C++ TerminateProcess function

Question

I've been searching examples for the Win32 API C++ function TerminateProcess() but couldn't find any.

I'm not that familiar with the Win32 API in general and so I wanted to ask if someone here who is better in it than me could show me an example for,

• Retrieving a process handle by its PID required to terminate it and then call TerminateProcess with it.

If you aren't familiar with C++ a C# equivalent would help too.

Aquileia

Are you just looking for this WINAPI function OpenProcess msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms684320%28VS.85%29.aspx ? Putting this together with TerminateProcess shouldn't be too difficult. – Fulgurating

No, I want to terminate a running process. That is why I have mentioned that I have to retrieve the PID of it first. – Aquileia

When someone gives you a link, read it. Don't just assume from the name what it does. In fact, OpenProcess creates a process handle, given a PID, which is exactly what you asked for. @Charles: That should be an answer instead of a comment. – Clevie

@Ben Voigt: Evidently it's not the whole answer as the last comment suggest that we need to retrieve the PID from somewhere. @jemper: Which process do you want to terminate? How are you identifying it if not by PID? – Fulgurating

Since you want to terminate a process you didn't start, the first thing I'd ask to give you an answer is how you plan to locate such process. Are you looking for a given executable, or will you show the processes and ask the user, or is it a process that opened a given file, etc? And what if multiple processes fit the pattern? – Lamebrain

Answer 1

To answer the original question, in order to retrieve a process handle by its PID and call TerminateProcess, you need code like the following:

BOOL TerminateProcessEx(DWORD dwProcessId, UINT uExitCode)
{
    DWORD dwDesiredAccess = PROCESS_TERMINATE;
    BOOL  bInheritHandle  = FALSE;
    HANDLE hProcess = OpenProcess(dwDesiredAccess, bInheritHandle, dwProcessId);
    if (hProcess == NULL)
        return FALSE;

    BOOL result = TerminateProcess(hProcess, uExitCode);

    CloseHandle(hProcess);

    return result;
}

Keep in mind that TerminateProcess does not allow its target to clean up and exit in a valid state. Think twice before using it.

Achorn

How can I get the process's PID? – Nmr

What kind of identifier do you have for the process you want a PID for? – Achorn

This does not have to be unique. You might have several instances of an executable running at the same time. You can use EnumProcesses to get all instances of a process with a given name or apply some additional selection criteria. – Achorn

Beware that this would return immediately. While dying process may still hold some locks for some time. You may need to add a loop with GetExitCodeProcess to ensure that the process has already died. – Investigator