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Windows XP Misc

Configure How Long Windows XP Will Wait Before Declaring an App Hung

SUMMARY: Determine how long, in milliseconds, Windows XP waits when an application is supposed to end before considering it hung.

By default, when you kill a Windows XP application via the Task Manager, the system will wait up to five seconds to allow the application to end. If this does not occur, Windows XP will consider the application 'hung' and show an "End Task" dialog box.

If you run applications that require more time to close correctly, you may wish Windows XP to wait even longer before considering an application hung. Or, if you find this wait takes too long, you may wish to lower this value to one or two seconds.

The following tip involves modifying the Windows Registry and could cause problems with your machine. Also, ending an application too soon without giving it time to close may corrupt an application and/or its data.

Standard disclaimers apply.

1. Click the "Start" button, selecting "Run".

2. Type regedit.exe and press Enter.

3. Navigate to the following key: My Computer \ HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Control Panel \ Desktop

4. You should see a key HungAppTimeout. Double-click this key and enter the desired wait for application timeout in milliseconds (for example, three seconds would be 3000).

5. Close the registry editor. You may have to logout and back in or restart the system for the changes to take effect.