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sand glass keeps popping up


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#1
landmans

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Hi there! I have a small problem I'd like to solve. In XP the sand glass keeps popping up to indicate that something is being stored, or that the system is otherwise occupied. This happens in all applications. Could someone please help me get rid of this annoying problem? Thanks in advance!
landmans
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#2
SpywareDr

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Let's start with some basic system info: Which CPU and how much RAM?

While holding down the [WinKey], (the key with the Windows Logo on it), press the [Pause/Break] key.

or:

Right-click "My Computer" and select "Properties".

The CPU and RAM info is near the bottom.


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#3
landmans

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Spyware Dr, thanks for your reply. My CPU is Intel CPU T 1300 @1.66 GHz; speed 980 MHz, 504 MB. Is this the info you wanted?
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#4
123Runner

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Have you added any software or hardware to the unit?

504mb for ram is quite low by todays standards.
That is actually 512mb and 8mb is used by your graphics.

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#5
landmans

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123, thank you for your answer. No, I have added nothing. The laptop is quite old, actually: it's from 2002!
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#6
SpywareDr

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  • 512MB is a bit skimpy, which can cause XP to access the hard drive frequently, (virtual memory/the paging file).

    When the operating system has to constantly swap information back and forth between RAM and the hard disk, it's called thrashing, and it can make your computer feel incredibly slow.

    The area of the hard disk that stores the RAM image is called a page file. It holds pages of RAM on the hard disk, and the operating system moves data back and forth between the page file and RAM.

    When your system is forced to rely too heavily on this virtual memory, you will notice a significant performance drop. The read/write speed of a hard drive is much slower than RAM, and the technology of a hard drive is not geared toward accessing small pieces of data at a time. The key is to have enough RAM to handle everything you tend to work on simultaneously -- then, the only time you "feel" the slowness of virtual memory is is when there's a slight pause when you're changing tasks.

    If your system can handle it, recommend upgrading to at least 1GB.


  • When was the last time you defragged the hard drive?

  • Click Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Defragmenter.
  • Click the volume that you want to defragment.
  • Click Defragment to begin the operation.
  • Review the progress of the operation in the Defragmentation Display window. Fragmented files on the disk appear in red, contiguous files are blue, and system files are green. The goal is to eliminate most of the red in the window.

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#7
landmans

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Hi Spyware Dr, thansk again for your elaborate answers. I have defragged, which took 4 hrs but went well all along; a lot of changes were made, I noticed. Still, the sand glass keeps making its unwanted appearance, so I guess there's nothing for it but to upgrade. Are these upgrades available in shops?
Again, thanks for your time!
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#8
rshaffer61

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Download Autoruns from the link in my signature below:
1: Extract the Autoruns Zip file contents to a folder.
2: Double-click the "Autoruns.exe".
3: Click on the "Everything" tab
4: Remove any entries that mention "File Not Found" by right-clicking the entry and select Delete.
5: Go to File then to Export As or Save in some versions.
6: Save AutoRuns.txt file to known location like your Desktop.
7: Attach to your next reply.

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#9
landmans

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Mr Shaffer, Thanks for your suggestions. I have run Autoruns and deleted the items 'Not Found'; only two items could not be deleted as they could not be found, these being 'schannel' and 'wdigest' in HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet. I annex the resulting text document.Attached File  AutoRuns.txt   88.9KB   385 downloads
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#10
rshaffer61

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Open Autoruns, click on "Logon" tab, and UN-check:

+ "SunJavaUpdateSched"
+ "MSMSGS"
+ "Radio365Agent"
+ "swg"




The next file needs to be manually disabled and is only needed if you use multi language on your keyboard. If you do then skip the step.


To turn off just ctfmon.exe go to:

Control Panel then to Regional and Language Options

Click on the Languages Tab then click the Details button

Click on the Advanced tab

Check the box that says Turn off advanced text services option

Click A and then OK



When done restart computer and then:



Download TFC by OldTimer to your desktop
  • Please double-click TFC.exe to run it. (Note: If you are running on Vista, right-click on the file and choose Run As Administrator).
  • It will close all programs when run, so make sure you have saved all your work before you begin.
  • Click the Start button to begin the process. Depending on how often you clean temp files, execution time should be anywhere from a few seconds to a minute or two. Let it run uninterrupted to completion.
  • Once it's finished it should reboot your machine. If it does not, please manually reboot the machine yourself to ensure a complete clean.


Download Auslogics Defrag from the link in my signature below. Auslogics Defrag in my opinion is better because:
It does a more comprehensive job at Defragging
It will actually show you what it is doing
At the end of working it will show you how much speed you picked up
You can view a online log of the files that Auslogics defragged

Let me know how everything is working once you have completed all steps.

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#11
landmans

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Dear Mr Shaffer,
Once again thanks for your troubles. However, it appears the problem has some other cause, for after doing everything you recommended, nothing much has changed: the sand glass keeps appearing. The only change is that now I have to click away a window authorizing the start of Windows, which I have no idea how to keep from popping up (after clicking it away Windows starts without fail). Is there any other way to solve the problem (and get rid of the window in the process)? Sorry for the bother!
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#12
rshaffer61

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no bother and I'm not sure what window you are referring to. Can you explain this window more. When does it come up and what does it say exactly?
I ahve to agree with 123Runner on one point about your memory. it is bare minimum to run your OS and other programs.
Go to HERE and run the Crucial online scanner.
This will give you the exact memory configuration for your system.
You do not have to buy the memory from there, but write down the information and if you need assistance in purchasing the upgrade memory GTG can assist with suggestions also.
I say this because 512 may have worked in the past but once you figure in the
8 meg used by your video
256 megs used for your OS alone
Assorted Autoruns and startups your total free memory is probably around 100 megs or less. This would cause the hour glass issue you describe.
Let's see if we can free some things up here by digging a little deeper.

Lets see what you have in your startup

Please click on
Start and then to Run
Type in msconfig and press Enter
Now click on Startups
Then uncheck everything and restart.
IMPORTANT! In case of laptop, make sure, you do NOT disable any keyboard, or touchpad entries.
If system boots correctly and is running smoothly and faster then we have a startup problem
Try going back into msconfig and check one item and reboot
Keep doing that till you have found the problem or all are finally checked.
Post back with the results
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#13
landmans

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Dear Mr Shaffer,
It seems the problem is now solved. I have unchecked the following items from the Startup process, the presence of each of which in Startup caused the hour glass to pop up:
- Reader_sc
- wcescomm
- HPWuSchd2
- QTTask
- GoogleToolbarNotifier
- HP Digital Imaging
- Radio365TrayAgent
There is no unwarranted hour glass activity anymore with the remaining items starting up, so it seems my troubles are over, and I thank you for your expert help!

Now for the second problem, if I may. The window appears after starting the computer and before Windows starts; it's where you give in your password (if applicable, which it is not, in my case), and after clicking OK Windows starts. The header is 'Register in Windows' (if this is the proper wording, which I don't know, not being a native speaker of English). If I remember correctly, it's something to do with Accounts in Control Panel.
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#14
rshaffer61

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OK now the issue is trying to figure out which of those that are unchecked is actually the culprit.
yes are you wanting to have to put in your password or have it boot directly into windows?
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#15
landmans

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I'd like to have the system boot directly into Windows, without a password.
About the culprit: I have tested the items mentioned separately and individually, and all of them caused the problem on their own.
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