Symptom: Error: "Profiler already running in exclusive mode."
Fix: Do not mix vsexe.exe (which starts its own hidden monitor) with VSPerfCmd start unless you use /attach appropriately. Prefer one method—either use VSPerfCmd alone or vsexe.exe alone.
For Visual Studio 2012, handling exclusive file locks and stale artifacts is frequently the difference between smooth upgrades and recurring “file in use” errors. Use VS-aware preclean tools (vsprecleanvsexe-style behavior), follow safe targeting and backup practices, and automate these steps in CI to keep installations reliable. vsprecleanvsexe visual studio 2012 exclusive
If you’d like, I can:
Symptom: "Access denied" when starting VSPerfCmd /exclusive.
Fix: Run command prompt as Administrator. Symptom: Error: "Profiler already running in exclusive mode