Process Control Tool Cannot Detect all Processes

When you run the Process Control tool, some processes that are currently running on the computer are not viewable.

This issue can occur because the Process Control tool cannot detect processes that run under a different security context than Local System. Even though all system processes are visible in Task Manager and Performance Monitor, the Process Control tool is unable to detect or manage the processes.

To workaround this behavior and enable the processes to be managed, even though Process Control is unable to "see" the program, perform the following steps:

1. Create an alias set to match the executable program that you want to manage and match it based on Image Name.
2. Create a process execution rule to manage the process that matches the alias that you just created.
3. Run the executable program and ensure that it now is displayed as managed in the Process list. It should not display any properties, except that it is managed.

This behavior is by design.

The Process Control tool uses standard functions and might be constrained by security restrictions that a program has placed on its processes, or by other security policies that are placed by the system administrator. Task Manager is part of the operating system and uses methods that are internal to Windows and that do not have the same constraints.

The Win32 subsystem associates each Win32 process with a window station. Services and programs that are set to run under a user account are run in a different non-visible window station from the Local System.

For more information regarding window stations, please refer to the Platform SDK at the following Microsoft Web site: