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Question

desktop locks up

by Aug 15, 2011 12:31PM PDT

Recently i have encountered a problem when i leave my computer idling for a while (five or more minutes).... the desktop icons lock up, and when i put my mouse over the taskbar, the hourglass appears... also, when the computer locks up, there is a new icon in the taskbar that looks like a computer monitor... anyone have any ideas?

Discussion is locked

5 Posts
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Answer
Tried Cleaning Up Like This?
by Forum moderator Aug 16, 2011 12:47AM PDT

It appears like there is a program which is starting up when the computer is idle.. Maybe an antivirus or scanner of some sort, but to assure that things are running correctly,,,,

First, take the cover off the computer and use compressed air to blow out all the dust from around the processor, heatsink, the power supply, and all fans and vents.

Next, turn off any screensaver you might have running. Likewise, disable Standby and Hibernation from the Control Panel-Display-Screensaver tab-Power button.

Next, uninstall any programs that you don't use, and because the problem you're seeing could be the result of too many programs running in the background, or conflicting programs running in the background, please disable unneeded startup services and programs using Start-Run, type "msconfig", click on OK, then click on the "Startup" tab.. Uncheck any items that aren't required to run at startup. Likewise, if you've got more than one antivirus installed on the computer, keep just one, and uninstall the others.

Next, download, install, and run a full system scan with the malware removal tool from the link below:

Malwarebytes Antimalware

Hope this helps and let us know how it goes.

Grif

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thanks
by dminnichelli Aug 16, 2011 6:03AM PDT

thanks, ill give it a go and let you know how things turn out. thanks again for the help!

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Answer
desktop locks up windows xp
by Aug 16, 2011 2:33AM PDT

The computer is a dell dimension 8300 (2003). The power supply was
upgraded last year along with the RAM. I have the original PS..I'll try
to reinstall. I have several anti-virus and spyware programs and keep
up on the malware. Comouter seems to be clean.
I'll look into the hardware diagnostic tools as I don't ciurrently have
any. The lockup occurs on safe mode, but worst case requiring only one
reboot.

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Those are good clues!
by r. proffitt Forum moderator Aug 16, 2011 2:40AM PDT

1. The lockup on safe mode, reboot might point to the old BAD CAPS issue.

Google BAD CAPS to learn what it is and how to inspect for this problem.

2. " several anti-virus"

Sorry but we want just one active at a time. This may be the cause too.
Bob

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Are You The Original Poster Here?
by Grif Thomas Forum moderator Aug 16, 2011 6:32AM PDT

If not, then please start your own thread instead of jumping a thread which someone else started and which has different specifics than you. Indeed, you've posted two or three other new threads about what appears to be unrelated computers..

What gives?

Hope this helps.

Grif

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