[SOLVED] Windows: My Firefox, MSN, iTunes, or Some Other Program Would NOT Run Again!

Amazon You close a program on Windows and try to run it again usually by double clicking its executable, but you find that the program would NOT run again no matter how many times you try! Isn't it annoying?

The Problem
The problem is not you; it's the program itself. When you close the program the program needs to close itself properly, meaning it should release the system's resources, go back to the state that allows it to run again the next time, etc. When the program is not designed to properly handle the shutdown tasks you may run into this problem.

When you run the application again you may see a dialog saying something like "The program is still running. Please close it and run again." Or you may not see anything at all.

Usually when this issue occurs the process is still running even after you "close" it and no longer see it running. This process is called an orphan process or a zombie process because even though it is technically running nobody owns control over it.

Read on to see how to solve this issue in SECONDS!

I've experienced this issue with Mozilla Firefox, Windows Live Messenger (or MSN), Apple's iTunes, Eclipse IDE. There must be other programs like them. If the program causing trouble for you isn't one of them, the solution below may still applies.
Solution
The solution is simple: kill the zombie or orphan process.

To do it open your Windows Task Manager. You can do that by right clicking your mouse at the Windows bar at the bottom of your PC and select 'Open Windows Task Manager'. Here's a screenshot:



As you can see two red circles circle Firefox and MSN Messenger. Select each and click 'End Process' button located at the lower right corner.

Now try running Firefox or MSN or whatever program that causes this trouble and see if it can run again successfully!

If you have any questions let me know and I will do my best to help you!