how to kill an orphaned matlab.exe process?

Hi, (this is all under windows 7, matlab 2011b and guide) I'm working with matlab gui-s and I get the evil java heap error. I have increased the java heap memory.

If I get this error, matlab crashes and leaves an orphaned matlab.exe process running. I cannot kill the process with task manager or taskkill, only rebooting windows. Does anyone know how to kill this zombie? If I just restart matlab I end up with 2 processes.

What happenes before the red scrolling error text often enough is the system/matlab starts slowing down, I realize I am going to get the evil red java heap error. I try to save what I'm doing and some times it does, others it doesn't, or it saves half, screwing up the works and crashing. Then, using task manager, I find that matlab.exe is still a process running. I cannot use taskmanager to kill the process. If I start matlab again, I have 2 of these running. When I go to a windows 7 command prompt as admin, I try taskkill /f /im matlab.exe the result is it finds a PID number, but it says the process does not exist. The only way I've found to kill the process is to reboot windows.... If I don't, I get 2 matlab.exe and since I'm using the COM/USB port stays locked and cannot be acessed... Hence, reboot.. ugh...

Thanks!

Does anyone know how to kill the orphaned matlab.exe process other than rebooting windows?

[Jan]

I have deleted my answer about killing the process in the taskmanager, because it was accepted by accident. Looking like a solved problem reduces the interest of other readers.

[Geoff]

Interesting... I've seen similar behaviour in Windows 7 before, when I was developing an in-house application in C++, which spat its debug output via the ConsoleWindow. If my process crashed, it would zombie but only if the ConsoleWindow was open at the time. I never figured out how to kill that process. I was quite impressed with Win7 up until that point, then I started missing XP-64.

Answer 1

[Jason Ross]

When I've found that the normal utilities don't work, I reach for the PStools.

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb545021

Try using "pskill"

[Mike]

I have tried this now and it was not effective. I also tried it on a national instruments hung process and it didn't work either.. Thanks for the idea!

[Jason Ross]

No problem. There is another utility in there called Process Explorer that lays out the relationships between the various things that are running. You might be able to kill a sub-process and then work your way up the tree.

Answer 2

[Jan]

Have you read http://www.windowsitpro.com/article/resource-kit/how-can-i-kill-an-orphaned-process- already? They suggest:

1. Install resource kit.
2. tlist -t
3. kill name or id
4. If this does not work: kill -F name or id
5. If this does not work perform this through the AT command to get the system privilegs:

   AT <time> /INTERACTIVE CMD /C KILL -F <process name or id>

1. If you still have no success, change the thread's privilegs by PVIEW.

[Jan]

Of course the last point is "6." and not "1.". The formatting power is suboptimal.