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09 Sep 2010

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	why programs do not respond and how to resolve this kind of problem

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When your computer programs do not respond, an initial reason could be many background programs are running. Background programs do not have any windows or other user interface elements allowing you to control them directly. These programs can be, for example: web servers, schedulers, viruses or spyware. These programs take a lot of main memory. To see and remove these running background programs:
• Press the Ctrl + Alt + Delete keys at the same time
• Click any program or task except(under the Applications) Explorer or Systray(which is known as “shell notification area” or “taskbar status area”. Located at the bottom right bottom of the screen, it displays small icons to notify users that what is currently loaded in the computer’s memory.)
• Click End Task
Repeat steps 2 and 3 to quit all programs except Explorer and Systray that are necessary components of Microsoft Windows.

If you do not want certain background programs to run at startup, you can use the Start/Search function; find the program you want to alter, and then you can configure it, remove it from Programs/Startup, or delete it from your system. ( for an instance, if you want to stop an anti-virus program, read the manual with the software to see how to stop the software). Or if you want to remove the program, go to stat/control panel/Add or Remove programs to remove the program.

Programs will not respond if your hard drive is too full (or virtual drive is low). You should have at least 200MB-500MBs of free space to allow the disk to exchange files when software is running; for example: a video game, or visual editing program. This problem primarily applies to the C: drive or can effect whatever other drive you have installed on your Windows operating system on. A simple solution can be to delete unused programs on the C: drive. A disk cleanup can also be performed by choosing Start, then Accessories, and then System tools.

A fragmented hard drive could also make your computer dead. This results from programs being loaded and deleted. Run the Windows’ hard drive defragment every three month (if you load and delete programs very often, perform this every month). You can go to my computers, then choose any disk you would like to perform the defragmentation and right click it and then choose defragment, or go to start/all programs/accessories/system tools/disk defragmenter to perform the defragmentation.

Before you run a program, make sure your computer meets the minimum system requirements. Otherwise, the program may not respond.

Old or conflicting Windows device drivers contribute to “programs do not respond” as well. For instance, you may have two entirely different video drivers on your system and windows could actually be alternating between the two. To resolve this problem, first boot the computer in safe mode by pressing and holding the F8 key during the startup; right after the DOS memory check has completed. While in safe mode, select start/settings/control panel/system/devices; click on all the devices to see if the various drivers have yellow or red exclamation marks. The exclamation marks indicate if there is a driver conflict and they also determines if there are any duplicate drivers that can be eliminated. Deleting and reloading a driver can correct these problems.

Programs that do not respond could also be a result from adware, spyware, viruses, or Trojans. These are all nasty programs that literally take over the functions of your computer so they can run their programs. To get rid of these parasite programs and to prevent them from installing in the first place, you need an up-to-date firewall, anti-virus, and spyware removal programs. These are three separate software programs that must be running at all times except for when you are not plugged into the Internet. It is very important that these programs continuously update themselves or they will become out-dated and will no longer be useful. These programs can be purchased together or from separate manufacturers.

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24 Mar 2009 3:59 PM