1.6.1 Selecting Investigation Tool

The handle.exe and openfiles.exe list the processes using file handles.

Table 1.6 Features of handle.exe and openfiles.exe
Item	handle.exe	openfiles.exe
Method of obtaining	Obtainable from Microsoft website	Installed as standard in OS
Setting method	Refer to "1.6.2.2 Setting handle.exe".	Refer to "1.6.2.3 Setting openfiles.exe". (Restarting the server is required on setup.)
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. The file that is used by the user executed AdvancedCopy Manager commands. (In case of "in-use lock error" in command execution server) The file that is used by AdvancedCopy Manager startup account. (In case of "in-use lock error" in the destination server)
Maintenance	Microsoft does not provide support (file is provided "as is").	Microsoft provides support (openfiles.exe is an OS standard function)

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 is 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 does 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 handle.exe cannot be used on Microsoft Windows Server 2016 or later environments.
The openfiles.exe cannot be used on Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2 or Microsoft Windows Server 2012 environments.
If handle.exe and Process Explorer are used together, cases have been confirmed where the system stops. Use handle.exe only during examinations, not for operations.

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 "1.6.5 How to Investigate Process Where Volume Is Used".