Lack of Resources / system-idle-process

Repa,
I decided to start a new thread on this so we could locate it better. I would move the other posts related to this out of the Avast & Icons thread, but, i don't know how to do it.

Regarding instructions from this link: http://www.ehow.com/how_6022890_repair-system-idle-process.html

I made screen shots for you to look at before I click the "End Processes" button, to be sure it looks correct.

Dang, I was supposed to have a shot of the top 1/2 of the processes, & also the bottom half. I'll have to see if I can get the top half for you now.

I might not matter but here comes the top half of screenshot.




Do the processes stuff look correct, so I can go back and click "End Processes"?

yes

Screenshot of what happened when I tried the Idle process. It did not work.






Now, you want me to try the 2nd. option that you linked?

Yes, give it a shot.

Repa,

Do you know of anything in the A Quicker Way to Kill Non-Responsive Programs in Windows instructions that could throw me a curve, that I should know about ahead of time? That way i can go ahead and complete instructions without having to return here to ask again. If not, I'll try and let you know how it goes. Thanks.

No, I've not tried it because I don't have the problem, and I'm rarely on an XP machine these days. You'll just have to try it and see what happens. Set a restore point before you start so you can get back to where you are if things don't go right.

Repa,

What are you using , if not XP?

Thanks for the reminder of restore point.

It'll probably take me a while to do this one. http://www.ehow.com/how_6022890_repair-system-idle-process.html

It's pretty long, & I'll have to write out the instructions, then apply them.

We started having problems with the lousy Kodak printer again. The reason we had that printer is their ad about their ink being cheaper. We'll that was a lie. They just put less ink in the cartridges to try to make it appear cheaper. Kodak used to be a good company, but alas, not any more!

My motherboard on my XP desktop blew when my power supply when bad, so I am using my 2 laptops with Windows 7 until I can rebuild the desktop. I have another desktop with xp, but is is too slow for me to tolerate using it. My wife uses the laptop with xp and won't give it up, so I am stuck with the win 7 machines.

I still have my old XP machine, if there is anything specific you want me to look at.
Repa, if there is anything you want me to look at, let me know. I'll try to look at it and tell you what I find or post a screen shot if that will help.

Fay

I didn't mean I couldn't answer xp questions - I still have access to 2 xp machines, just that one is very slow and the other my wife uses and doesn't like to give it up but she will, and xp has been my operating system since 2005, so am very familiar with it and don't always need an xp machine to answer questions. Thanks for the help Fay, we can always count on you to help and really appreciate it. Please feel free to answer questions when you know the answers.

Repa,

OK, I tend to defer to you on most things. I will try things on my own computer that I would not want to tell someone else to try LOL I have messed myself up a few times - on my NETBOOK I had to do a restore to factory defualts. Especially on some of the more techinacl and/or security issues - I usually wait on you. I will jump in someitmes if I feel comfortable enough about it.

Security issues make me really nervous.

My sister and her husband just moved and have gotten wireless for the first time. They don't know much about computrs and I am a little nervous that they may not have it properly secured. But I think the ISP guy may have set it up for them so I hope it is. But, I did a google search on their isp and found thier documentation for setting up acces - and it is saying the security should be set to WEP and I don't see where it tell them to change the passpharase- so I don'tknow.

Their isp in suddenlink.com in Branson. They bought a condo and said they were told they could not add any wires to the outside. So they said the guy - brought them an adapter, a router and a modem. They have cable TV - so I am not sure what the issue is, unless it is that the computer will not be loaced near the computer cable. I have no idea how they have it hooked up. Makes me a little nervous for them.

Anyway, If I can help just let me know.

Fay


Just talked with my brother-in-law. THey do not have the suddenlinke suuplie cable/modem like I thought. THey pruchases a Belkin router. It apperas their security it set to wpa2 - which is good. But they do not know what thier password is. He said he was not concerned. So guess I'll leave them alone about it.

Repa,
I just finished writing out the first set of instructions at: http://maketecheasier.com/kill-non-responsive-programs-in-windows/2010/06/07 and not realizing that at the bottom there is another method for doing the same thing. I'm thinking that it might be easier for me to just do the first set of instructions, especially since I've already got it written out?

1) In the first set of instructions, I don't think I'll need to set a Restore point, before doing them will I?

2) The second set of instructions seems a little more involved, and might require a Restore point?

So, what do you Say? Is one instruction any better than the other?

Either one is fine - try the first one and see if it works as advertised. The second one would require that you set a new restore point for safety before modifying the registry.

Update: just tried the first method, and it works fine. I can set up a repeatable situation with Word and IE where Word stops responding. Created the shortcut and used it - and it killed Word, which had stopped working under the setup I created and everything went back to normal.

Repa,

good deal! thanks for confirming my thoughts!!

Repa,
This option didn't work either, http://maketecheasier.com/kill-non-responsive-programs-in-windows/2010/06/07

Here's screenshot.

That's because the information you entered in the text box of the shortcut wizard is incorrect. It has to match exactly the line given in the instructions for creating the shortcut, including spaces and punctuation. Start over, copy the below and past it into the shortcut wizard text box:

taskkill /F /FI "STATUS eq NOT RESPONDING"

Repa,
I pasted taskkill /F /FI "STATUS eq NOT RESPONDING" into the text box when prompted, and got the same "file can't be found" once again.

What say you?

Well, it works in Windows 7 but not in Windows XP. I just found out by trying on my Win XP machine that there is no taskkill program in Windows XP. However, there is a "tskill" program that does the same thing in XP, so in the shortcut wizard, paste that same line except replace "taskkill" with tskill. I just created the shortcut on one of my XP machines, so it should work on yours. This, in effect, creates a command line command that is easily accessible to you, and will kill any unresponsive program(s).

Thanks, Repa,

Got it to work this time! I'll let you know if I have occasion to use it, & if it solves problem or not.

Hey, Repa,

Today my daily scheduled scans had just started, Avast & Win. Defender, I was checking email and had a couple tabs open, & when I opened a 3rd. tab, the computer froze. I'm assuming I put too much stress on the system.???? Anyway, since I could not get to my "Kill All" button to click it, I had to hold the Power button in til it shut down.

Is there a way to use that kill button when it freezes like that? I guess there's a keyboard way, but, I don't know many of the keyboard shortcuts.

wcturner wrote:

Hey, Repa,

Today my daily scheduled scans had just started, Avast & Win. Defender, I was checking email and had a couple tabs open, & when I opened a 3rd. tab, the computer froze. I'm assuming I put too much stress on the system.???? Anyway, since I could not get to my "Kill All" button to click it, I had to hold the Power button in til it shut down.

Is there a way to use that kill button when it freezes like that? I guess there's a keyboard way, but, I don't know many of the keyboard shortcuts.

You're probably stressing the system with too many open tabs. Limit them to 2 at most. You don't have a lot of RAM and that old computer can only handle so much processing before it chokes.

You can try the second method at that same link which is to make changes to the registry, and see if that makes any difference. Be sure to set a new restore point before proceeding with that method.