Applying SSL certificate in IIS manager and "The process cannot access the file because it's being used by another process" error

Question

I applied a self-signed SSL certificate in IIS manager to Default Web Site(added the HTTPS binding) and after that when I'm trying to start the web site, I'm getting the following error message: "The process cannot access the file because it's being used by another process. (Exception from HRESULT: 0x80070020) ". But when I remove the HTTPS binding, everything works fine. So, what is the problem? What might have I done wrong?"

Answer 1

Yes exiting the Skype desktop app fixed this for me also.

If your running Windows 8(.1) the Skype App (Windows Store App) doesn't use the local 443 port if you can live without installing the desktop Skype app. Also you can pin it to your taskbar. This solution is good enough for me since I don't need all of the features the desktop version offers.

Answer 2

If you're trying to do this on a local machine, Skype can block the https port (443). To stop this:

Skype - Tools > Options > Advanced > Connection, then uncheck 'Use port 80 and 443 as alternatives for incoming connections'. Then quite Skype (right click in task bar, 'Quit Skype'), and try starting the website again in IIS.

Answer 3

VmWare Workstation 8 grabs 443 for its VM Sharing feature. You can disable it in the settings. http://communities.vmware.com/thread/341114

Answer 4

Have you tried the Microsoft Support Article that mentions this process error occuring when you try to start a Web site in the Internet Information Services MMC snap-in

Answer 5

You may want to use some sysinternals tools to see if the file is really used by another process. I recommend Process Explorer. Once you've located the culprit, you can usually see why it opens the file.

If you can't find any process, maybe your code tries to open the file; check for any file handlers you may not have closed.