How to check if a process is running via a batch s

Question

How can I check if an application is running from a batch (well cmd) file?

I need to not launch another instance if a program is already running. (I can't change the app to make it single instance only.)

Also the application could be running as any user.

Answer 1

Here's how I've worked it out:

tasklist /FI "IMAGENAME eq notepad.exe" /FO CSV > search.log

FOR /F %%A IN (search.log) DO IF %%~zA EQU 0 GOTO end

start notepad.exe

:end

del search.log

The above will open Notepad if it is not already running.

Edit: Note that this won't find applications hidden from the tasklist. This will include any scheduled tasks running as a different user, as these are automatically hidden.

Answer 2

I use PV.exe from http://www.teamcti.com/pview/prcview.htm installed in Program Files\PV with a batch file like this:

@echo off
PATH=%PATH%;%PROGRAMFILES%\PV;%PROGRAMFILES%\YourProgram
PV.EXE YourProgram.exe >nul
if ERRORLEVEL 1 goto Process_NotFound
:Process_Found
echo YourProgram is running
goto END
:Process_NotFound
echo YourProgram is not running
YourProgram.exe
goto END
:END

Answer 3

TASKLIST | FINDSTR ProgramName || START "" "Path\ProgramName.exe"

Answer 4

I usually execute following command in cmd prompt to check if my program.exe is running or not:

tasklist | grep program

Answer 5

You should check the parent process name, see The Code Project article about a .NET based solution**.

A non-programmatic way to check:

1. Launch Cmd.exe
2. Launch an application (for instance, c:\windows\notepad.exe)
3. Check properties of the Notepad.exe process in Process Explorer
4. Check for parent process (This shows cmd.exe)

The same can be checked by getting the parent process name.

Answer 6

The suggestion of npocmaka to use QPROCESS instead of TASKLIST is great but, its answer is so big and complex that I feel obligated to post a quite simplified version of it which, I guess, will solve the problem of most non-advanced users:

QPROCESS "myprocess.exe">NUL
IF %ERRORLEVEL% EQU 0 ECHO "Process running"

The code above was tested in Windows 7, with a user with administrator rigths.