MiKTeX and proTeXt ⇒ Windows API Error 32

[427castaway]

I'm brand new to LaTeX; any idea how to overcome this error message?

texify.exe: Windows API error 32: The process cannot access the file because it is being used by another process.
texify.exe: Data: untitled-1.log

Thank you for your help!

[localghost]

Just for information to other users for awareness of possibly already existing solutions. The question has also been posted to {TeX} SX. Please read what our administrator thinks about that.

[Stefan Kottwitz]

Hi,

welcome to the forum!

The error message says it: some process blocks the file, Windows cannot open it for that reason. For example, if you have the output file open in the Adobe Acrobat Reader, LaTeX cannot write on it because the reader blocks it, similarly having the .log file open in an editor may block it.

So you could do one of the following:

• Stop compilation, if there's one running, and close viewer programs, specifically if you have the .log file open in an editor
• Use the Windows task manager to locate process which may use it and kill them (editor, viewer, texify, ...)
• Reboot your computer, which closes all programs and removes the file locks
• Use other programs which don't block files

The first solutions are quick, the third one is clean, the last one an option for the future.

Stefan