A convenient way to deal with "Unexpected Error 0x8ffe2740"

Ever had the annoying problem of IIS not wanting to start, coughing up the message "Unexpected Error 0x8ffe2740 Occurred."?  The reason is that some other application has grabbed port 80.  The most common applications doing this are Skype or Trillion.  You can try just ending task on them and see if IIS will then start.  If you're not running either of those then what could it be?  Microsoft's KB article about the subject describes using the third-party utilities TCPView or FPort.  But I think an easier way to find the issue is to simply drop out to a command prompt and run:

netstat -aon

Scroll up to the top part with TCP listings and you'll see something like this:

Then under "Local Address" look for 0.0.0.0:80.  This is your entry, and a the far right is the PID you're after.  With that number you can then run Task Manager, select the Process tab, and add the PID column in the display from View / Select Columns:

When you've found the process with the same PID, end task on it.  The universe should then return to a state of perfect harmony.  (Or at least your IIS will be able to start at that point!)

Another more geeky option to kill the offending app is to compile and run this line of .NET code:

System.Diagnostics.Process.GetProcessById( PID# ).Kill()

(Of course putting in the proper PID where indicated there.)

With everything that the Process class does, you could actually write your own highly effective Task Manager application in .NET if you really wanted to!


Feedback

# re: A convenient way to deal with "Unexpected Error 0x8ffe2740"

Excellent Solutions for the problem.simply superb.Thanks for the solution 5/8/2006 8:58 AM | srinivas

# re: A convenient way to deal with "Unexpected Error 0x8ffe2740"

for hours i've been trying to get IIS running, it kept giving me that error, and when i typed in into google i found a few pages refering to port errors, but none of they were all seeking to adapt (changing the ip) rather than help me find the source of the problem. After reading your article i was soon surprised to find that my issue was infact windows messanger live. after killing it and finding that it still wasnt going to start i did the process again, finding that skype had also taken up port 80. So after a storm of issues i can now return to harmony and continue working on my website.
I hope in turn i have helped someone. 5/11/2006 3:14 PM | Rohan

# re: A convenient way to deal with "Unexpected Error 0x8ffe2740"

Brilliant solution. I had this problem for a day or two after a new xp install on a development machine. I'd recopied the web site into iis twice thinking it was a problem with the files.

Then using your solution I found it: Skype port 80. Back to my web design headache solved.

Thanks a lot.
9/12/2006 7:34 AM | Bob Thomas

# re: A convenient way to deal with "Unexpected Error 0x8ffe2740"

Hi, if let's say 3 different applications use the same port 80, can I choose different ports, i.e. 80, 81, 82 to let them work together (assuming that no other app is using either 80, 81 or 82)?
9/29/2006 11:03 AM | Krystof

# re: A convenient way to deal with "Unexpected Error 0x8ffe2740"

Brilliant solution, thanks u a lot! 10/5/2006 8:50 PM | Ngoc

# re: A convenient way to deal with "Unexpected Error 0x8ffe2740"

Great and easy solution! Simple explanation! Had Skype on port 80. Once killed Skype process and restarted IIS, everything worked perfect! I wish I found this solution earlier - I have uninstalled IIS, reconfigured, etc. Started Skype again and it work as well together with IIS.

THANKS!!!!! 1/29/2007 1:28 PM | Guest

# re: A convenient way to deal with "Unexpected Error 0x8ffe2740"

Your efforts are highly valued! 3/29/2007 12:06 PM | KReite

# re: A convenient way to deal with "Unexpected Error 0x8ffe2740"

Thanks alot.
Saved time and effort all round

4/11/2007 11:39 AM | Cooperman

# re: A convenient way to deal with "Unexpected Error 0x8ffe2740"

hey but what if the process we are trying to kill is from the IIS itself.............. meaning that the code residing on the port 80 of my comp is inetinfo.exe which happens to be from IIS.............

so killing it wont do no good.................

any other solution bro? still facing the same code error.
5/15/2007 12:10 AM | arjun

# re: A convenient way to deal with "Unexpected Error 0x8ffe2740"

Just use netstat - b - a to see the binary using the port, like skype.exe 5/31/2007 1:37 PM | ebsoman

# re: A convenient way to deal with "Unexpected Error 0x8ffe2740"

Thanks for this description, i found it cia google the first time, and solved right away.

Regards,

Robert 6/19/2007 2:21 AM | Robert de Laat

# re: A convenient way to deal with "Unexpected Error 0x8ffe2740"

That was very helpful, Thank you!! 6/20/2007 2:42 PM | Eileen

# re: A convenient way to deal with "Unexpected Error 0x8ffe2740"

Thanx for the solution. What if I found Apache.exe running on that port? I tried it deleting, but I could not solve the problem 8/14/2007 5:23 AM | Parmesh

# re: A convenient way to deal with "Unexpected Error 0x8ffe2740"

Thanx a lot, really great solution! 8/26/2007 11:01 PM | a

# re: A convenient way to deal with "Unexpected Error 0x8ffe2740"

This is a perfect solutions. Thanks a mill 9/16/2007 5:53 AM | Harry Casimir

# re: A convenient way to deal with "Unexpected Error 0x8ffe2740"

Thanks!
9/20/2007 4:57 AM | Walter Coole

# re: A convenient way to deal with "Unexpected Error 0x8ffe2740"

Did not work. apache.exe was the process using that port. Killed the process in Task Manager but it is still listed in the output of netstat -aon. Web site still will not start. still generates the same error. 9/30/2007 1:09 PM | Edward Joell

# re: A convenient way to deal with "Unexpected Error 0x8ffe2740"

thanx a lot srinivas.
Dear Arjun and Edward Joel...u cn try to change the port of iis itself to some free port.
u need to go to the properties of iis and just change the port settings.In I faced the exact prob as Joel n changing the port for iis worked.

TRY OUT N LET KNOW 10/15/2007 7:08 PM | trishito

# re: A convenient way to deal with "Unexpected Error 0x8ffe2740"

Thanks dude, solved my problem upon reading ur thrid line. Yup, it's skype :) 10/19/2007 4:50 PM | euveng

# re: A convenient way to deal with "Unexpected Error 0x8ffe2740"

Brilliant! Works like a charm.

Turned out to be the PC TV Tuner nabbing the port. 10/24/2007 4:45 AM | Ambriel

# re: A convenient way to deal with "Unexpected Error 0x8ffe2740"

hey thanks dear, u have really done gr8 things.. congrats!! 10/30/2007 5:47 PM | vikas

# re: A convenient way to deal with "Unexpected Error 0x8ffe2740"

Its really cool. I actually run VMware on my system, and after reading your article, I found out that its vmnat that's using the port 80.After killing the process, IIS started when I tried it. Thanks and keep up the job 11/9/2007 9:02 PM | Adeola

# re: A convenient way to deal with "Unexpected Error 0x8ffe2740"

thankyou very much for a quick and excellent solution. Skype was using port 80 and i just stopped it and it was all ok. 11/23/2007 7:53 AM | Babur Mansoor

# re: A convenient way to deal with "Unexpected Error 0x8ffe2740"

simply great ! thanks ;) 12/4/2007 9:23 PM | Fabian Gilet

# re: A convenient way to deal with "Unexpected Error 0x8ffe2740"

I run a third party application Fport, its shows the applications using the port, i just stopped the application and IIS was able to work. 1/6/2008 12:58 AM | Perry Amo - Mensah

# re: A convenient way to deal with "Unexpected Error 0x8ffe2740"

Thanks for the sollution! I've been looking all over Microsofts knowledge database for a solution, without luck, and my teacher (I'm on a course in Dreamweaver) didn't know how to solve the problem either.

Since I'm on a school, almost all ports are closed, so changing the port in IIS was not working either.

Once again, Thanks! 1/10/2008 10:52 PM | Mikkel

# re: A convenient way to deal with "Unexpected Error 0x8ffe2740"

Thanks for that solution! Sweet As! 1/11/2008 8:26 AM | Vincent Curry

# re: A convenient way to deal with "Unexpected Error 0x8ffe2740"

Still no luck. I have ended the program running and still no go. Any other solutions? 2/14/2008 9:47 AM | H

# re: A convenient way to deal with "Unexpected Error 0x8ffe2740"

Thank You! 3/1/2008 12:27 PM | Allan

# re: A convenient way to deal with "Unexpected Error 0x8ffe2740"

This is really a great solution to the problem. Excellent. 3/6/2008 11:38 PM | Vengada

# re: A convenient way to deal with "Unexpected Error 0x8ffe2740"

Thank you! 3/10/2008 1:22 AM | WC

# re: A convenient way to deal with "Unexpected Error 0x8ffe2740"


Excellent solution…saved my life.

What I will suggest is to use Sysinternal’s
Process Explorer
(http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb896653.aspx).

I had WinRM running on port 80 and Task Manager
shows only “svchost.exe”.

This is not enough to know what is causing that.

Process Explorer shows the command line for the
process so you’ll easily find “who” is creating
the problem.

3/20/2008 11:28 PM | Don

# re: A convenient way to deal with "Unexpected Error 0x8ffe2740"

to find out the program using port 80 I found that the easiest method was using CurrPorts.exe 4/21/2008 10:03 PM | Tony Sedgwick

# re: A convenient way to deal with "Unexpected Error 0x8ffe2740"

In my case, it si Apache...But thanks a lot, your solution is helpful to me. 5/4/2008 9:56 PM | hama

# re: A convenient way to deal with "Unexpected Error 0x8ffe2740"

Perfect! 5/5/2008 3:22 AM | Ram

# re: A convenient way to deal with "Unexpected Error 0x8ffe2740"

Thanks so much.

Saved so much time that would have been wasted! 5/5/2008 10:28 PM | Alon

# re: A convenient way to deal with "Unexpected Error 0x8ffe2740"

great man...............you are the MAN
5/29/2008 2:11 AM | MuhammadFarooqi

# re: A convenient way to deal with "Unexpected Error 0x8ffe2740"

Excellent solution. Great work 6/24/2008 5:22 PM | Nagarajan

# re: A convenient way to deal with "Unexpected Error 0x8ffe2740"

Thanx pal...!!! :-)
U hv done a real good job... 6/29/2008 3:54 PM | Anumeha

# re: A convenient way to deal with "Unexpected Error 0x8ffe2740"

Thanka a million worked for me :-) 7/7/2008 10:22 AM | Anand

# re: A convenient way to deal with "Unexpected Error 0x8ffe2740"

You rock, man, you rock! Thanks a lot!
7/8/2008 5:53 AM | Marcelo

# re: A convenient way to deal with "Unexpected Error 0x8ffe2740"

This was awesome help!
Thank you... 7/9/2008 4:47 PM | Haluk Akin

# re: A convenient way to deal with "Unexpected Error 0x8ffe2740"

Cool. Awesome help. 7/14/2008 5:54 PM | kakarato

# re: A convenient way to deal with "Unexpected Error 0x8ffe2740"

Yes! Thank you very much! You are the man! 7/15/2008 11:12 PM | Dave

# re: A convenient way to deal with "Unexpected Error 0x8ffe2740"

Thanks, Excellent solution.. - Frank 7/16/2008 7:30 PM | Franklyn Edwin

# re: A convenient way to deal with "Unexpected Error 0x8ffe2740"

Worked perfectly ! Thanks. 7/29/2008 8:14 PM | Sunny

# re: A convenient way to deal with "Unexpected Error 0x8ffe2740"

Brilliant. I didn't expect Skype was the cause of this. Now, my IIS is working again.

Thank you! 8/2/2008 12:12 PM | Michiel

# re: A convenient way to deal with "Unexpected Error 0x8ffe2740"

You are my hero. 8/5/2008 4:51 PM | Coufu

# re: A convenient way to deal with "Unexpected Error 0x8ffe2740"

Thanks a lot. Excellent solution 8/6/2008 4:03 AM | Barry

# re: A convenient way to deal with "Unexpected Error 0x8ffe2740"

Wow, Brilliant, my hero, awesome, etc, etc. etc. Thanks! 9/12/2008 2:08 PM | Clay

# re: A convenient way to deal with "Unexpected Error 0x8ffe2740"

thanks alot. trying to solve for hours before reading this article! 9/12/2008 4:57 PM | Benny

# re: A convenient way to deal with "Unexpected Error 0x8ffe2740"

Great... i have been googling for the past 2 days and i found the right solution here .... 9/23/2008 8:57 PM | Radhakrishna

# re: A convenient way to deal with "Unexpected Error 0x8ffe2740"

Looks like you can turn this off in Skype as well:

Tools/Advanced/Connection
then uncheck "Use port 80 and 443 as alternatives for incoming connections"

Restart Skype and off you go. 9/29/2008 7:48 AM | Dan

# re: A convenient way to deal with "Unexpected Error 0x8ffe2740"

thanks bro! 10/9/2008 3:01 PM | fathullah @ Ameen Mohd Rasid

# re: A convenient way to deal with "Unexpected Error 0x8ffe2740"

simple but effective solution.......(^_^) 10/10/2008 4:36 PM | benny riang

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