Task Manager Freezes on Windows 8/Server 2012

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I’m the kind of guy that ALWAYS has task manager open. I’m serious, ask anyone I work with — I sometimes even have a whole screen for Task Manager and Resource Monitor (Maybe that’s why I like SCOM so much?). Though, I’ve noticed a couple of times on Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Server 2012, Server 2012 R2 that when I open task manager the stats just freeze. The system is fine, everything is normal but the stats just freeze — like this.

frozen.PNG

 

They never do anything else, and just stay at that initial opening mark. So frustrating! I’ve SFC’d, I’ve rebuilt my performance library, I’ve copied new bits for taskmgr.exe, everything! It turns out for some reason sometimes the view speed gets set to pause. I never would have though of that, but somehow it just happens (though, I’ve never seen it happen in any OS earlier than Windows 8/Server 2012).

 

Here’s how you fix it. Go into View –> Update speed and notice it’s set to pause. So strange.

paused.PNG

 

Go ahead and set it to normal and you’re back in business!

normal.PNG

 

I hope I’ve made your day, at least a little bit easier.

 

Thanks,

16 thoughts on “Task Manager Freezes on Windows 8/Server 2012

    Highfield said:
    May 5, 2016 at 4:01 pm

    Yep, it happened to me but after reading this I unpaused the b’stard. Cheers!

    alphakill3r said:
    November 10, 2016 at 10:24 pm

    Thanks mate it works for me

    martinmoerch said:
    August 19, 2017 at 12:35 am

    10+ years in IT and I’m not too proud to admit that this one had me baffled.

    Thanks.

      mshansen01 responded:
      August 19, 2017 at 7:10 am

      Same here, that’s why we blog right? 🙂

    johnlapiana said:
    September 22, 2017 at 9:51 am

    Don’t feel bad Martin…18 years in IT and this got me as well. Thanks for blogging this & saving my sanity!

    miqrogroove said:
    December 28, 2017 at 6:52 pm

    Wow I thought my server was losing its mind. Thank you.

    test48576626 said:
    April 8, 2018 at 10:06 am

    thx man!

    Jama_com said:
    May 21, 2018 at 7:56 pm

    This post is still helping people 🙂 Cheers buddy.

    z said:
    October 19, 2018 at 9:49 am

    Thank you so much, It was really helpful.

    stanley_S said:
    January 25, 2019 at 1:34 am

    Works for me as well, thanks ;-)), Bregards

    Thaw Zin Oo said:
    February 24, 2019 at 11:19 pm

    Now, working fine . Thanks …..

    Abuzer Kadayif said:
    May 3, 2019 at 5:58 am

    Thanks, it works!

    Song Qiang said:
    December 18, 2019 at 7:50 am

    Great!

    Steve P said:
    May 27, 2020 at 8:29 am

    I wonder how it gets like this in the first place… I’ve had this happen a few times now…

    bpo@tclogic.net said:
    September 29, 2020 at 9:38 am

    whauw, yes it happend to me too oh oh oh, but why dit this setting changed.
    Thank you

    hr said:
    April 25, 2022 at 7:31 pm

    Still happens in year 2022. Thank you so much for your post!

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