Windows 10 – How can I open the output of a background process in a terminal?

Question

546 viewsApril 29, 2023Windows Usersprocess terminal windows windows-services

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HAL 5.94K July 5, 2022 0 Comments

I created a program called main.exe that utilizes MSSN to register as a service and automatically starts up after booting. This program receives messages via HTTP and displays them in the terminal (STDOUT).

Because remote login is not possible, using the startup folder isn’t an option for automatically starting the program. Currently, the program runs in the background, but I need to monitor its output.

I’m wondering if there’s a way to open a new terminal window to view the program’s current output while it’s still running in the background.

Askify Moderator Edited question April 29, 2023

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score 0 · Answer 1 · 2023-04-29T13:01:31+00:00

Introduction

Windows 10 is a powerful operating system that offers a wide range of features and functionalities. One of the most important features of Windows 10 is the ability to run background processes. These processes run in the background without any user interaction and can perform a wide range of tasks.

However, sometimes you may need to monitor the output of a background process. In this blog post, we will discuss how you can open the output of a background process in a terminal in Windows 10.

Using PowerShell

PowerShell is a powerful command-line tool that is built into Windows 10. One of the most useful features of PowerShell is the ability to monitor the output of a background process. Here’s how you can do it:

1. Open PowerShell by pressing Windows Key + X and selecting “Windows PowerShell (Admin)”.

2. Type the following command to get a list of all running processes:

Get-Process

3. Find the process ID (PID) of the process you want to monitor.

4. Type the following command to monitor the output of the process:

Get-Process -Id [PID] | Select-Object -ExpandProperty StandardOutput

This will display the current output of the process in the PowerShell window.

5. To stop monitoring the output, press Ctrl + C.

Using Task Manager

Task Manager is another built-in tool that can be used to monitor the output of a background process. Here’s how you can do it:

1. Open Task Manager by pressing Ctrl + Shift + Esc.

2. Click on the “Details” tab.

3. Find the process you want to monitor and note its PID.

4. Right-click on the process and select “Go to details”.

5. This will take you to the “Processes” tab with the selected process highlighted.

6. Right-click on the process again and select “Set affinity”.

7. Uncheck all CPU cores except for one.

8. Click “OK” to close the window.

9. Right-click on the process again and select “Set priority”.

10. Select “High” or “Realtime” depending on your preference.

11. Click “OK” to close the window.

12. Click on the “Performance” tab.

13. Select the CPU core you left enabled.

14. Click on the “Open Resource Monitor” button.

15. In the Resource Monitor, click on the “CPU” tab.

16. Find the process you want to monitor and double-click on it.

17. This will open a new window with the process details.

18. Click on the “CPU” tab.

19. In the “CPU” tab, you can monitor the output of the process in the “Threads” section.

Using Sysinternals Process Explorer

Sysinternals Process Explorer is a free tool that can be used to monitor the output of a background process. Here’s how you can do it:

1. Download and install Sysinternals Process Explorer from the official website.

2. Open Process Explorer by double-clicking on the downloaded file.

3. Click on the “Find” menu and select “Find Handle or DLL”.

4. Type the name of the process you want to monitor in the “Handle or DLL substring” field.

5. Click “Search”.

6. This will display a list of all handles and DLLs associated with the process.

7. Double-click on the handle or DLL that contains the output you want to monitor.

8. This will open a new window with the details of the handle or DLL.

9. Click on the “Strings” tab.

10. In the “Strings” tab, you can monitor the output of the process.

Using DebugView

DebugView is a free tool from Sysinternals that can be used to monitor the output of a background process. Here’s how you can do it:

1. Download and install DebugView from the official website.

2. Open DebugView by double-clicking on the downloaded file.

3. Click on the “Capture” menu and select “Capture Win32”.

4. This will capture all Win32 debug output.

5. Find the process you want to monitor and note its PID.

6. Click on the “Filter” menu and select “Filter”.

7. In the “Process Name” field, enter the name of the process you want to monitor.

8. In the “Process ID” field, enter the PID of the process.

9. Click “OK” to close the window.

10. DebugView will now display the output of the process in real-time.

Using Cygwin

Cygwin is a free and open-source software that provides a Unix-like environment and command-line interface for Microsoft Windows. Here’s how you can use Cygwin to monitor the output of a background process:

1. Download and install Cygwin from the official website.

2. Open Cygwin by double-clicking on the downloaded file.

3. Navigate to the directory where the process is running.

4. Type the following command to attach to the process:

strace -p [PID]

This will display the current output of the process in the Cygwin window.

5. To stop monitoring the output, press Ctrl + C.

Conclusion

In conclusion, there are several ways to open the output of a background process in a terminal in Windows 10. You can use PowerShell, Task Manager, Sysinternals Process Explorer, DebugView, or Cygwin to monitor the output of a background process. Each tool has its own advantages and disadvantages, so choose the one that best suits your needs. With these tools, you can easily monitor the output of any background process and ensure that it is running smoothly.

score 0 · Answer 2 · 2022-12-31T11:39:58+00:00

Yes, it is possible to open a new terminal window and view the output of a running background process in Windows 10. Here are two ways you can do this:

Use the tasklist and start commands:

First, open a Command Prompt window by pressing the Windows key + R, typing cmd and pressing Enter.
Type tasklist and press Enter to list all the running processes on your system.
Look for the process you want to view the output of and note its PID (process ID).
Type start cmd /k fc /n /lines /follow <PID> and press Enter, replacing <PID> with the actual PID of the process you want to view the output of. This will open a new terminal window and show the output of the specified process.

Use the Process Hacker tool:

Download and install the Process Hacker tool from the following link: https://processhacker.sourceforge.io/
Run the tool and look for the process you want to view the output of in the list of processes.
Right-click on the process and select Properties.
In the Properties window, go to the I/O tab and click on the Console button. This will open a new terminal window and show the output of the specified process.

I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any questions.

score 0 · Answer 3 · 2022-07-05T10:28:02+00:00

Would it be feasible to open a new terminal window to view the current output of a background process that’s already running?

Unfortunately, in your situation, it’s not possible. Once you turn a program into a service, it runs under the SYSTEM account and cannot be accessed through a login session. Even if you could do so, it would pose a significant security risk.

The only way to work around this issue is to configure the program to output to a log file that you can access and view. Remember to open the file, append to it, and then close it so that the program doesn’t hold a writelock on the file, preventing you from viewing its content.