Solving the "ghost" Java process

"Ghost Process", "Zombie Process", "Unkillable Process", etc... is basically a process that can't be killed/remove from system. You might have this problem when you play Minecraft, or you're hosting a server using Java. I do also have this problem as well, and I want to share with you how do I fixed it.

Now you might came here for the "there is no running instance of the task" error when you're using taskkill /f /im javaw.exe. If so then you're in the right place.

Some notes: For Linux users, simply use kill -9

What I've tried?

• Search Google (none of them are related to Java)
• Reinstall drivers (as well as update the drivers)
• Uninstall updates (doesn't do anything, as well as putting my PC into risk)

So, how do I fixed it?

Simply reinstall Java! Now you might be disappointed, because reinstalling Java is an easy task, and everyone can do it. But man, this takes me a long time until I remember "Reinstall if it doesn't work".
Does it works? If so then you can close this page and hopefully it won't happen again.

But it doesn't works!

No? Well, I guess there's only one solution left: Reinstall Windows
I mean, there's an option in Settings, which allow you to reinstall Windows without USB or other removable media. But the thing is, even if you're trying to reinstall like that, there's 90% will fail.

I don't have USB!

Don't panic. You don't really need them. USB is some sort of "rescue device", something that can revive your PC from dead. In other word, if you can still use your PC and have access to Internet, you don't need USB at all.

Reinstall Windows from ISO file (Windows 8+)

In Windows 8 (most people are using Windows 10 right now), you can mount ISO file without 3rd party software. This is important, as many people doesn't have software like UltraISO or PowerISO.

To mount, simply double click/open ISO file with Windows Explorer. To install, simply double click "setup.exe"

Reinstall Windows from ISO file (Windows 7 or maybe older)

If you have 7zip or WinRAR installed, you can extract the contents inside the ISO file to somewhere, and then simply run "setup.exe". I do recommend extracting all of the contents to root directory of your volume (ex: extracting files to E:\, so the "setup.exe" will be located in "E:\setup.exe")

What should I do with the installer?

In Windows 10 Installer, you have an option to keep both programs and files. I don't recommend using this option, but instead only keep your personal files, or just remove everything. Why? Because keeping old programs may break your PC.

What should I do after reinstalled?

After you've reinstalled Windows, you're ready to go. Just don't turn off Windows Update, or you might get the "There is no running instance of the task" once again. Who want to get that message, right?

I don't want to reinstall Windows!

If you still doesn't want to reinstall Windows, then I have some solutions, which might be helpful:

• Don't overclock your CPU (or if your CPU does have Turbo Boost, disable it)
• Use Linux (I mean, there's kill command, which could be useful)
• Buy a new PC (or replace some hardware of your PC)

So yeah, after many failures, I finally solve it. If this article solved your problem, why not sharing this to your friend? See you next time.

~nahkd

Update 04/07/20: Added another solution because I'm stupid.