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Server-side application fails to run command

I have an ASP.NET application that is already deployed in an Azure virtual machine. The situation is as follows:
This application, OCREngine, is deployed on the server along with other 3rd party applications. OCREngine is executed on the server by using a service reference to the web service. It runs fine most of the time. But there is one exception: one of the branches of execution won't run the program it needs to run. Both of the branches have to run a program (both are being run in the same way), but one works and the other one doesn't.
This one works: CleanJPEG.exe
proc = new System.Diagnostics.Process();
proc.StartInfo.FileName = "CleanJPEG.exe";
proc.StartInfo.Arguments = "\"" + tempPages + "Color Info.JPEG\"";
proc.StartInfo.UseShellExecute = false;
proc.StartInfo.CreateNoWindow = true;
proc.Start();
And this one doesn't: cpctool.exe
proc = new System.Diagnostics.Process();
proc.StartInfo.FileName = "cpctool.exe";
proc.StartInfo.Arguments = "\"" + file + "\" -o \"" + tempPages + "page.tiff\"";
proc.StartInfo.UseShellExecute = false;
proc.StartInfo.CreateNoWindow = true;
proc.Start();
They are both in the same folder, which has full permissions for the AppPool and so does %TEMP%.
If I run the application from the server, everything works fine. But when I run it through the web service, an instance of cpctool.exe gets created (can be seen on Background processes in the task manager) but it doesn't do it's job. And thus the execution of OCREngine never finishes.
This last part is what made me think it was a problem with permissions, but I don't know what else to give permissions to.
I run Folder Changes View on cpctool.exe and it showed access to the folder where the files are stored and one file being saved in %TEMP% (which, funny enough, doesn't appear when running Folder Changes View on the server).
Can anyone think of any special folder that needs permission that I might be forgetting?

You are completely correct to concentrrate on the permissions as that is usually the issue.
If an EXE process starts and does nothing, then it's probably only made for interactive use, and is prompting for something.
Looking at this page it says:
The FIRST TIME the CPCTool.exe runs the user is prompted to read/accept a User Agreement from Cartesian – this agreement MUST be accepted or the converter will not work.
I reckon that's what it's doing. Try logging in as the application pool user, start the program and accept the agreement.

Starting a process

As part of SharePoint automation testing, I am trying to open Internet Explorer as another user by using the System.Diagnostics.Process . Here is the following C# code
System.Diagnostics.Process p = new System.Diagnostics.Process();
// Domain and User Name:
p.StartInfo.Domain = "MYDOMAIN";
p.StartInfo.UserName = "myusername";
// Command to execute and arguments:
p.StartInfo.FileName = "C:\\Program Files (x86)\\Internet Explorer\\iexplore.exe";
p.StartInfo.Arguments = "http://url/AllItems.aspx";
// Build the SecureString password...
System.String rawPassword = "thepassword";
System.Security.SecureString encPassword = new System.Security.SecureString();
foreach (System.Char c in rawPassword)
{
encPassword.AppendChar(c);
}
p.StartInfo.Password = encPassword;
// The UseShellExecute flag must be turned off in order to supply a password:
p.StartInfo.UseShellExecute = false;
p.StartInfo.CreateNoWindow = false;
p.Start();
When I run this automated test Visual Studio returns informing me that the test was successful, however Internet Explorer does not open.
Is there something in my code I am missing in order for a window to appear? There is no iexplore process running prior to the test being run.

putting double quotes around the file path (since it contains spaces) may help:
p.StartInfo.FileName = "\"C:\\Program Files (x86)\\Internet Explorer\\iexplore.exe\""
^^ ^^
In addition, if your intention is to start this from a service process or dll running in a service such as "SharePoint", then this code will probably not launch the process in the desktop desired. You'll need to set the desktop to "winsta0\\default" in the startup info.

To run a process the worker process should have high privileges and this is not an ideal case in any web application. If your purpose is to use IE for unit testing then I would consider using something like WaitIN. If your purpose is for application logic to access a URL and do something then consider using HttpWebRequest. If you still need a process to be started then create a Windows Service and then expose a web call so in Share Point you can just make a call and your Windows Service can run on local account or some other high privilege account.
Hope this helps and please provide the scenario why you want to start the IE and that can give you a better answer in the forum.

Process Start in IIS

Want to execute a exe within Application directory, in Dev system it works fine. In IIS, it is not executed, I have tried below points:
set default application pool to local system
set defualtpool, NETWORK_SERVICE, Everyone access to exe
Enabled 32 bit application to application pool
Server Version : Windows Server 2012
IIS Version: IIS 8.0
Below is my code
p.StartInfo = new ProcessStartInfo();
p.StartInfo.UseShellExecute = false;
p.StartInfo.RedirectStandardOutput = true;
p.StartInfo.FileName = System.AppDomain.CurrentDomain.BaseDirectory.ToString() + "wkhtmltopdf\\wkhtmltopdf.exe";
string arg1 = "";
arg1 = "www.google.com" + " test.pdf";
p.StartInfo.Arguments = arg1;
p.StartInfo.WindowStyle = ProcessWindowStyle.Hidden;
p.StartInfo.CreateNoWindow = true;
p.Start();
p.WaitForExit(60000);
p.Close();
p.Dispose();

Make sure that the location at which your pdf file is getting generated "everyone has access to it"
it seems you are trying to convert html data to pdf file on your iis server. Make sure IIS server can access the site which your are trying to convert "Check if you can access those site using IE on your IIS server as there could be proxy issues"

Consider to set the working path of your exe:
p.StartInfo.WorkingDirectory = System.AppDomain.CurrentDomain.BaseDirectory.ToString() + "wkhtmltopdf";
Also check task manager if the exe is in memory.
Sometimes when a batch got a low level error open a prompt, and IIS do not capture it, so the process is freezed in memory.
Consider also the set a log in the exe in order to understand what goes wrong.
I had similar problem. Solved moving the exe in another folder outside IIS application. This folder should have execution rights.

Permission issue running .exe from ASP.NET web application

We have a .exe which we need to execute at the time an order is placed on a website. When
we test this locally it works fine using IIS Express. When we move it to IIS, it fails. We assume this is a permissions error as if we set the App Pool to run as the administrator then the script works again. The question we have is how do we execute the .exe as the administrator whilst the App Pool is ApplicationIdentity? We are using the following code:
var process = new Process
{
StartInfo = new ProcessStartInfo
{
FileName = executablePath,
Arguments = argumentList,
Domain = domain,
UserName = userName,
Password = securePassword,
UseShellExecute = false,
LoadUserProfile = true
}
};
process.Start();
process.WaitForExit();
process.Close();
The .exe is trying to write to the Users AppData folder which is why it fails. It is a 3rd party app so we cannot change the source code.
EDIT: Just to clarify also, when we specify the username and password in procmon it still appears to run from ISUR.

We fixed this by enabling User profile on IIS AppPool and setting permission for the IIS user on the folder it was trying to write to.
We sue ProcMon to find where the program was failing and the folder it was trying towrite to was C:\Windows\System32\config\systemprofile

i dont remember actually, but one of them is working 100% ( i had this issue before)
just let me know ehich one of them is the correct one.

How to execute EXE file on Windows 2008 using ASP.NET

How to execute EXE file on Windows 2008 using ASP.NET and IIS7? I have tried to run code below but it seems do not work. The code is executed without any error but I do not see Notepad in Processes list. Everything works fine if I use ASP.NET developer server but not with IIS7.
string enginePath = "notepad";
var password = new System.Security.SecureString();
foreach (char character in ConfigurationManager.AppSettings["Credentials"])
password.AppendChar(character);
var p = new Process
{
StartInfo =
{
FileName = enginePath,
UseShellExecute = false,
}
};
p.StartInfo.UserName = "Administrator";
p.StartInfo.Password = password;
p.Start();

In response to security concerns Microsoft has continually increased the isolation of the IIS process such that you can not (or I have not found a work around which will allow you to...) invoke anything outside the IIS application domain directly. You can build a Windows service which can use WCF channels to cross that boundary indirectly. That service (configured to be allowed to interact with the desktop) can in turn launch your Notepad.exe.
It is a bit of a kludge to make it happen and I will certainly be interested to see if someone else has a better answer.

I have removed lines below and it suddenly started working. I can't explain how it is possible to run exe under IIS7 account but it is working.
p.StartInfo.UserName = "Administrator";
p.StartInfo.Password = password;