The following two tools list the processes using file handles:
handle.exe
openfiles.exe
Item | handle.exe | openfiles.exe |
|---|---|---|
Method of obtaining | Obtainable from Microsoft website | Installed as standard in OS |
Setting method | Refer to "1.8.3.2 Setting handle.exe". | Refer to "1.8.3.3 Setting openfiles.exe". |
OS performance deterioration resulting from investigation tool use | No | Yes (Enabling 'maintain objects list' reduces the OS performance.) |
File for a display | All files in the system | Only the file that is used by the user executed openfiles.exe. *AdvancedCopy Manager commands or services execute openfiles.exe in this function. The files for a display are as follows.
|
Maintenance | Microsoft does not provide support (file is provided "as is"). | Microsoft provides support (openfiles.exe is an OS standard function) |
Since handle.exe is a powerful command for files to be displayed, it is recommended to use handle.exe.
Both tools are able to identify the cause only if the process is using (i.e., if it opened) a file or directory. Thus, neither tool will be able to identify the cause if the following conditions apply:
Target volume is being used by a driver.
An application has loaded a DLL in the target volume.
If neither tool can identify the cause, then investigate whether the conditions above applied in the applications or services that were running when the error was issued.
Note
Occasionally openfiles.exe will not output any information - this problem is thought to be caused by the OS load or an OS incompatibility, but at the moment there is no means of avoiding it.
The openfiles.exe cannot be used on Windows Server 2012.
Point
It is recommended to confirm if the processes causing "in-use lock error" exist by executing "handle.exe -a" or "openfiles.exe /query /v" manually before executing backup or replication. Refer to "1.8.6 How to investigate the process where volume is used".
