Any way to "force" a program with a hung OCX to close?

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+1 Q:

Any way to "force" a program with a hung OCX to close?

My Delphi 7 program uses an OCX to control some hardware. I don't have any sample code so I am working through loading/using/unloading the control correctly. Unfortunately, if I use the hardware and load the OCX, the main process will not completely quit when the application closes.
If I use the hardware, the OCX loads and everything works fine. On the program closing, the OCX doesn't unload properly and my program doesn't close completely. It leaves a small 24 meg footprint in memory that can only be seen in Task Manager. If I rerun the program, everything works perfectly including the hardware. If I use the hardware and then close the program, it leaves another 24 meg footprint. Rinse and repeat. Until I can get the OCX code working correctly, if there anyway I can "force" the unloading of the OCX control for now? Or force the termination of the process?

An OCX control is like a dll. It unloads one way or the other when the process is terminated. Windows reclaims all memory when a process is closed. Where do you see this memory? Only is this program called Activity Monitor? Could it be that that program is incorrect?

UPDATE: After the new information you gave it is clear it is not about freeing memory, but about a process not being closed/terminated.

This could happen if some threads are still running. The 3rd party control might creat threads and has not terminated them yet. This might be a bug or maybe you have to call some finalize/uninitialize/dispose/close method on the 3rd party control?

Lars Truijens 2009-10-20 16:46:51

Windows doesn't reclaim this memory. :)If I call the hardware and the OCX loads, then my program doesn't release all of its memory when it closes. A small amount of memory, @ 24 megs, stays in memory. Sorry about using "Activity Monitor." I meant "Task Manager." I can open Task Manager and close the remaining program there.I'm sorry if this sounds confusing.I run the program, it works perfectly, and it closes. No problem.If I run the program and call the hardware, the ocx loads, but my program doesn't completely unload when I close the program.

Steve 2009-10-20 18:42:46

So the process keeps running you mean? It does not actually terminate?

Lars Truijens 2009-10-20 18:46:33

Exactly and thank you for the help. I'll try to fit all of this in 600 chars.If I execute the program but don't call the hardware, the process terminates.If I run the program, call the hardware and then close the program, the memory size goes from @ 70 Megs to @ 24 Megs and the process doesn't terminate. I can watch the memory decrease, in task manager, until it hits @ 24 megs.If I run the program 10 times, call the hardware 10 times, and close the program 10 times, I'll have 10 running process with @ 24 Megs each. What is weird is that the program and hardware still works perfectly.

Steve 2009-10-20 19:15:06

Maybe it is best if you update your question with this info so others can understand your question better.

Lars Truijens 2009-10-20 20:18:48

Try running the program under the debugger, with breakpoints in all your unit finalization sections and in any OnClose methods you have. If you have a form with no OnClose method, add one. Then watch as the application terminates and see how far you get.

frogb 2009-10-20 22:14:52

Have you tried calling the Windows ExitProcess function?

Jeffrey Hantin 2009-10-21 02:09:02

ansaurus

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Any way to "force" a program with a hung OCX to close?

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