TVCH FORUMS HOME . JOIN . FAN CLUBS . DONATE . CONTACT . CHAT  
 Wikia  Quick Links   TOPICS . TREE-VIEW . SEARCH . HELP! . NEWS . PROFILE
Archive through November 29, 2007

The TVClubHouse: General Discussions ARCHIVES: Oct. 2007 ~ Dec. 2007: All Things Technical: The Help Desk: Computer Problems? Ask Here: Archive through November 29, 2007 users admin

Author Message
Costacat
Member

07-15-2000

Tuesday, November 13, 2007 - 7:51 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Costacat a private message Print Post    
System idle process always goes between 0 and 90 something percent. Your processor is always working even when it's doing nothing. If I were you, I'd uninstall the fix. How much memory do you have?

Costacat
Member

07-15-2000

Tuesday, November 13, 2007 - 8:04 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Costacat a private message Print Post    
P.S. Aw shucks. I'm just glad we got it figured out, Annie!

Texannie
Member

07-16-2001

Tuesday, November 13, 2007 - 8:15 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Texannie a private message Print Post    
still can't get to sephora! LOL
cost, is there any setting i can change in tools, IE options, security, restricted sites, custom level? i never checked there.

Costacat
Member

07-15-2000

Tuesday, November 13, 2007 - 8:38 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Costacat a private message Print Post    
OK, try these two things...

In IE, select Tools > Options. Click the Security tab and then click the Trusted Sites icon. Click Sites and manually add http://www.sephora.com to that list (which is probably empty). Save, exit IE (all instances), clear your cache, and try again.

If that doesn't work, then do the same thing except in the Security tab click the Internet icon. Click Custom Level and at the bottom of the dialog box, click the arrow to Reset your settings to Low. Then exit IE, clear caches, and try again.

If that doesn't work, then it's a setting in Vista. And I don't have my Vista system turned on right now, so I can't help with that. Who did you buy your computer from? I seem to recall the Vista system is quite new (less than a year) so I'd call the support folks from where you bought it (Gateway or Dell) and start there.

Texannie
Member

07-16-2001

Tuesday, November 13, 2007 - 8:57 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Texannie a private message Print Post    
ok..i will try this. i have done the first suggestion, but i will do it all again.
under the security tab, it's set to high in the custom box. can i just keep it at low or medium?
if all fails i will terrorize gateway! LOL
thanks.

Costacat
Member

07-15-2000

Tuesday, November 13, 2007 - 9:22 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Costacat a private message Print Post    
Set it to low. Low will enable pretty much every option. If it doesn't work set to low, then set it back to whatever level you feel comfortable with (I keep mine at medium but I customize a few of the options). If you customize some of the ActiveX and scripting options, and you are aware of what you are doing and where you are going on the 'net, you'll be safe. I never set mine to high, ever, not at work or at home.

If all that fails, good luck with Gateway! :-)

Texannie
Member

07-16-2001

Tuesday, November 13, 2007 - 10:31 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Texannie a private message Print Post    
didn't work at medium and medium is a low as it will let me go in the internet options and it won't let me toggle out of high in the restricted sites.
i can click off the 'enable protected mode'..should i do that?

Costacat
Member

07-15-2000

Tuesday, November 13, 2007 - 10:38 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Costacat a private message Print Post    
Yup, try that. :-)

Texannie
Member

07-16-2001

Tuesday, November 13, 2007 - 10:44 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Texannie a private message Print Post    
i never know if i am going to cause something to blow up! LOL

Costacat
Member

07-15-2000

Tuesday, November 13, 2007 - 2:16 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Costacat a private message Print Post    
Nah. You can always turn things back on. If you're really worried, set a system restore point before you start to muck around. So you can always go back to "where you were."

Texannie
Member

07-16-2001

Tuesday, November 13, 2007 - 4:09 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Texannie a private message Print Post    
still didn't work! grrrr
system restore is my savior!!
(well, next to you!)

Costacat
Member

07-15-2000

Tuesday, November 13, 2007 - 4:51 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Costacat a private message Print Post    
OK, all together now... I'm calling GATEWAY! :-)

Seriously, Annie, I dunno what else to try. I'd have to hook up my Vista system to look at my settings and I've got three other systems running right now...

Ladytex
Member

09-27-2001

Tuesday, November 13, 2007 - 5:03 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Ladytex a private message Print Post    
quick question: do you have lots of third party programs and other stuff, texannie? if not, have you gone back to ground zero, how you bought it with you manufacturer's recovery program or disk?

Texannie
Member

07-16-2001

Tuesday, November 13, 2007 - 5:24 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Texannie a private message Print Post    
third party like virus and all that? no, not anymore than on the other puter.
what's sad is i honestly cant remember if i have been able to get to the site prior to this (if so, i would go back and do a restore)

Bluejaxrock
Member

04-23-2004

Tuesday, November 13, 2007 - 5:27 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Bluejaxrock a private message Print Post    
Costa, I have 704mb RAM and a 20gb hard drive. I had kind of come to the same conclusion you suggested - uninstall the fix. I'd read about the system idle process, and know that it's always running, but I was concerned that when it's running all of my programs sloowww waaaaaay dooowwwwnnnnn. (Actually, they're probably running faster than PCs did a few years ago, but we get spoiled, don't we?)
Will try to uninstall the fix later tonight and let you know if it helps.
Thanks! And everyone is right - YOU ROCK!

Costacat
Member

07-15-2000

Tuesday, November 13, 2007 - 6:49 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Costacat a private message Print Post    
Bluejax, your system is, well, to put it kindly, a slug! What's your processor speed?

System idle runs when no other programs are accessing the CPU. If you watch, it'll drop to zero when something else is happening. And when nothing is is when it'll pop up to 95%. It means nothing.

If you've got a decent processor speed, I'd take a look at adding some memory. And some hard disk space. :-)

Karen
Member

09-07-2004

Thursday, November 29, 2007 - 12:17 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Karen a private message Print Post    
Can anyone help me troubleshoot why all of a sudden Windows Mail (on Vista Home Premium) will no longer open any attachments for me?

I can send and receive emails fine. I can attach files to an email I'm sending. But I can't open ANY attachments, not even ones that I've attached in a sent message. When I try to open an attachment, it just hangs and after about ten secs, greys out and goes to (not responding). Attempting to save attachments to my hard drive produces the same results.

The only change I made to my system between the time my email worked and now that it doesnt, is an uninstall of an older version of Vegas, and an install of a newer version. I've removed the new version I installed and it still doesn't work.



Oh - and another question... I want to remove Vista from my machine (came preinstalled) and put XP on. The only copy of XP I have is the disc that came with my old computer... a bit of research shows that any OS that is going on a computer needs to be genuine Windows (which mine is) and not ever installed on a machine before. Does this mean I'm SOL unless I fork over even more money to (self modded) for a new copy of XP? I can't use the legit purchased copy I already have, because it was on an older machine already?

Texannie
Member

07-16-2001

Thursday, November 29, 2007 - 12:47 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Texannie a private message Print Post    
have you tried tools, options, security and seeing what is checked regarding attachments?

Ladytex
Member

09-27-2001

Thursday, November 29, 2007 - 12:52 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Ladytex a private message Print Post    
sorry, can't help with the vista mail thingy.

microsoft supposedly made it easier to downgrade. I would check with the mfg of your computer and then with microsoft to get a new license key. If you have a license for vista, there should not be a problem installing xp with a legit key. You are able to legally go down, not up. That's what we do at work, but we have a volume license key.

No, you prolly won't be able to use the key you have because in the registration process, that key belongs to your old machine.

Karen
Member

09-07-2004

Thursday, November 29, 2007 - 12:59 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Karen a private message Print Post    
Yeah, nothing funny there, the only thing checked is 'block images and other external content' - like when you get an email from ebay or the bank, with embedded HTML images. Attachments come in, they just won't open.

I've checked my anti-virus and firewall settings, too (free software from my ISP) and all checks out. I'm so befuddled. The only way I can view any attachments now is to forward the email from my Windows Mail to Hotmail.

(It's no coincidence that part II of my question is about getting rid of Vista.)

ETA: Thanks, LadyT, for the Vista info. I'm so unimpressed with Vista. Nothing works, and when it does work, it's intermittent and random. I'm tired of things just stopping working on a whim. I haven't been able to play a single file through Media Player since about two weeks after I bought the new machine. Just stopped working one day.

Texannie
Member

07-16-2001

Thursday, November 29, 2007 - 4:09 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Texannie a private message Print Post    
Karen, can you receive emails from people with a hotmail address?

I just haven't had the problems everyone keeps talking about with Vista (or maybe i am too slow to notice! LOL) did you try going back to a different retore point and seeing if that helps?

Karen
Member

09-07-2004

Thursday, November 29, 2007 - 5:02 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Karen a private message Print Post    
Yeah, incoming mail isn't a problem at all. I just can't open the attachments that come with the emails.

I sent an email to Compaq this afternoon - for me, its really been a constant uphill battle with Vista... I'm convinced I got a lemon. But I told Compaq that I was thrilled with the computer itself, but the OS was about to make me throw their pretty machine out the window. I threatened to sell my computer and buy a Mac if they didn't help me get a license for XP.

LadyT - I did some looking about downgrading with the 'easy to get from MS' license. They offer it to Vista Business and Vista Ultimate users, only. The little guy like me with a pre-installed version of Home Premium, is outta luck. I can either upgrade to Ultimate, to get a free license back to XP, or just buy a new retail version of XP. I'm hoping Compaq finds a way to get me a license, cause I refuse to spend more money to get it to work the way it should.

"Ask NOT what Vista can do for you. Ask what YOU can buy for Vista!"

Ladytex
Member

09-27-2001

Thursday, November 29, 2007 - 5:21 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Ladytex a private message Print Post    
oh yikes! that really stinks!

Texannie
Member

07-16-2001

Thursday, November 29, 2007 - 5:47 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Texannie a private message Print Post    
weird..i can't receive email from anyone with a hotmail acct.

Juju2bigdog
Member

10-27-2000

Thursday, November 29, 2007 - 9:10 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Juju2bigdog a private message Print Post    
Karen, I just read this on a message board with my high school classmates today. Maybe it will help you:


quote:

This might help anyone that gets a Vista machine for the holidays or knows someone that is having a bit of trouble with older programs.

Ron, the Wizard
******
Microsoft is not broadcasting how to run legacy programs on Vista. They want you to buy new software.

1. Find the program you wish to run using Windows Explorer (ether install or click copy into computer ) - use computer on the pop up menu when you click on start (windows logo in lower left corner)

2. Find the application program you want to run (Usually under Program Files)

3. Right Click on the application program

4. Left click on properties (bottom choice in pop menu)

5. Left click on Compatibility (second tab from left)

6. Click on "Run this program in compatibility mode" and select the operating system you want to run the program under.

Many programs will also need 256 colors and 640 x480 checked to run properly

7. MAKE SURE YOU CHECK "Run this program as an administrator" - need if software writer took "short cuts" in original program.




I am not sure he explains it really well, but if it is something you are actively trying to fix, his explanation might make more sense to you than it does to me.