@@ -402,10 +402,25 @@
     (mutex-lock! *db-multi-sync-mutex*)
     (set! *db-last-sync* start-t)
     (set! *db-last-access* start-t)
     (mutex-unlock! *db-multi-sync-mutex*)
     (stack-push! (dbr:dbstruct-dbstack dbstruct) tmpdb)))
+
+(define (db:safely-close-sqlite3-db db #!key (try-num 3))
+  (if (<= try-num 0)
+      #f
+      (handle-exceptions
+	  exn
+	  (begin
+	    (thread-sleep! 3)
+	    (sqlite3:interrupt! db)
+	    (db:safely-close-sqlite3-db db try-num: (- try-num 1)))
+	(if (sqlite3:database? db)
+	    (begin
+	      (sqlite3:finalize! db)
+	      #t)
+	    #f))))
 
 ;; close all opened run-id dbs
 (define (db:close-all dbstruct)
   (if (dbr:dbstruct? dbstruct)
       (handle-exceptions
@@ -417,15 +432,16 @@
         (let ((tdbs (map db:dbdat-get-db 
                          (stack->list (dbr:dbstruct-dbstack dbstruct))))
               (mdb (db:dbdat-get-db (dbr:dbstruct-mtdb   dbstruct)))
               (rdb (db:dbdat-get-db (dbr:dbstruct-refndb dbstruct))))
           (map (lambda (db)
-		 (if (sqlite3:database? db)
-		     (sqlite3:finalize! db)))
+		 (db:safely-close-sqlite3-db db))
+;; 		 (if (sqlite3:database? db)
+;; 		     (sqlite3:finalize! db)))
 	       tdbs)
-          (if (sqlite3:database? mdb) (sqlite3:finalize! mdb))
-          (if (sqlite3:database? rdb) (sqlite3:finalize! rdb))))))
+          (db:safely-close-sqlite3-db mdb)     ;; (if (sqlite3:database? mdb) (sqlite3:finalize! mdb))
+          (db:safely-close-sqlite3-db rdb))))) ;; (if (sqlite3:database? rdb) (sqlite3:finalize! rdb))))))
 
 ;;   (let ((locdbs (dbr:dbstruct-locdbs dbstruct)))
 ;;     (if (hash-table? locdbs)
 ;; 	(for-each (lambda (run-id)
 ;; 		    (db:close-run-db dbstruct run-id))