How to fix 'Application Not Responding' and 'Program Hang' issues using Windows Resource Monitor

Summary

This guide helps you troubleshoot and resolve: How to fix 'Application Not Responding' and 'Program Hang' issues using Windows Resource Monitor. Follow the steps below to fix the issue.

Common Causes

When an application stops responding, it is often due to a "hang" where the software is waiting for a specific system resource—such as the hard drive, network, or memory—to respond. While Task Manager is useful for killing a frozen app, Windows Resource Monitor allows you to analyse exactly why the program has stopped, helping you determine if the issue is a software bug or a hardware bottleneck. This guide is particularly useful if you have noticed your computer running slow across multiple applications.

Quick Fix Steps

Before diving into deep analysis, try these rapid recovery steps to see if the application resumes normal operation:

1. Wait 30 to 60 seconds; some complex tasks may cause a temporary freeze while the system processes data.
2. Press Alt + Tab to see if a hidden dialogue box or confirmation window is blocking the main application.
3. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager, right-click the unresponsive app, and select End Task.

Using Resource Monitor to Analyse the Hang

If an application freezes frequently, use the Resource Monitor to identify the root cause. This tool provides a more granular view than the standard Task Manager.

Step 1: Launching Resource Monitor

1. Press the Windows Key on your keyboard.
2. Type resmon and press Enter.
3. The Resource Monitor window will open, displaying real-time data across CPU, Memory, Disk, and Network tabs.

Step 2: Identifying the Frozen Process

1. Click on the CPU tab.
2. In the Processes table, locate the application that is not responding.
3. Right-click the name of the frozen application.
4. Select Analyse Wait Chain.

Step 3: Interpreting the Wait Chain

The Analyse Wait Chain window shows you exactly what is holding up the process. You will typically see one of two scenarios:

• The process is waiting for another process: You will see a tree structure showing that App A is waiting for App B. If App B is frozen, App A cannot proceed.
• The process is waiting for an I/O operation: This indicates the app is waiting for the hard drive or a network share to respond.

Resolving the Issue

Ending the Blocking Process

If the Analyse Wait Chain identifies a specific child process that is causing the hang:

1. Check the box next to the blocking process in the wait chain window.
2. Click End Process.
3. Confirm the action when prompted. This often "unblocks" the main application, allowing it to resume functioning.

Checking for Hardware Bottlenecks

If the wait chain is not helpful, check the other tabs in Resource Monitor to see if a system-wide resource is exhausted:

• Disk Tab: Look for high "Highest Active Time" percentages. If the disk is at 100%, the app may be hanging because it cannot read or write data fast enough.
• Memory Tab: Check the "Hard Faults/sec" graph. Frequent spikes here indicate the system is relying heavily on virtual memory (paging), which significantly slows down application response times.

Further Troubleshooting

If you continue to experience these issues, it may be indicative of a larger system problem. We recommend reviewing the following guides:

• If your web browser is the primary app freezing, see Browser not loading pages.
• For general stability issues, refer to Applications freezing or crashing.
• If these hangs are followed by a total system crash, see Blue screen of death (BSOD) - restart steps.

If the application continues to hang despite these steps, please Open a Ticket so our technical team can analyse your system logs.

Still Having Issues?