windows xp

hilda said:
phone the helpline now, you may have a virus.
oh god, VIRUS, set off the fire alarm immediately and talk over it to the "helpline"
 
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The one and only USB adsl modem I have every installed did much the same. The PC it was on was clogged up and the only way to sort out the mess was a reformat of the hard disk and a new installation of Windows. Modem worked perfectly fine after that. It is one of those green alcatel ones that BT were giving out a few years back.

OK, so this response often gets "why didn't you just delete temporary internet files?" or "defrag would have had the same effect" but believe me, Windows XP must have a built in half-life that varies depending on what you do with your PC. :)
 
I don't think its virus related, and never call a help line if you can help it, there less helpfull than there name implys. If you dont have any anti virus software AVG is free and gets quite good reviews. (I use sophos)

Which program stops responding ? If its only 1 then its likely to be a corrupted file, just reinstall that program, if its more than one then my money is on dodgy RAM.

Try using the USB modem in a good make (belkin ?) hub that has its own power supply and that should sort it, usb ports not supplying enough power is quite a well known problem.
 
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My modem just says 'bt voyager 100' on it...
BT's answer was that the usb card i have doesnt cope with the power that the modem needs and shuts off.....they recommended an extra pci usb card but advised against SIS...VIA...ALI...& INTEL 82 as these dont work well with the usb modem. And seeing as though the built in one in my pc is a VIA, i will try a different one and see if that works.
I have tried the power management thing already by the way....that didnt work....and i have avg and allsorts of anti virus software including the blasterworm removal tool.
There's various things that say 'this program is not responding' but the only one i can remember at the moment is 'ccApp' or similar....to be honest, i dont even know what this is!!! All i know is that when i go to shut-down it says that it aint responding. I will make a note of all the ones that dont respond from now on and give a detailed list ;)
 
OK - I think there are two separate things here.

1. When you try to shutdown Windows XP manually you get a "Programme is not responding" window and have to click "End Now" - YES?

2. Your Broadband connection keeps dropping out and BT say its because of lack of power to the USB Modem - YES?

1. This is quite common. It happens periodically with the app. systray.exe on mine. Its a bit inconvenient but otherwise no real problem. I was not able to track down any useful information from the various MS sites when I last looked a couple of months ago.

2. This is your real problem I think. The previous suggestion of getting hold of a independently powered USB Hub sounds the best idea. If you can borrow one to check it out even better. Alternatively, have you any other USB devices running and if so can you unplug them for a while and see if the problem goes away?
 
ccApp is usually from Norton AntiVirus 2003, so no problem there.
 
cheers for the advice!.....
i know im probably sounding a bit over the top, but i used a mac up until a few months ago and never had a moments trouble...
:rolleyes:
 
Newbie said:
The previous suggestion of getting hold of a independently powered USB Hub sounds the best idea.
ok.....is this just a unit that gives you more usb sockets and has its own mains adaptor?
sorry to sound so useless :oops:
 
Nee - that's it exactly. They are called USB Hubs - make sure you get one with a separate power supply. You can get them for about £5 (+ P&P) on the web from the usual suspects (www.ebuyer.co.uk/www.scan.co.uk etc.)
 
ok....so finally....would a powered usb hub be better than a new internal pci usb card that BT recommended?
 
nee said:
ok....so finally....would a powered usb hub be better than a new internal pci usb card that BT recommended?

IMHO it would be as it is more flexible, easier to get to, has its own power (so won't drain any via your PC), is fully compatible and will work on other PCs (if you ever get that far). Also its probably cheaper.
 
Does your motherboard have network support. If not, purchase a network card (£10) and an ADSL router (£30-100+) and sack the USB modem. Any power fluctuations will cause drop out and is a common problem with USB.

As previously mentioned in this thread, the program not responding really is a separate issue. The list of possibilities is endless. Can you identify the process or service that is not responding?

I did have a problem with intermittent disconnections. It turned out to be a faulty line card at the exchange. BT took some convincing though!
 
bobbyj said:
ccApp is usually from Norton AntiVirus 2003, so no problem there.

Yuk, Norton stuff is poo, and if you have a broadband connection not a good idea. All Norton Software leaves certain ports open to allow communication with the Symantec Data Servers. This leaves the machines potentially vulnerable as hackers knw what these ports are.

If you want a decent Firewall (software) try Zone Alarm Pro, the free version is OK, but the Pro version is 100% better.

For Anti-virus there are two really good ones, Trend PC-Cillin and Panda Antivirus Titanium.

Recently Panda combined their firewall and antivirus code into one neat package.

You will find all their kit here

Regarding the Alcatel modem, they are notorious for cutting off your service whenever the BT server, or similar ISP changes your dynamic IP. It has been a problem since they started the broadband service.

USB modems are pants anyway, your better off buying a decent router/adsl modem that uses ethernet to connect to your machine. These are not expensive these days, D-Link and several others make some good kit for about £45 upwards.

BT helpdesk, as has been hinted at here already, know less about computers that the average stray cat. All they want you to do is reboot your machine, buy yet more antivirus software, blame everything on you and take no responsibility.
 
I had the same problem when i got my BT modem!

A USB hub solved it and it has worked fine ever since.
 
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