Everything not runnng

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manuelb
Posts: 3
Joined: Tue Feb 17, 2026 12:16 pm

Everything not runnng

Post by manuelb »

Good morning,

For a few days now (I can't say exactly when, but it *potentially* coincides with the latest Windows update, though I am just guessing and looking for reasons), Everything has stopped working. It doesn't return any errors, doesn't open the windows, even though the service appears to be working. I've tried uninstalling it, installing it with other options, and starting it as portable (on another newly installed computer), without success. When I activate debug, it tells me this:

ole initialize: 00000000
create mutex
mutex exists
mutex exists
mutex exists
mutex exists
mutex exists
mutex exists
mutex exists
...

Any suggestion or idea would be well appreciated.

Thanks!!

Manuel
therube
Posts: 5711
Joined: Thu Sep 03, 2009 6:48 pm

Re: Everything not runnng

Post by therube »

What version of Everything?
What OS (& version)?

Have you been messing with both Everything 1.4 & 1.5?
Did you disable, alpha_instance?
void
Developer
Posts: 19839
Joined: Fri Oct 16, 2009 11:31 pm

Re: Everything not runnng

Post by void »

The mutex exists loop means there's another Everything.exe running with no window.

The other Everything.exe has created a mutex, but is failing to create the main window.

Please try terminating Everything.exe
In the Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+ESC), click the Details tab.
Select Everything.exe running as your username and click End Process.
-Please don't terminate the Everything.exe process running as SYSTEM

Launch Everything.exe with -debug:
Everything.exe -debug


What is shown in the debug console when Everything tries to startup?
manuelb
Posts: 3
Joined: Tue Feb 17, 2026 12:16 pm

Re: Everything not runnng

Post by manuelb »

void wrote: Tue Feb 17, 2026 10:52 pm The mutex exists loop means there's another Everything.exe running with no window.

The other Everything.exe has created a mutex, but is failing to create the main window.

Please try terminating Everything.exe
In the Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+ESC), click the Details tab.
Select Everything.exe running as your username and click End Process.
-Please don't terminate the Everything.exe process running as SYSTEM

Launch Everything.exe with -debug:
Everything.exe -debug


What is shown in the debug console when Everything tries to startup?
Hello,

Thanks for your message. Everything is running on Windows 11 Pro 25RH2 (two laptops, same situation). Same set of applications. It doesn't work on either of them: one is brand new, recently installed from scratch. Note: it works on a personal laptop with different set of applications, Windows 11 Home 25RH2.

I am sorry, there is no another Everything instance with no window to be killed. On the "legacy" one, only the SYSTEM service appears, no other process. When I run Everything, it appears for a few seconds and then stops.

In the brand new laptop, the installation is portable. Same case. No Everything process exists, then I run it, it appears for a few seconds (no window) and then disappears.

Message from debug is:

ole initialize: 00000000
create mutex
mutex exists
...

Thanks,

Manuel
void
Developer
Posts: 19839
Joined: Fri Oct 16, 2009 11:31 pm

Re: Everything not runnng

Post by void »

Thank you for your reply.

Please download Process Explorer from Microsoft.

In Process Explorer, from the Find menu, click Find handle or dll.
Search for:
everything_mutex

What is listed?
therube
Posts: 5711
Joined: Thu Sep 03, 2009 6:48 pm

Re: Everything not runnng

Post by therube »

(I'll just note, cause I looked...)

For 1.4 & 1.5a, looks like 1 entry (for each Instance that is open, so for most, only 1 entry total).
manuelb
Posts: 3
Joined: Tue Feb 17, 2026 12:16 pm

Re: Everything not runnng

Post by manuelb »

void wrote: Thu Feb 19, 2026 12:20 am Thank you for your reply.

Please download Process Explorer from Microsoft.

In Process Explorer, from the Find menu, click Find handle or dll.
Search for:
everything_mutex

What is listed?
Thanks for your reply. I will check next week. I will check the portable version, as those are corporate computers and I got permission rights for installing the application, but messing with the OS is a different thing.

I will keep you posted. Thank you for the help.

Best,

Manuel
void
Developer
Posts: 19839
Joined: Fri Oct 16, 2009 11:31 pm

Re: Everything not runnng

Post by void »

Everything uses a mutex to ensure only one instance of Everything can run at a time.

When you launch Everything, it will check if this mutex exists.
If it does, it will wakeup the already running instance with WM_COPYDATA.

Maybe your network administrator has disable this call?
Maybe they have set Everything to run as administrator and are blocking standard users from communicating with Everything?

Please check with your network administrator.



In the meantime, please check if there's an Everything icon in the system notification area.
Can you open Everything from this icon?
elreymon
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Feb 03, 2025 4:08 pm

Everything not runnng - mutex exists

Post by elreymon »

Hello. Same problem here.
Simpthons
  • The famous "mutex exists" until the program itself (auto)closes or die
  • Only one Everything.exe running in the ground as a service (the famous SYSTEM task)
  • Windows 11 Enterprise. 25H2. v26200.8390
  • Everythig v 1.4.1.1032 (x64) -last available-
Investigation
  • After process crash o prior to execute it exists the handle EVERYTHING_MUTEX (seen created by the process usermode.exe
Full log:

Code: Select all

Everything
Version 1.4.1.1032 (x64)
Windows NT 6.2
Processors 16
IsAdmin 0
AppData 1
Service 1
cmdline "C:\Program Files\Everything\Everything.exe"
load localization
lng file opened!
header size 1151
version 1
got header
system default lid 0c0a
count 48
ole initialize: 00000000
create mutex
mutex exists
mutex exists
mutex exists
mutex exists
mutex exists
mutex exists
mutex exists
mutex exists
…
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Last edited by elreymon on Mon Jun 01, 2026 10:56 am, edited 1 time in total.
elreymon
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Feb 03, 2025 4:08 pm

Re: Everything not runnng

Post by elreymon »

UPDATE:

Cause found.
As you coudl see the handle (te mutex) was holded by de the program "usermode.exe"
After a close look its a type of antiransomware scurity solution installed by my office IT unit.
  • C:\Program Files\microclaudia\usermode.exe
  • Its a program from s2grupo.es
  • As I see in their manual the program creates a type of vaccine consisting in creating a mutex so any malware thiks it's already running and so don't do it
If I kill it (as I am local administrator) then everyhting starts. It's trapping somehow the mutex.

As I don't want to kill this app (IT Crowd would get my local administrator rights) I) must having it running. Does anyone know any Everything configuration that can conciliate those 2 tools: Microclaudia and Everyhting itself?
I have configured it as "No indexing" thus no service or "run as administrator" but seems of no effect.

Thanks in advance.
PS: No icon in notification area because the program does not even "starts" right.
Last edited by elreymon on Mon Jun 01, 2026 11:32 am, edited 4 times in total.
void
Developer
Posts: 19839
Joined: Fri Oct 16, 2009 11:31 pm

Re: Everything not runnng

Post by void »

Please try running Everything in an instance:

Code: Select all

Everything.exe -instance "elreymon"
This will use a different mutex name (
EVERYTHING_MUTEX (elreymon)
)
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