Trouble Quitting Program Started with AT.EXE Scheduler

Last reviewed: September 11, 1997
Article ID: Q138340

The information in this article applies to:
  • Microsoft Windows NT operating system version 3.1
  • Microsoft Windows NT Advanced Server version 3.1
  • Microsoft Windows NT Workstation versions 3.5 and 3.51
  • Microsoft Windows NT Server versions 3.5 and 3.51

SYMPTOM

After you start a non-interactive application with the AT.EXE scheduler program, one or more of the following symptoms occur:

  • The application appears to hang.
  • The application remains loaded in memory even though it should quit.
  • You are unable to quit the application.
  • You can see the process with Process Viewer but Process Viewer is unable to kill it.
  • If the application is trying to access a device, for example a tape drive, you cannot access the device until the application is cleared from memory.
  • Memory is not freed if the application fails, and if different applications are hung in memory, system performance degrades.
  • Some applications allow multiple instances; and if they do not clear from memory, performance degrades.

NOTE: Applications you start with the AT.EXE command, by design, do not appear in Task Manager.

RESOLUTION

To remove the non-interactive application from memory after it does not quit, do one of the following:

  • Reboot your computer.

    -or-

  • Use the Windows NT Resource Kit utilities TLIST.EXE and KILL.EXE. These utilities allow the administrator to detect and then clear the application from memory based on the application Process ID.

Tlist.exe and Kill.exe utilities are available in the Windows NT Resource Kit versions 3.1, 3.5, and 3.51. Help for both utilities is available from the command line. (For a hung process use the Kill -f Option.)

NOTE: AT Scheduler has no way to control an application already started.


KBCategory: kbtool
KBSubcategory: ntutil
Additional reference words: prodnt 3.10 3.50 3.51


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Last reviewed: September 11, 1997
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