear GS108 8-Port Switch & Trendnet TEG-S50g 5-Port Switch; Access Points - Engenius ECB350, Trendnet TEW-638APB; NAS - Lenovo ix2-4; Printer - Brother HL-2280DW; Air Print Server - Lantronix XPrintServer

    A/V UPS - Tripp-Lite Smart 1500LCD 1500 Va/900 W.
No harm in trying Process Explorer, I guess
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
    System Manufacturer/Model
    -
    CPU
    i5 3570K
    Motherboard
    Asus P8Z77-M
    Memory
    Corsair 16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA GTX670 FTW
Things like that usually get stuck in video card memory so windows can't do much about it. Unless you can refresh desktop, there's not much you can do about it.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home made
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen7 2700x
    Motherboard
    Asus Prime x470 Pro
    Memory
    16GB Kingston 3600
    Graphics Card(s)
    Asus strix 570 OC 4gb
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 960 evo 250GB
    Silicon Power V70 240GB SSD
    WD 1 TB Blue
    WD 2 TB Blue
    Bunch of backup HDDs.
    PSU
    Sharkoon, Silent Storm 660W
    Case
    Raidmax
    Cooling
    CCM Nepton 140xl
    Internet Speed
    40/2 Mbps
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    WD
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