Under the Windows OS, sometimes a process that has been killed/terminated in a non-graceful way (i.e., not a normal exit) will leave a residual component in the stack, that retains the original PID (Process ID) but has zero private bytes in RAM. If you try to kill/terminate such processes, the system responds with an error message. In the case of a killed Explorer.exe process which has entered this state, here is an example of such an error message:

Unable to terminate explorer.exe (PID 106484): An attempt was made to access an exiting process.

Below is an extract from a discussion thread from 2007 about this issue from someone wanting to know how to fully delete/clear such a residual process from the list of running processes:
(Copied below sans embedded hyperlinks/images.)

I closed an application, but the process remained in the list. I try to stop in from the task manager, but nothing happens. No error messages, process just stays in the list. I try to debug it, but the debugger says:
Unable to attach to the crashing process. The requested operation is not supported.
This happens with VS2008 and some other programs, sometimes.
How to terminate it?
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That's one of the reasons I switched to Linux. Though I experienced this problem under Win XP, it seems that it hasn't changet since then. – petersohn Apr 30 '10 at 7:07
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According to samba.2283325.n4.nabble.com/… there's exactly the same situation in Linux - processes waiting on the kernel are unkillable. This is one of the reasons I switched to Windows. – ta.speot.is Jun 12 '11 at 2:25
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Copied from: windows 7 - How can I kill an unkillable process? - Super User - <https://superuser.com/questions/136272/how-can-i-kill-an-unkillable-process>;

There is no answer to that Q because it postulates the impossible - i.e., that a law of physics can be broken in the first place.

Well, yeah ... but it kinda loses impact to say, "If a law (as we know it) of physics (as we know it) ...", ya know? 

^^ You're going down a slippery slope with that line of questioning, @Shades.

Burger Sauce: https://youtu.be/X3AWV5lJ6RY

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Does Superman have nerves of steel?

What if there's a person hidden behind the target?

Virtual-reality sex: the fun way to get a new computer!(21st century sex) Still costs the same, but more enjoyable(requires additional hardware). If you are addicted to it, you can get a collection with various OSes. You could get a Windows phone for a reduced price, but it would be Microsoft sex.

If zombies and vampires are undead, then is a zombie vampire a double negative?

A company has had trouble developing a cyber-ship. No-one wants to get involved with a ship that keeps synching. If you don't believe that's a problem, synch again.

Electronic sensors for detecting/analysing ambient air pollution (e.g., carbon monoxide) are nothing especially new, but an enterprising outfit called Plume Labs has packaged some sensors into a cool gadget called "Flow"and made a cool app that maps the measurements as the gadget is moved to different locations. Then they made a superb video advertising the ambient air pollution analyser:


Some people (not me, you understand) might say that it was apparently produced by/for airheads, but I couldn't possibly comment.

On a completely different note: am I contributing to the registered pollution playing 'air guitar'? 

Only if you pub[lish | licize]  .