Re: Start menu/taskbar freezes (3)

From: Mike Brearley (me_at_privacy.net)
Date: 02/13/04 

Date: Fri, 13 Feb 2004 15:30:41 -0500

7 hours this time... That's not even 1/2 a day. :-)

It's possible that the computer is working hard on another process. I've
seen this behavior as well, it's just one of those things. 

-- 
Posted 'as is'.  If there are any spelling and/or grammar mistakes, they
were a direct result of my fingers and brain not being synchronized or my
lack of caffeine.
Mike Brearley (mike_brearley at hotmail dot com)
"Armin Zingler" <az.nospam@freenet.de> wrote in message
news:402d2bbc$0$27001$9b622d9e@news.freenet.de...
> [This is a repost because a 1 day old message is too old for this
> group. :) Or is this the wrong group?]
>
>
> Hi,
>
> the following problem is driving me nuts for 1.5 years now (***argh***),
so
> I'd really appreciate any help. Before bothering everyone with a very long
> description, here's the short one.
>
> Facts first
> -----------
> - WinXP Prof./SP1, all necessary security updates installed
> - Some applications show icons in the taskbar, left to the system clock
(AKA
> "system tray")
> - Links in the start menu or on the desktop may contain shortcuts (like
> Ctrl+Shift+N to start Notepad).
>
> Problem
> -------
> Sometimes, when pressing the shortcut, the application is not started.
> Instead, the start menu and taskbar freezes. After waiting 10-30 seconds
> (AKA "freeze time"), it unfreezes and the application to be started
> is started. This behavior depends on the icons visible in the system tray.
>
> Details
> -------
> "Freeze" means: The taskbar does not respond. One symptom is that, during
> the freeze time, when pressing Ctrl+Alt+Del and Esc afterwards, all
> applications repaint themselves, but not the taskbar (the desktop color
> stays at the place of the taskbar). After the freeze time, the taskbar
> repaints itself.
>
> - It does not freeze always, only about every 10-50th time when a shortcut
> is pressed. The freeze probability depends on the visible icon(s) in
> the system tray.
> - It is independent from the used shortcut and the started application. It
> happens with any shortcut and any application.
> - When killing the "problematic" app (see below) in the task manager, the
> taskbar unfreezes.
> - During the freeze time, the cpu occupation stays ~0%. This includes
> explorer.exe (responsible for the taskbar). HD is also not occupied.
> - *No* other application, including the desktop, freezes.
>
>
> The following apps/icons are problematic (examples):
> - MBM (motherboard monitor)
> - CoolerXP (tool to "power off" the CPU when system is idle (necessary for
> AMD CPUs))
> - Icon showing the established internet connection
>
> Following apps/icons are not problematic (examples):
> - Hamster (mail/news client)
> - Intellipoint (mouse software)
> - own application
>
>
> "Problematic" means that the described problem occurs when the
corresponding
> icon is visible. The test scenario was:
> - Msconfig has been used to turn off all autostart apps and all none-MSFT
> services.
> - Each app/icon has been tested individually, i.e. no other app ran
> meanwhile.
> - Any combination of multiple "not problematic" icons was also not
> problematic.
>
> Well, I don't want to do without the "problematic" apps. At least the
> internet connection icon shouldn't cause a problem. The established
> connection itself is not the problem, only it's icon. If I turn the icon
off
> in the connection properties, the problem disappears.
>
>
> More facts
> ----------
> - one graphics card, one screen, one desktop, one taskbar
> - taskbar: at the bottom (2 rows), fixed, always on top, not hide
> automatically
> - visual styles disabled
> - nvidia nview not active
> - no desktop background image set
> - "classical" start menu used
> - no virus found but currently no virus scanner active
> - newest graphics drivers
> - the problem occurs on different machines (with different hardware)
> - the machine has been reinstalled meanwhile (so don't dare to suggest it
> ;-) (I'd like to find the real cause anyway)
>
>
> I'll provide any further information I can if required. Thanks in advance
> for any help!
>
>
> -- 
> Armin
>

Relevant Pages

  • Start menu/taskbar freezes
    ... the start menu and taskbar freezes. ... "Freeze" means: ... After the freeze time, the taskbar ... Icon showing the established internet connection ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.general)
  • Start menu/taskbar freezes (3)
    ... the start menu and taskbar freezes. ... "Freeze" means: ... After the freeze time, the taskbar ... Icon showing the established internet connection ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.general)
  • Start menu/taskbar freezes (4)
    ... the start menu and taskbar freezes. ... "Freeze" means: ... After the freeze time, the taskbar ... Icon showing the established internet connection ...
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  • Start menu/taskbar freezes (6)
    ... the start menu and taskbar freezes. ... "Freeze" means: ... After the freeze time, the taskbar ... Icon showing the established internet connection ...
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  • Start menu/taskbar freezes (7)
    ... the start menu and taskbar freezes. ... "Freeze" means: ... After the freeze time, the taskbar ... Icon showing the established internet connection ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.general)