Only allow program to open once on win 7

[schwags]

Hello all, forgive me if this is obvious, but I am not in front of the computer to try this on and I have to know an answer before I will be on the computer. I have a client that is having trouble because she or other users are accidentally opening a file more than once on her computer, then obviously cannot save changes on the second open instance. She is using works on a win 7 platform. With xp, it would warn people when doing this, but in 7 it just let's it happen. I have told her just to pay closer attention, but she did not like that answer! I told her I would look into it, but I am away from the office and going there next. Is there a way to make windows ask or prevent this from happening?

 

[Mr.Mike]

From your description, it sounds like they are double-double-clicking the icon or file. I'd adjust her mouse click speed to slow it down. Hope this makes sense.

 

[Methical]

Or the 'Single-Click to open an item' is ticked in Windows Explorer > Folder Options. And they are double clicking it and opening two instances of it. My boss does this all the time, and then complains that the "stupid computer opened it up twice."

Either that, or I mis-interpreted your description.

 

[schwags]

Actually this is abut different these the above issues. The user will open a file and leave it open, then another user will come along and double click on the file to open it again thereby causing the issues. they apparently can't look down at the task tray and see that it is already open. This has led to the user claiming that windows 7 is dumb and "it never used to be like that"! She was using do before...

 

[Larry Sabo]

From your description, it sounds like they are double-double-clicking the icon or file. I'd adjust her mouse click speed to slow it down. Hope this makes sense.

I had this "double instance" problem a week ago and found the mouse click speed set unusually low. Setting it to normal (half-way point) cured the problem. Counter-intuitive, I know.

 

[PC-Technix]

Actually this is abut different these the above issues. The user will open a file and leave it open, then another user will come along and double click on the file to open it again thereby causing the issues. they apparently can't look down at the task tray and see that it is already open. This has led to the user claiming that windows 7 is dumb and "it never used to be like that"! She was using do before...

"Save as" springs to mind. Close after finished. Either that or have a different user account. Talking of accounts, would the user leave banking details open for the next user too see

 

[Mr.Mike]

I had this "double instance" problem a week ago and found the mouse click speed set unusually low. Setting it to normal (half-way point) cured the problem. Counter-intuitive, I know.

How about Anti-intuitive!

Usually I find my older clients having difficulty with hand/eye coordination and can't hear or feel the mouse click or its rate.

 

[Larry Sabo]

How about Anti-intuitive!

Usually I find my older clients having difficulty with hand/eye coordination and can't hear or feel the mouse click or its rate.

We're both wrong; it's counterintuitive (without an apostrophe). In this case, it was me having the double-instance problem. Oh wait, at 71 yrs of age, I guess I qualify as an older person, but my eye-hand coordination is pretty good. It's my brain that's feeble.

 

[Mr.Mike]

We're both wrong; it's counterintuitive (without an apostrophe). In this case, it was me having the double-instance problem. Oh wait, at 71 yrs of age, I guess I qualify as an older person, but my eye-hand coordination is pretty good. It's my brain that's feeble.

While there was no apostrophe in Anti-intuitive (and apparently should be no dash either) I bow to your senior-ness. You seem to be the exception to the rule.

 

[Vicenarian]

you're all wrong,

It's anti-counter-intuitive-ness

 

[citizensmith]

heres somethinhg else to laugh @

re: the question
run this .bat from a shortcut with miminized on run, and you get only one instance of calc running. The proper coders will probably find a neat way to do this stealthiley using tasklist, wscript or wmic to check for process in memory

if exist calc.txt goto end
copy /y nul calc.txt > nul 
call calc.exe
:end
del calc.txt > nul

of course the xbox generation can probably click a whole lot faster than me

q the hyenas

 

[markcuk11]

you can give this a ago http://www.freewaregenius.com/2010/...allow-only-one-running-instance-of-a-program/

 

[FoolishTech]

whew, I was about to suggest a WMI based solution but nevermind!

 

[schwags]

The issue turned out to be the network connectivity to the machine. When the machine lost connection, it would allow another instance of the file to open... I got the network connection more stable, (new wiring), and all is good.