Debugging hangs

A hang refers to a process that is still present, but has become unresponsive.

This lack of response can be caused by any one of these reasons:
  • The process has become deadlocked, so no work is being done. Usually, the process is taking up no CPU time.
  • The process has become caught in an infinite loop. Usually, the process is taking up high CPU time.
  • The process is running, but is suffering from very bad performance. This is not an actual hang, but is often initially mistaken for one.