Unable to start web site IIS HRESULT: 0x80070020)

Question

I'm trying to publish a web site with a self-created SSL certificate on my own IP. After I added the web site to the IIS and tried to run it, I get this error and I'm unable to start the web site.

Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager - The process cannot access the file because it is being used by another process. (Exception from HRESULT: 0x80070020)

What can be the reason of that problem?

Solution 1

Check this http://support.microsoft.com/kb/890015/en-us

Another process is using port 80 or port 443 on the computer that is running IIS. By default, IIS uses port 80 as the default TCP port and port 443 for Secure Sockets Layer (SSL).

Solution 2

To further elaborate Nacho's (correct) answer, from here:

Run the following command from a command prompt to find the PID of the process which is using TCP port 80 and/or 443 (hint: for 443, it's probably Skype):

netstat -aon | find ":80" 
netstat -aon | find ":443"

You will see an output similar to the following. Remember the actual PID will vary from case to case.

TCP    0.0.0.0:80            0.0.0.0:0              LISTENING       3604 
TCP    0.0.0.0:443           0.0.0.0:0              LISTENING       3320

Now using Task Manager you can easily find out to which process the above PID belongs and take appropriate action.

Solution 3

In my case Skype was the culprit. Yes, you read it correctly: Skype was using port 80/443.

Below is the way to disable it-

1. launch Skype -> Tools -> Options
2. go to advance settings -> connection

3. uncheck the "use port 80 and 443 ...."

   

4. save and quit your Skype or restart your machine.

Comments

[Muhammad Hasan Khan]

Check to see if Skype is running. Usually it takes over https port.

[Felix Aballi]

It happens sometimes, that WAS and W3SVC services hang permanently and the IIS Manager doesn't get control over inner site's 'restart' administrative option, so my suggestion is stop/start/restart the service in the Task Manager Services tab. It worked for me.

[Chesneycar]

This is 100% right, my issue was that Skype was running on port 443. I just configured Skype settings to use a different port. I hope this helps some poor soul when they stumble upon this.

[Tim Lovell-Smith]

Thanks @Chesney - that helped me!

[Banketeshvar Narayan]

Yes, I was also facing the same issue due to Skype. to check it I closed Skype and error gone.

[aruno]

Had kind of assumed Skype stopped doing this, but nope - they still do - even in 2017...

[mihkov]

Skype Options > Advanced > Connections Disable using 80 and 443 ports. This fixed the problem for me. Thanks

[Kailash Bhakuni]

@Ignacio - Thanks :)

[Juan Pablo Gomez]

The best answer, due not always is Skype.

[eagle275]

Nice answer though totally irrelevant, if my webservice uses 7777 and 7778 as respective ports

[cskwg]

In my case, vmware-host was the culprit. Setting can be found in "Shared VMs"

[Ivan Silkin]

In my case it was "VMWare" hypervisor service. Thanks for the tip.