IIS ERROR about SP:The process can't access the file because it is being used by another process

You receive a "The process cannot access the file because it is being used by another process" error message when you try to start a Web site in the Internet Information Services MMC snap-in

 

SYMPTOMS

When you right-click a Web site in the Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS) Microsoft Management Console (MMC) snap-in, and then you clickStart,  the Web site does not start and  you receive the following error message:

The process cannot access the file because it is being used by another process.

This problem occurs on a computer that is running Microsoft IIS 6.0. This problem also occurs on a computer that is running both Microsoft IIS 7.0 and Windows Vista.

Additionally, the following two events may be logged in the System event log on the Microsoft Windows Server 2003-based computer that is running IIS:

Event Source: W3SVC   
Event ID: 1004   
Description: Cannot register the URL prefix 'http://*:80/' for site '1'. The site has been deactivated.  The data field contains the error number.

Event Source: HTTP   
Event ID: 15005   
Description: Unable to bind to the underlying transport for IPAddress:80. The IP Listen-Only list may contain a reference to an interface which may not exist on this machine.  The data field contains the error number.

Note IPAddress is the IP address of the computer that is running IIS.

 

CAUSE

Typically, this issue occurs when one or more of the following conditions are true:

• 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).
• The
  ListenOnlyList
  registry subkey is not configured correctly on the computer that is running IIS.

RESOLUTION

To resolve this issue, you must use the Netstat.exe utility at the command line to see if another process is using port 80 or port 443.

If port 80 is not being used, you must then examine the

ListenOnlyList

registry subkey on the computer that is running IIS. To do this, follow these steps.

Important This section, method, or task contains steps that tell you how to modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

322756

      (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/322756/            )   

How to back up and restore the registry in Windows

1. Log on the computer that is running IIS by using an account that has administrative permissions.
2. Click Start, click Run, typecmd, and then click OK.
3. At the command prompt, type the following command:
   netstat -ano
   Note For more information about the Netstat.exe utility, type the following command at the command prompt:
   netstat /?
4. If the ports are not being used, you must examine the
   ListenOnlyList
   registry subkey on the computer that is running IIS. To do, this follow these steps:
   1. Click Start, clickRun, type regedit, and then clickOK.
   2. In Registry Editor, locate the following registry subkey:
      HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\HTTP\Parameters\ListenOnlyList
5. Make sure that the
   ListenOnlyList
   subkey contains valid IP addresses. If the
   ListenOnlyList
   subkey contains an  IP address that is not valid, you must remove the IP address or change the 
   ListenOnlyList
   subkey entries to reflect a valid IP address.
   
   Note By default, if the
   ListenOnlyList
   subkey is not present, an IP address of 0.0.0.0 is used. However, if the 
   ListenOnlyList
   subkey is present and the 0.0.0.0 IP address is listed, no other IP address should be listed. If other IP address are also listed, the other IP addresses must be deleted.
6. Before you modify the
   ListenOnlyList
   subkey, you must stop the HTTP service on the computer that is running IIS. To do this, follow these steps:
   1. Click Start, clickRun, type cmd, and then clickOK.
   2. At the command prompt, type the following command, and then press ENTER:
      net stop http
      The following message appears:
      The following services are dependent on the HTTP service
      Stopping the HTTP service will also stop these services.  
      
      World Wide Web Publishing Service  
      HTTP SSL
      
      Do you want to continue this operation? (Y/N) [N]:
      Press Y, and then press ENTER.
      
      Note On Vista, the list of services in this message also includes the following services:
      • UPnP Device Host
      • SSDP Discovery
      • Print Spooler
      • Function Discovery Resource Publication
7. To remove the IP address that is not valid in Registry Editor, right-click the string value that contains the IP address, and then clickDelete. To modify the IP address value, right-click the string value that contains the IP address, and then clickModify.
8. In the Edit String dialog box, type the correct IP address in theValue Data box, and then click OK.
9. Close Registry Editor.
10. You must now restart the HTTP service on the computer that is running IIS. To do this, follow these steps:
    1. Click Start, clickRun, type cmd, and then clickOK.
    2. At the command prompt, type the following command:
       net start http
11. You must also restart the HTTP SSL service and the World Wide Web Publishing Service on the computer that is running IIS. To do this, follow these steps:
    1. Click Start, point toAdministrative Tools, and then click Services.
    2. In the Services MMC snap-in, right-click the following services, and then clickStart:
       •    World Wide Web Publishing Service  
       • HTTP SSL
    3. Close the Services MMC snap-in.