VC++ fatal error LNK1168: cannot open filename.exe for writing

Question

suddenly my visual studio express 2010 c++ stopped rebuilding my project.
When I first hit F7 the project builds and runs fine (heck, it\'s a hello world example).
T

Answer 1

In my case, cleaning and rebuilding the project resolved the problem.

Answer 2

The Reason is that your previous build is still running in the background. I solve this problem by following these steps:

• Open Task Manager
• Goto Details Tab
• Find Your Application
• End Task it by right clicking on it
• Done!

Answer 3

I know this is an old question but thought I'd share how I resolved the issue.

If you're using Visual Studio and this error occurs, you can try to attach to process (CTRL+ALT+P) and find the "(program).exe" process. When you try to attach to it, an error will display stating that it failed to attach which removes the process from "running" (even though it's not...) You'll also be able to delete the (program).exe from your Debug folder.

Hope this helps someone! :)

Answer 4

well, I actually just saved and closed the project and restarted VS Express 2013 in windows 8 and that sorted my problem.

Answer 5

I also had this same issue. My console window was no longer open, but I was able to see my application running by going to processes within task manager. The process name was the name of my application. Once I ended the process I was able to build and compile my code with no issues.

Answer 6

I've encountered this problem when the build is abruptly closed before it is loaded. No process would show up in the Task Manager, but if you navigate to the executable generated in the project folder and try to delete it, Windows claims that the application is in use. (If not, just delete the file and rebuild, which generates a new executable) In Windows(Visual Studio 2019), the file is located in this directory by default:

%USERPROFILE%\source\repos\ProjectFolderName\Debug

To end the allegedly running process, open the command prompt and type in the following command:

taskkill /F /IM [ApplicationName.exe]

This forces any running instance to be terminated. Rebuild and execute!