C++ multi-threading mutex lock "reset"

Question

I use a std::mutex in my multi-threaded application for accessing the same resource by multiple threads. This works fine. But at some point of my code, I have to terminate the threads using TerminateThread(...). When I begin the thread again (using _beginthreadex), I get an exception if one of the threads was at the mutex lock when it was terminated:

Concurrency::improper_lock bei Speicherort 0x03B4F3D0.

This is thrown in rtlocks.cpp, line 1184 (in bool critical_section::_Acquire_lock):

LockQueueNode * pPrevious = reinterpret_cast<LockQueueNode *>(InterlockedExchangePointer(&_M_pTail, pNewNode));

I guess, if I could "reset" the mutex, I would get an exception, right? How can I do this?

(I use <process.h>)

edit

I tried the following:

std::mutex dataStorage_lock;
mutexHandler[0] = &dataStorage_lock; //storing all mutexs in an array

//when trying to delete:
delete mutexHandler[0];

But I get:

Debug Assertion Failed!

Expression: _BLOCK_TYPE_IS_VALID(pHead->nBlockUse)

Answer 1

this is pseudocode, but you ought to get the idea:

wrong:

function thread_proc():
  for_ever:
    do_things

function stop_my_thread():
  TerminateThread(...)

right:

function thread_proc():
  while(not terminate_signal):
    do_things

function stop_my_thread():
  terminate_signal.set();  // signals the thread to terminate
  thread.join();           // waits for the thread to terminate