If you do not remove the spywares like Gator/GAIN with its updmanager that keeps polling their server, you will never get a stable system.

You will also need SP1 at least for your XP other 100% CPU usage, task bar hidden and not reappearing are just some of the issues prior to SP1. If you're using Devil's own version of XP, you will not be able to update to SP1.

Doesn't sound like a driver issue but more like poorly written spywares that are lurking in your system and generating errors randomly.

Also if you have a network card on your system and you don't need it, remove it to see if the situation improves.

I've removed the network card & removed all traces of spyware & every other conceivable baddie from the computer. I've then started windows with only the essentials needed to make it work & still, the problem remains. I've removed also all applications & programs that have been put on since new & the problem still remains. We have Kazaa, itunes, various shareware programs etc, the sort of things i hear are bad. Once in a while we do get some stubborn spyware which slows the sysyem down & i do a purge on it all & then everythings fine again. This time the problem is not related to spyware at all because i removed everything before & the problem still remains.
If i open one program then its OK, but, then if i leave that program opened THEN open ANYTHING ELSE, it takes an age to open the 2nd thing, I am not getting any error messages but everything is affected, sound, vision, 100%CPU usage & hardware interrupts, (until the 2nd program has finally opened). Then,if both of the programs are then closed they take ages to close too!
Then for instance, if i open the same 2 programs again, evrything is completely normal & fast, 6% CPU usage, going down less than that in a flash, when the 2 programs have opened really quickly. Even if i then open 2 similar programs everything is completely normal. For example; lets say the 2 programs were a) a word doc & an MP3 vid played in Winamp & the problem is always there. Then if i open say, ANY OTHER office doc such as excell or access then play a song in Windows Media Player, then everything is still OK & very fast.

BUT, then if i knock them both off & open an entirely different type of application for example: start printing something, then it's ok, But then for example if i connect to the internet WHILST the printing is in progress, then the printing will pause, as if the power supply has been sucked away, the internet will also take about 1 minute to connect. BUT if i knock them both off, THEN start printing another doc & connect to the internet, the internet connects in 2 SECONDS & the printing goes about it's job & does not pause at all.

If the puter has been on for a long time & we've been around the houses doing lots of different things, then it's up & running completely OK, i can mix & match programs & even have 20 different programs opened at the same time, print, movie maker, music. vids, writing in word, chatting on msn, sending Emails .....you name it, & everything is fine & quite impressive too! So if it's spyware, like you think, well the spyware must go to sleep once i've run each application ONCE!

Switch the puter off ................& it's back to square 1.!!!!!!
Cheers!

Try to repair your Windows XP installation with your XP CD.

techahbeng i re-installed Widows & updated everything a couple of weeks ago & it's still the same. Can you think of a few obvious things that could be causing it? I could have a go at doing a "clean sweep" but ain't tried that before so will probably leave it as it is for a few months until i get some simple instructions for formating the hard drive & reinstalling the operating system. The trouble is, there seems to be so many ways of doing this (even for the same tackle). I know to choose NTFS instead of FAT but that's about it! I made 3 floppy boot disks a few weeks ago & followed the instructions properly but i've also got the original windows disk & mainboard utilities & everything else required for a fresh start. Do i use these floppys or/and the Windows disk?

I've always paid someone to do all that type of stuff in the past, but since reading up on it, it doesn't seem that difficult! ...just so many ways! The chap who usually sorts it all out is a bit of a Wizard but doesn't have a check list, he just works from memory & cocks it up sometimes, by choosing FAT format by accident & getting Blaster Worms as soon as connecting to the net etc & having to start all over again.

Sorry for waffling on but i'm going to stop trying to fix this thing but if i find out what it is i'm gonna post it out in a lot of forums.

Have you got an A-Z of reformatting a 40G hard drive & reinstalling Windows XP? + what to do before connecting to net to avoid onslaughts? + what the main things to do after it's all up & running? In simple terms & just one method. Not with these "ghost partitions" etc, just a simple way?

Will post a solution if i come across it. Promise

cozzy, if you want a guide to format and reinstall, then the link in my sig leads to a couple of articles I wrote recently for people such as yourself, covering the tasks of preparing for and performing the format and install in a comprehensive manner.

Cozzy,

You're making this way too hard on yourself. XP IS a simple install. You will never get anywhere fooling around trying to keep what you have and fix it. It's way too far gone for that. When you boot to the XP disk and say install at the prompt there is a screen that allows you to delete the existing partitions. Do this, Delete each and every one of them. Then let the installer create a new one, and only one. Let it install windows there. Accept all the defaults and you're done. If you have a Windows98 boot floppy you can boot to that and use fdisk to delete all the partitions also. When windows is installing READ the screens. Nothing happens by accident. I don't know if anyone has asked you, but do you have a real WindowsXP disk from Microsoft or do you have an OEM abortion from Gateway or somesuch? If you don't have the Microsoft disk, then the instructions for reinstalling or doing a repair install can be vastly different. You need to read THEIR way to do it. Usually XP has enough of the right drivers in it, to do a decent install. Except for maybe the video drivers. That should get you far enough to see if the problem is really your windows installation or not. Don't connect it to the Internet until you've checked it out. After that you can install your driver disk and see what happens.

Thanks a million Catweazle.
Will do a fresh installation probably in about 3 months, using that link of yours. The puter, how we've got it at the moment is the best it's ever been. We don't have another one to transfer files & settings, (although we have all major things backed up). I'm going to post the solution to this if i come across it in the meantime. Shame really, because i know the solution is going to be very simple, so simple that folk would laugh. I'm competent at most of computer applications but, like a lot of folk, shy away when it comes to hardware & opening the box etc. I'm not going to pay a man to install the operating system ever again because 2 or 3 months after he has gone, it needs doing again. In this case it does not need doing again. If Catweazle was here now he would fix it in 3 minutes.

This mesage is in the wrong place. Cannot do anything about it. See you in October.

Won't post to the correct thread

Tried a few times to conclude this thread. Trying to reply to Catweazle but this post ends up in a strange place. Goodbye & thank you much.

Yes i have a real, original, bought, Windows XP disk that came with the computer from new. The man who usually comes & sorts all of this out tells us "you can go seriously wrong if you don't know what you are doing from a format & fresh instalation" When i ask, & look up advice on this same subject it always warns......."do it several times 1st with an expert present, because you WILL make mistakes". OK, see you in October. Clocking off now & thank you very much. Sorry Catweazle this post was meant for someone else. The site or something has gone mad.