FAQ - Process Hacker

Process Hacker

Frequently Asked Questions

Is "Process Hacker" a dangerous "hacking" tool?

No. Please read about the correct definition of "hacker".

Is Process Hacker a portable application?

Yes. In the same directory as ProcessHacker.exe, create a file named ProcessHacker.exe.settings.xml, settings will then be automatically saved here.

Process Hacker can kill my anti-virus software! Is this a bug in the anti-virus software?

No. Anti-virus software does not protect you from yourself. Please do not report these incidents as bugs because you will be wasting their time.

Why is Process Hacker able to kill processes that no other tools can kill?

Process Hacker loads a driver that searches for an internal Microsoft kernel function and uses it for process termination. This function is not known to be hooked by malware or security software.

Why is there annoying bug X in Process Hacker? Why is Process Hacker missing feature Y?

Please report any bugs or feature requests in the forums.

Why can't I build Process Hacker?

The most likely problem is that you do not have the latest Windows SDK installed.
Windows 7, Windows 8 and 8.1 SDK: Windows 8.1 SDK

You can also debug plugins by configured the plugin Solution properties > Debugger options.

For example:
Debugger Command: $(SolutionDir)..\bin\$(Configuration)$(PlatformArchitecture)\ProcessHacker.exe
Working Directory: $(SolutionDir)..\bin\$(Configuration)$(PlatformArchitecture)\

Note: This is already configured for all of our plugins but you will need to configure your own plugins.

Symbols don't work properly!

Firstly, you need the latest dbghelp.dll version:

1) Install the latest Windows SDK (e.g. Windows 10 SDK).
2) Open Process Hacker options via the main menu: Hacker > Options
3) Click Symbols, and locate dbghelp.dll

Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7 SDK:
\Program Files\Debugging Tools for Windows (x86)\

Windows 8 or 8.1 SDK:
32bit Windows: \Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\8.x\Debuggers\x86\
64bit Windows: \Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\8.x\Debuggers\x64\

Windows 10 SDK:
32bit Windows: \Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\10\Debuggers\x86\
64bit Windows: \Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\10\Debuggers\x64\

Secondly, you need to configure the search path. If you don't know what to do, enter:
SRV*SOME_FOLDER*http://msdl.microsoft.com/download/symbols

Replace SOME_FOLDER with any folder you can write to, like D:\Symbols. Now you can restart Process Hacker and view full symbols.

Anti-cheat software reports Process Hacker as a game cheating tool!

Report issues with Anti-cheat software to dmex.

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