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#1
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Can't close programs in XP!
My XP Pro has started acting very strange ... it will work properly for
quite a while (hours or days) and then will ... 1) Not let me close programs. I can click on the "X" or (in the case of a DOS command window) type exit, and the window remains. 2) Ignore Ctrl+Alt+Del 3) Ignore right-clicking on task manager in the task bar 4) Not show program names in the Alt-Tab program list (only icons) At the suggestion of people on this forum, I tried freeing up space on my C: Drive and defragging, both of which I did and it doesn't seem to help. What else can I try? Thanks, Chris |
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#2
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Can't close programs in XP!
Chris Shearer Cooper wrote:
My XP Pro has started acting very strange ... it will work properly for quite a while (hours or days) and then will ... 1) Not let me close programs. I can click on the "X" or (in the case of a DOS command window) type exit, and the window remains. 2) Ignore Ctrl+Alt+Del 3) Ignore right-clicking on task manager in the task bar 4) Not show program names in the Alt-Tab program list (only icons) At the suggestion of people on this forum, I tried freeing up space on my C: Drive and defragging, both of which I did and it doesn't seem to help. The First Question Of Troubleshooting: what changed between the time things worked and the time they didn't? The Second Question of Windows Troubleshooting: what is the malware/virus status of the machine? If you think it is clean, what programs (and versions) did you use to determine this? Be sure the computer is clean: http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/...moving_Malware If everything looks good after answering the First Two Questions, check your hard drive's health with a diagnostic utility downloaded from the drive mftr. You will make a bootable cd/floppy from this file. Boot with it and do a thorough test of the hard drive. If it fails any physical tests, back up your data and replace the drive. Malke -- Elephant Boy Computers www.elephantboycomputers.com "Don't Panic!" MS-MVP Windows - Shell/User |
#3
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Can't close programs in XP!
Sun, 29 Apr 2007 12:21:57 -0600 from Chris Shearer Cooper
: My XP Pro has started acting very strange ... it will work properly for quite a while (hours or days) and then will ... 1) Not let me close programs. I can click on the "X" or (in the case of a DOS command window) type exit, and the window remains. 2) Ignore Ctrl+Alt+Del 3) Ignore right-clicking on task manager in the task bar 4) Not show program names in the Alt-Tab program list (only icons) At the suggestion of people on this forum, I tried freeing up space on my C: Drive and defragging, both of which I did and it doesn't seem to help. What else can I try? Install a good virus scanner and run a full scan. Or else do a Windows repair install. Something is seriously hosed. -- Stan Brown, Oak Road Systems, Tompkins County, New York, USA http://OakRoadSystems.com/ |
#4
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Can't close programs in XP!
You are of course right with the First and Second Questions.
1) Not sure. Since it doesn't happen regularly, I can't pinpoint exactly when it happened, so I can't correlate with any major changes with the computer. I installed a new mobo a couple months ago, but the puter worked fine for 4-6 weeks, so I don't think that's it. No major software installs around the time when I started seeing this problem. 2) SpySweeper with AntiVirus is run regularly. I do have a hard drive that from time to time gives me warnings ... I've physically removed it to see if that helps. If a dying hard drive is capable of producing the symptoms I've seen, that seems very likely the culprit. Thanks! Chris "Malke" wrote in message ... Chris Shearer Cooper wrote: My XP Pro has started acting very strange ... it will work properly for quite a while (hours or days) and then will ... 1) Not let me close programs. I can click on the "X" or (in the case of a DOS command window) type exit, and the window remains. 2) Ignore Ctrl+Alt+Del 3) Ignore right-clicking on task manager in the task bar 4) Not show program names in the Alt-Tab program list (only icons) At the suggestion of people on this forum, I tried freeing up space on my C: Drive and defragging, both of which I did and it doesn't seem to help. The First Question Of Troubleshooting: what changed between the time things worked and the time they didn't? The Second Question of Windows Troubleshooting: what is the malware/virus status of the machine? If you think it is clean, what programs (and versions) did you use to determine this? Be sure the computer is clean: http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/...moving_Malware If everything looks good after answering the First Two Questions, check your hard drive's health with a diagnostic utility downloaded from the drive mftr. You will make a bootable cd/floppy from this file. Boot with it and do a thorough test of the hard drive. If it fails any physical tests, back up your data and replace the drive. Malke -- Elephant Boy Computers www.elephantboycomputers.com "Don't Panic!" MS-MVP Windows - Shell/User |
#5
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Can't close programs in XP!
reboot into safemode,
then check if the symptoms alleviate or perpetuate... "Chris Shearer Cooper" wrote in message ... My XP Pro has started acting very strange ... it will work properly for quite a while (hours or days) and then will ... 1) Not let me close programs. I can click on the "X" or (in the case of a DOS command window) type exit, and the window remains. 2) Ignore Ctrl+Alt+Del 3) Ignore right-clicking on task manager in the task bar 4) Not show program names in the Alt-Tab program list (only icons) At the suggestion of people on this forum, I tried freeing up space on my C: Drive and defragging, both of which I did and it doesn't seem to help. What else can I try? Thanks, Chris |
#6
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Can't close programs in XP!
What do I lose by doing a Windows repair install? For example, do I have to
re-install all my software? Thanks, Chris "Stan Brown" wrote in message t... Sun, 29 Apr 2007 12:21:57 -0600 from Chris Shearer Cooper : My XP Pro has started acting very strange ... it will work properly for quite a while (hours or days) and then will ... 1) Not let me close programs. I can click on the "X" or (in the case of a DOS command window) type exit, and the window remains. 2) Ignore Ctrl+Alt+Del 3) Ignore right-clicking on task manager in the task bar 4) Not show program names in the Alt-Tab program list (only icons) At the suggestion of people on this forum, I tried freeing up space on my C: Drive and defragging, both of which I did and it doesn't seem to help. What else can I try? Install a good virus scanner and run a full scan. Or else do a Windows repair install. Something is seriously hosed. -- Stan Brown, Oak Road Systems, Tompkins County, New York, USA http://OakRoadSystems.com/ |
#7
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Can't close programs in XP!
Nope, took out the offending hard drive, and the problem still happened. I
will next try diagnostic utilities for the remaining hard drives. "Chris Shearer Cooper" wrote in message ... You are of course right with the First and Second Questions. 1) Not sure. Since it doesn't happen regularly, I can't pinpoint exactly when it happened, so I can't correlate with any major changes with the computer. I installed a new mobo a couple months ago, but the puter worked fine for 4-6 weeks, so I don't think that's it. No major software installs around the time when I started seeing this problem. 2) SpySweeper with AntiVirus is run regularly. I do have a hard drive that from time to time gives me warnings ... I've physically removed it to see if that helps. If a dying hard drive is capable of producing the symptoms I've seen, that seems very likely the culprit. Thanks! Chris "Malke" wrote in message ... Chris Shearer Cooper wrote: My XP Pro has started acting very strange ... it will work properly for quite a while (hours or days) and then will ... 1) Not let me close programs. I can click on the "X" or (in the case of a DOS command window) type exit, and the window remains. 2) Ignore Ctrl+Alt+Del 3) Ignore right-clicking on task manager in the task bar 4) Not show program names in the Alt-Tab program list (only icons) At the suggestion of people on this forum, I tried freeing up space on my C: Drive and defragging, both of which I did and it doesn't seem to help. The First Question Of Troubleshooting: what changed between the time things worked and the time they didn't? The Second Question of Windows Troubleshooting: what is the malware/virus status of the machine? If you think it is clean, what programs (and versions) did you use to determine this? Be sure the computer is clean: http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/...moving_Malware If everything looks good after answering the First Two Questions, check your hard drive's health with a diagnostic utility downloaded from the drive mftr. You will make a bootable cd/floppy from this file. Boot with it and do a thorough test of the hard drive. If it fails any physical tests, back up your data and replace the drive. Malke -- Elephant Boy Computers www.elephantboycomputers.com "Don't Panic!" MS-MVP Windows - Shell/User |
#8
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Can't close programs in XP!
Chris Shearer Cooper wrote:
What do I lose by doing a Windows repair install? For example, do I have to re-install all my software? You don't lose anything but Windows Updates when you do a Repair Install, but I'd always have all data backed up first. http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm Remember to answer the First and Second questions before you do the Repair Install. Since I can't see your computer, I can't rule out hardware issues either. Here are some general hardware troubleshooting steps: http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/...ardware_Tshoot Malke -- Elephant Boy Computers www.elephantboycomputers.com "Don't Panic!" MS-MVP Windows - Shell/User |
#9
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Can't close programs in XP!
Hello,
Sounds like it is running out of memory. Try closing some programs. Also, did you disable virtual memory? Start Control Panel System Advanced (tab) Settings (Performance) Advanced (tab) What does Total Paging file size say? -- Singapore Website Design http://www.bootstrike.com/Webdesign/ Singapore Web Hosting http://www.bootstrike.com/WinXP/faq.html Windows XP FAQ "Chris Shearer Cooper" wrote in message ... My XP Pro has started acting very strange ... it will work properly for quite a while (hours or days) and then will ... 1) Not let me close programs. I can click on the "X" or (in the case of a DOS command window) type exit, and the window remains. 2) Ignore Ctrl+Alt+Del 3) Ignore right-clicking on task manager in the task bar 4) Not show program names in the Alt-Tab program list (only icons) At the suggestion of people on this forum, I tried freeing up space on my C: Drive and defragging, both of which I did and it doesn't seem to help. What else can I try? Thanks, Chris |
#10
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Can't close programs in XP!
Total paging file size = 2046M
I have 2G of RAM, and looking at task manager, I never use it all ... so I could disable virtual memory, but I don't see how that could be causing the specific problem I'm having. If my virtual memory were somehow hosed, wouldn't that cause more problems? Thanks, Chris "SingaporeWebDesign" wrote in message ... Hello, Sounds like it is running out of memory. Try closing some programs. Also, did you disable virtual memory? Start Control Panel System Advanced (tab) Settings (Performance) Advanced (tab) What does Total Paging file size say? -- Singapore Website Design http://www.bootstrike.com/Webdesign/ Singapore Web Hosting http://www.bootstrike.com/WinXP/faq.html Windows XP FAQ "Chris Shearer Cooper" wrote in message ... My XP Pro has started acting very strange ... it will work properly for quite a while (hours or days) and then will ... 1) Not let me close programs. I can click on the "X" or (in the case of a DOS command window) type exit, and the window remains. 2) Ignore Ctrl+Alt+Del 3) Ignore right-clicking on task manager in the task bar 4) Not show program names in the Alt-Tab program list (only icons) At the suggestion of people on this forum, I tried freeing up space on my C: Drive and defragging, both of which I did and it doesn't seem to help. What else can I try? Thanks, Chris |
#11
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Can't close programs in XP!
Hello,
No, don't disable the virtual memory. It was just a hunch. Check your task manager for heavy memory-taking process. When the problem occurs, try closing some/all programs - especially if you have IE with many tabs open or Firefox with many tabs open and see if it resolves the issue. -- Singapore Website Design http://www.bootstrike.com/Webdesign/ Singapore Web Hosting http://www.bootstrike.com/WinXP/faq.html Windows XP FAQ "Chris Shearer Cooper" wrote in message ... Total paging file size = 2046M I have 2G of RAM, and looking at task manager, I never use it all ... so I could disable virtual memory, but I don't see how that could be causing the specific problem I'm having. If my virtual memory were somehow hosed, wouldn't that cause more problems? Thanks, Chris "SingaporeWebDesign" wrote in message ... Hello, Sounds like it is running out of memory. Try closing some programs. Also, did you disable virtual memory? Start Control Panel System Advanced (tab) Settings (Performance) Advanced (tab) What does Total Paging file size say? -- Singapore Website Design http://www.bootstrike.com/Webdesign/ Singapore Web Hosting http://www.bootstrike.com/WinXP/faq.html Windows XP FAQ "Chris Shearer Cooper" wrote in message ... My XP Pro has started acting very strange ... it will work properly for quite a while (hours or days) and then will ... 1) Not let me close programs. I can click on the "X" or (in the case of a DOS command window) type exit, and the window remains. 2) Ignore Ctrl+Alt+Del 3) Ignore right-clicking on task manager in the task bar 4) Not show program names in the Alt-Tab program list (only icons) At the suggestion of people on this forum, I tried freeing up space on my C: Drive and defragging, both of which I did and it doesn't seem to help. What else can I try? Thanks, Chris |
#12
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Can't close programs in XP!
That's the problem ... when the problem occurs, I can't close any programs.
I can sometimes switch between programs (sometimes) but however I tell the program to close (Alt-F4, File:Exit, close button in top right) the program just sits there and stares at me. Never goes away. "SingaporeWebDesign" wrote in message ... Hello, No, don't disable the virtual memory. It was just a hunch. Check your task manager for heavy memory-taking process. When the problem occurs, try closing some/all programs - especially if you have IE with many tabs open or Firefox with many tabs open and see if it resolves the issue. -- Singapore Website Design http://www.bootstrike.com/Webdesign/ Singapore Web Hosting http://www.bootstrike.com/WinXP/faq.html Windows XP FAQ "Chris Shearer Cooper" wrote in message ... Total paging file size = 2046M I have 2G of RAM, and looking at task manager, I never use it all ... so I could disable virtual memory, but I don't see how that could be causing the specific problem I'm having. If my virtual memory were somehow hosed, wouldn't that cause more problems? Thanks, Chris "SingaporeWebDesign" wrote in message ... Hello, Sounds like it is running out of memory. Try closing some programs. Also, did you disable virtual memory? Start Control Panel System Advanced (tab) Settings (Performance) Advanced (tab) What does Total Paging file size say? -- Singapore Website Design http://www.bootstrike.com/Webdesign/ Singapore Web Hosting http://www.bootstrike.com/WinXP/faq.html Windows XP FAQ "Chris Shearer Cooper" wrote in message ... My XP Pro has started acting very strange ... it will work properly for quite a while (hours or days) and then will ... 1) Not let me close programs. I can click on the "X" or (in the case of a DOS command window) type exit, and the window remains. 2) Ignore Ctrl+Alt+Del 3) Ignore right-clicking on task manager in the task bar 4) Not show program names in the Alt-Tab program list (only icons) At the suggestion of people on this forum, I tried freeing up space on my C: Drive and defragging, both of which I did and it doesn't seem to help. What else can I try? Thanks, Chris |
#13
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Can't close programs in XP!
On Mon, 30 Apr 2007 19:10:58 -0600, "Chris Shearer Cooper"
wrote: That's the problem ... when the problem occurs, I can't close any programs. I can sometimes switch between programs (sometimes) but however I tell the program to close (Alt-F4, File:Exit, close button in top right) the program just sits there and stares at me. Never goes away. I have that prob from time to time in Win2K when I am working as an administrator. I find that Ctlr-alt-del will get you to the Task Manager where you often can close the upper most program. Give it a try. Borge in sunny Perth, Australia |
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