The Whine thread.

[Kevin Thomas Riley]

so, perhaps you should do a litle reserach first. Can't hurt.

I have done a ton of research, and it's not "my server". It's Firefox as I've learned that others are affected as well. Oddly enough only some users are affected, and there is no discernible pattern as to who it affects. It just happens to some, for whatever reason, and unfortunately I seem to be one of those people. It seems Firefox are aware of it, since I've seen discussions on their forums.

[Cogito]

Even the clock stops. That comes from the server it is not from my computer.

Hi SB, in the past you've mentioned several times that you have a problem with "your server" and I've always assumed you were referring to your PC. I assume you have a PC of some sort, and from the way you're describing it your problem seems to be that your PC is locking up occasionally. There are various potential software and hardware causes for that but none that can be diagnosed remotely without a lot of effort on both sides so I don't think it's realistic to try to solve that for you. Perhaps you have a computer literate friend or relative who could look at it for you. Or, depending hold old the PC is and what state your finances are in, you might think about replacing it. PCs don't last forever, and if it's over five years old it's distinctly possible it has developed a hardware fault, especially given the high temperatures you have to endure. In any case it might help you to be clear what the problem is, and I believe that it's that your PC is locking up.

I don't know what sort of PC you have, but if it's running Microsoft Windows there are a few things I can suggest you try:

If it happens again, rather than climb under the desk I suggest that you first try holding down the CTRL, ALT and DEL keys at the same time. This "three fingered salute" tells the operating system that you want its attention. On some older PCs, entering CTRL+ALT+DEL twice in succession would tell the PC to reboot, but more modern systems don't do that. They will usually bring up a Task Manager though, which gives you an opportunity to try closing applications or tell the PC to reboot.

If CTRL+ALT+DEL doesn't work, locate the power button. Press it briefly to tell the PC to shut down. If it doesn't respond, hold the power button in and after about ten seconds the machine will power off. This has the same effect as grovelling under the desk and turning it off at the wall, but is easier on your knees.

Hope this helps, I know how frustrating this sort of problem can be.

[Cogito]

I have done a ton of research, and it's not "my server". It's Firefox as I've learned that others are affected as well. Oddly enough only some users are affected, and there is no discernible pattern as to who it affects. It just happens to some, for whatever reason, and unfortunately I seem to be one of those people. It seems Firefox are aware of it, since I've seen discussions on their forums.

I use FF too and, while it's pretty good, it also has some pretty weird behaviour sometimes. It also suffers sporadic delays updating the screen when I'm typing in input fields, like now. I'm used to working round the world so that doesn't trouble me much, but it really shouldn't be happening on a local system.

If you give up on FF then, rather than the cursed IE, you might think about Chrome. It's designed specifically to optimise responsiveness.

[Silverbullet]

Cogito, thank you for your welcome advice.

I have a Dell, with the famous VISTA OS. Piece of Crap. I use Chrome. One problem seems to be that the server may not have enough equipment and some of the delays are due to others logging on to check their e-mails first thing in the A.M. This probably will account for many short delays which occur.

As I have said about Nine in the morning those things stop. Unless there is something in my computer that has a timer which tells the system to stop these delays I can only surmise that they are outside my computer.

I have tried the power button, nada. What is puzzling is that the cursor will work at the bottom on the tool bar located there. i.e. it will move back and forth. Trying to bring up another screen is something else because the screen I have up is frozen and locked.

I could hire one of Best Buy's Geeks but that costs a bit and my wife is unhappy about any costs I iincure with the Computer.

I will try what you sggest with the Ctrl, Alt, Delete keys. What the hell can't hurt.

This Computer (OS actually) does some wierd things. I have already told you about losing that story. Once in a while when I am typing I will look uup and try to scroll up to read what I have written only to find that bar the two sentences showing the rest above those two is gone. Can't scroll up at all because there is no text there any longer.

some of this can be the fault of my Daughters guy, He uses my Computer when they visit. He will make changes, get up walk away and not change things back to where he found them. When I ask him what he did he says he canot remember.

Anyway, thanks for your advice. I will use it.

SB

[Cogito]

I have tried the power button, nada.

I think the problem is entirely within your PC. Nothing that your internet service provider does should be able to cause your PC to lock up. You might try using a different web browser for a while and see whether than affects the behaviour.

All recent Dells use a 'soft button' for the power - press once to switch it on, press again to ask it to turn off. What the PC does when you ask it to 'turn off' is configurable (it might suspend, shut down, or just switch the power off) but the factory settings would shut down the operating system and then turn off the power. If the operating system has crashed, it might not respond to you briefly pressing the button.

Pressing and holding the power button is different. If you press and hold the power button then after about ten seconds the PC will power off. This doesn't involve the operating system at all and unless the power button is physically broken it is guaranteed to turn the power off - it is just the same as turning the switch off at the wall.

[Silverbullet]

Cogito, thank you again for your patience and advice.

One problem is that the system does shut down properly. Information is not saved. e.g. Registration information on boards I am registered on. I must go to each, put in my user name and password again for each board. Sometimes I have to put in my e-mail address and password in order to access my e-mail account. big damned pain.

Anyway, Thank you for your help it is invaluable. BTW, computer is five years old.

Cheers.

SB

[Kotik]

SB, a computer that is five years old is in fact not much more than a very expensive paper weight. If your finances allow, I'd strongly sugest you get a new one as those things are not built to last 5 years. Most probably by now its hardware is on the fritz.

[Silverbullet]

Kotik, I would love to but Government retirements are not as lavish as people have heard. A new computer is way down on my list of purchases.

SB

[putaro]

SB - you might check to see if you have Chrome configured to save your password and autofill forms. If you have that turned off, that may be why you always need to re-type everything.

I typically turn my machines over ever 2-3 years but I do software development. For just plain old web browsing a 5 year old machine isn't that bad. We have a Sony Vaio from 2000 (still running Windows 2000, thank you very much) that we used to run the scanner software in the office until recently. Worked fine, mostly, except the disk drive had failed a while back and I swapped in a new one.

[Kotik]

Sometimes living in a hotel is a honking bad idea I'm bang-smack in the centre of Aschaffenburg, Bavaria and next to our hotel is a frigging punk-club! Obviously the youth these days communicates by shouting and shrieking at each other at a volume normally reserved for crashing jet airplanes, while Kemal Ökötürk in his stolen 3-series BMW entertains the neighbourhood with some oomph-oomph-oomph-music at illegal volume levels.

So, in my well-known diplomatic manner, I leant out of the window and screamed at the top of my lungs: "Oy, ye f***ing numbnuts. You getting along or do I need to call a doctor? Turn that f***ing sh*t off or I'll twist off your f***ing nuts, a**clown!"

Guess what - it worked The great unwashed all trundled back into their stinkin' club and now there's silence (at least for an hour)

[Silverbullet]

Kotik, one answer to the kids noise volume may be when they are driving in their Trucks, Cars, etc. The volume of the radio is all the way up. I can feel the damned thing. Kaboom, Kaboom, Kaboom. Like a hammer banging somewhere. Those kids are sitting in an enclosed cab with the damned thing. Imagine what is happening to their hearing.

I wear two (2) hearing aides because I worked around hight pitched machiner for years and it damaaged my hearing. I am deaf as a post with out the hearing aids. Losing what little hearing I had left. So, I have a good idea the kids cannot hear anything that isn't so damned loud it would drive a normal human out of the room.

SB

[Asso]

Maybe it's a small thing, but no comment is possible for me.

[Kotik]

Just one of those nights

Last night the friggin' punker club next to our hotel was (again) partying until 0400 at a volume that would be unacceptable at an airport runway So, I finally found sleep at like 5 in the morning, only to be woken up by builders working in that friggin club at 0800 with jackhammers and angle grinders - FOR 10 F***ING HOURS!!! So, when I thought that at 1800 I finally found peace, I was sort of disgruntled to see that only 2 hours later, they reopened and had another f***ing party until 0300 in the night That's when I'd had it. I went down, ran into the door, grabbed the first available person by the collar and rammed my fist into his face. T'was a policeman
Some other tortured neighbor had already called the police. Thank god he understood that I'm not the only mortally disgruntled member of the neighborhood, or I'd be doing time now for beating up an officer. But now get this. The very same policeman told me that - although they closed it for today - the club will reopen next weekend, because nobody will close it for good. The owner is the chairman of the city parliament What the idiot doesn't know is that there are at least 10 neighbors pissed off enough to do, what the state officials decline to do. That man is toast!!

[Bether6074]

I have returned to whine...appreciate your health if you are healthy. There is so much we take for granted. I have been very ill for 2 weeks now with some kind of sudden onset colitis. It may be a lifelong struggle...don't know yet. But I was for some reason thinking of old times and the fun I shared with friends here and wanted to drop by and say hi. Hope everyone is well. It's comforting being back in this safe haven with old friends. Take care everyone.

[justTripn]

NOOOO!!!! What is happening? You are the third member reporting illness recently. Silverbullet broke his legs and Dark Rain just recovered from something serious. Yes, stay well everyone. (Wish this magic wand was working.)