Cannot open output file, permission denied

So I keep getting this error when trying to compile C++ code using CodeBlocks.

cannot open output file [filename.exe] permission denied

It only started today, and it's sporadic and inconsistent. It usually goes away if I shut CodeBlocks down and restart the project, but not always. Sometimes it even goes away when I just press F9 (build & run) several times. I always check Task Manager, but there are never any .EXEs running with my file's name, or anything related to it.

I've also noticed that if this problem occurs and I then try to delete the .EXE manually or otherwise interact with it, Windows tells me I need administrator permission to do so (this is a private PC, and as far as I know I am an administrator on it).

The first time it occurred, the only thing I had added to the code beyond what was in the previous version was a debugging report sent to cout - hardly anything arcane. It sometimes occurs even when no code was changed from a previous version.

What could this be? It's not game-breaking, yet, but it's irritating and I'd rather it didn't get worse.

EDIT: This is old by now, but just in case anyone else is having similar problems, the workaround I currently use is just to consistently delete [filename.exe] before trying to run the code again. This avoids the problem, though it is annoying.

check that "filename.exe" is not running, I guess you are using Microsoft Windows, in that case you can use either Task Manager or Process Explorer : http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb896653 to kill "filename.exe" before trying to generate it.

I have encountered the same problem you have. I found that it may have some relationship with the way you terminate your run result. When you run your code, whether it has a printout, the debugger will call the console which print a "Press any key to continue...". If you terminate the console by pressing key, it's ok; if you do it by click the close button, the problem comes as you described. When you terminate it in the latter way, you have to wait several minutes before you can rebuild your code.

I just had the same issue. And i experienced that it always happens when i run the programm and change some code without finishing the programm still running. After that the "cannot open ..." message appears.

However i got rid of it by clicking the "Terminate" button at the very top-right side of the console window (red button) and after that "remove all terminated launches" (two x'es right next to the terminate button). This seems to close the running programm and everything works fine after :) hope this may help anyone