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Geek Culture / explorer.exe... using 99% of my cpu time!

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Arkheii
21
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Joined: 15th Jun 2003
Location: QC, Philippines
Posted: 13th May 2004 14:56
I'm running on WinXP, and I've just recovered from a really stupid windows screw up. My mouse malfunctioned and threw me to the blue screen of death (Stupid event #1), complaining about a hardware error (I'm 100% sure it was the mouse because the red light on the optical mouse flickers then turns off, then turns on again when I shake it. Must be something loose inside.). Then it says it's dumping the memory to the hard disk, so I waited till it reached 100. Then restart as normal, error checker, then the desktop. When I try to access anything from the desktop (ie. My Computer, folders, anything to do with explorer) it becomes so unresponsive. So what I did was ctrl-alt-del to find that explorer was using 99% cpu. So I used the start menu to find the shortcut to System Restore and I copied the path. Then I closed explorer using the task manager (So the desktop disappears and the computer becomes more responsive, that way I can get system restore to run) and used it to run winamp (stupid, but it works), which I used to copy my files to the other drive for backup. Then I ran a new task again and pasted the path to system restore and ran it (I had a good restore point just yesterday. Good thing I decided to reinstall adobe premiere). Then poof, problem solved! Except of course, for a few files spreading across the place, but fixing that wasn't a problem.

If you've got better solutions for this kind of problem, tell me. It's not every time that a good system restore point is there.


.::formerly r_kabouter
You're happy cause you smile, but how much can you fake?
Great Knight
21
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Joined: 25th Feb 2003
Location:
Posted: 13th May 2004 15:27
Whats your system Status.
Do you run lots of programs when your computer starts up.
My Explorer uses about the same its normal.
go to msconfig see what is running when computer starts up.

AMD Atherlon 2400+ XP, 380 DDr memeory, ATI Radeon 9000 64 DDR, Windos XP home edition.
-----------------------And a Katana.
Arkheii
21
Years of Service
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Joined: 15th Jun 2003
Location: QC, Philippines
Posted: 13th May 2004 16:32
My startup has always been trimmed down and is very minimal, but the explorer thing happened just twice on separate occasions. It doesn't happen all the time. It was really XP's fault because it happened after recovering from a bad crash. Besides, I have a fairly good amount of ram (384 mb) and a 1.5 ghz cpu should be enough to run a lone xp desktop and a few windows. It was a wierd crash, but nothing a little creativity couldn't fix.


.::formerly r_kabouter
You're happy cause you smile, but how much can you fake?
Ian T
22
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Joined: 12th Sep 2002
Location: Around
Posted: 13th May 2004 17:24
Sounds like you handled it pretty well. Normal backups are good-- I'm talking once a week at least-- but in the chaos of a crash, whatever you can use to back up your most recent work is fine. That sounds like a very Windows-ey screwup .

Btw-- Someone else who still thinks 384mb of RAM isn't antique ... suddenly I'm not alone in the world!

Arkheii
21
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Joined: 15th Jun 2003
Location: QC, Philippines
Posted: 13th May 2004 17:45
LOL same here. Looks like Great_Knight has the same setup. He's DDR though, I'm using the old RDRAM. Harder to find


.::formerly r_kabouter
You're happy cause you smile, but how much can you fake?
BatVink
Moderator
21
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Joined: 4th Apr 2003
Location: Gods own County, UK
Posted: 13th May 2004 18:59
Your optical mouse will dim when it's not in use, and when you shake it, it's detecting movement, so switching back on in full again.

BatVink
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Arkheii
21
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Joined: 15th Jun 2003
Location: QC, Philippines
Posted: 13th May 2004 19:26
No, it turns off because something's wrong. I know it's off because I have to shake it in the air to get it to turn on again. I've had this logitech for 3 years and it's only doing this recently. Trust me, it's turning off. Windows sometimes even warns me about it.


.::formerly r_kabouter
You're happy cause you smile, but how much can you fake?
geecee3
20
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Joined: 25th Feb 2004
Location: edinburgh.scotland.
Posted: 13th May 2004 21:02
most likley there is a break in the cable, mice are like that, unless it's a wireless affair. in which case you may need to change the batteries. also explorer should consume about 2% of resources when idle, it may fluctuate slightly but it should never suck 99% of your CPU (unless your using a 386 LOL). system idle time should hover around the 90 - 100 % mark when sitting on the desktop. higher CPU usage than normal usually indicates the presence of a virus, trojan, spyware etc. these infected system files do not show up as running tasks, Run an Anti Spyware utility on your machine as some of the newer spyware is registry based an can be quite difficult to locate by hand. my brother recently had a similar CPU usage problem which effects everything from CD / DVD burning to acceptable surfing speeds.

also winamp causes stress on DBC.
as does windows messenger.

i use MSCONFIG from the RUN command in the start menu to trim all the fat from the boot procedure. another tip is to optimize your pc for background tasks. this is known to increase system intensive functions, such as 3D gaming.

also if your mouse is playing up, don't use it. you'll cause more damage than it's worth!! Purchase another one right away. 3 years for a mouse is good!!

regards, geecee.

it's faster than shite off a hot shovel, honest.
the_winch
21
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Joined: 1st Feb 2003
Location: Oxford, UK
Posted: 13th May 2004 21:18
Quote: "also if your mouse is playing up, don't use it. you'll cause more damage than it's worth!! Purchase another one right away. 3 years for a mouse is good!!"


At least plug it into a hub and not directly to the motherboard.
I have an old mouse and it does a similar thing. It used to stop usb ports working until a reboot and even broke one completly. Now I just plug it into a usb hub and it still plays up but at least it doesn't knock out the port.

[beat the machine that works in your head]
Newbie Brogo
21
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Joined: 10th Jul 2003
Location: In a Pool of Cats
Posted: 14th May 2004 01:50
384 mb of RAM? Heck, awhile ago that'd be heaven for me. I now still only have 512mb, but I used to have.. Hmmm, i had 2 Memory cards, one had I think about 30mb of Ram, and the other 64mb, something like that, that adds up to a stunning 94mb of RAM
Yet of coarse, I now have a new computer...

Lord Ozzum
21
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Joined: 29th Oct 2003
Location: Beyond the Realms of Death
Posted: 14th May 2004 01:54
arkheii: hehe, no, My mouse is just like that, and it works fine

You forgot to read your fortune cookie. It says you're sh!t out of luck.
Welcome to the Electric Funeral!!!
Arkheii
21
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Joined: 15th Jun 2003
Location: QC, Philippines
Posted: 14th May 2004 07:43
I'm using a USB hub and all devices are plugged into it. All the cords are chew-free. The mouse is definitely dying down, or just needs a screw tightened inside. Well, that iFeel mouse is starting to look good... Got any suggestions for a fancy mouse?


.::formerly r_kabouter
You're happy cause you smile, but how much can you fake?
Kohaku
20
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Joined: 3rd May 2004
Location: The not very United Kingdom
Posted: 14th May 2004 08:03
A can of spray paint, and a pineapple.

Infra-Dark
Lost in Thought
20
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Joined: 4th Feb 2004
Location: U.S.A. : Douglas, Georgia
Posted: 14th May 2004 11:06
If its an intelimouse explorer optical I had almost the same problem.
My fix was to throw it away and buy a logitech. My intelimouse didn't last but 3 months.

"People don't fail ..... they stop trying." Specs. P4 2.8GHz 800 FSB | 512MB DDR333
GeForce FX 5200 AGP 256MB | Windows XP Pro Full
CattleRustler
Retired Moderator
21
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Joined: 8th Aug 2003
Location: case modding at overclock.net
Posted: 14th May 2004 15:20
there is a known bug with XP and optical mice - search around on m$ site, there is s a download that fixes the issue (drivers, not an sp)


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M00NSHiNE
21
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Joined: 4th Aug 2003
Location: England, UK
Posted: 14th May 2004 15:32
just on the subject are there any known xp issues with xp and graphics tablets? Even after updating the tablet drivers the pen has been functioning incorrectly.

CattleRustler
Retired Moderator
21
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Joined: 8th Aug 2003
Location: case modding at overclock.net
Posted: 14th May 2004 16:41
not that I know of for a fact, but I am sure there are

<will never use XP>



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Arkheii
21
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Joined: 15th Jun 2003
Location: QC, Philippines
Posted: 15th May 2004 13:38
@Moonshine What tablet are you using? I'm using a Graphire2 with the drivers that came with it and it works fine. Well, except for the pen tip which is wearing down

Lots of other people are using Wacom tablets with WinXP. They don't seem to have any problems.

You're happy cause you smile, but how much can you fake?

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