Program to shutdown another program when Task Manager is frozen?

I am having an issue with AOL software (yeah yeah... I know) freezing on me at random times and when I try to Alt-Ctrl-Del I can't choose anything in Task Manager in order to stop the non-responsive AOL program.

(I don't actively use AOL to do anything other than hangout in an old chatroom with some friends, so it is constantly up on my PC even though I rarely even type in the chat.... but I can not just NOT have it open.)

I can't Alt-Tab out of AOL, and even though the bottom Windows Notification Bar can be seen when I click on anything there it does nothing.

I have uninstalled and reinstalled AOL many times over the last year trying to fix the problem, but nothing has worked.

It doesn't freeze the entire computer because I can still hit Ctrl-Alt-Del and choose to reboot, Log Off, Change User, etc... and I usually end up choosing to Log Off and when it goes back to my Desktop to start closing windows and programs it throws up a window saying that all programs are not finished logging off and I start hitting the Cancel button so I don't have to sit through a reboot.

When AOL freezes it gives me a "working" mouse icon when I hover over AOL, and if I have a Firefox window open (over AOL) I can usually still browse around in Firefox as long as it is in that window, but I can't open (or maximize) another window.

When I Ctrl-Alt-Del and choose Task Manager it opens fine, but it won't let me choose anything after the window opens.

Looking for a Kill program that will work when even Task Manager is frozen and my only option is to Log Off. Even if I have to run it in the background or on Startup. Not sure how I could "open" it or activate it if the computer won't let me click anything though.

Windows 7 64-bit PC.

Any ideas?

 

When was the last time AOL was updated:confused.

Check your version and update to the newest version.This is the only thing i can think of with AOL i have not used AOL in 10 years or so.

 

I am positive I have the latest version, and since it has been happening for the last year (or more) on different versions it seems like something that isn't being fixed and since I am not a "paying subscriber" AOL won't do anything about it, but that is expected.

I am just looking for a program that I can use to FORCE AOL to close, and the program to be able to work when even the Task Manager will not.

 

Process Hacker was rated as one of the best back in 2009. Process Explorer from Sysinternals, which is now owned by Microsoft is the next best. http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb896653.aspx

 

Perhaps you can use Process Explorer (ProcExp ?) to kill this program, I'm not sure how clear it to single out and identify a 'program' as opposed to a 'process' though. I think it's available as a download from MG though I might be wrong. (similar to Process Monitor, ProcMon, though I have found this to be be so unwieldy and slow as to be unusable)

Just a thought.

Dumb_Question
12.August.2013

 

I haven't had success in getting Process Explorer, System Explorer, or Process Hacker to kill hung programs that Task Manager couldn't kill.

I have a program called AntiFreeze that has never ONCE done anything for me. I have a similar program from Tweaking.com that has also never once worked.

I hope somebody here has some good suggestions.

 

I'm not sure what you are asking for anymore. If your PC is constantly locking up it isn't the program that is designed to kill processes fault. In other words, there is a bigger underlying issue.

 

Don't know about Process Hacker, but, if Process Explorer won't work, you could try Process Lasso. It has many excellent optimization features to go along with this feature. Right click on the process in PL, and the option is near the bottom of the menu...