Computer 'Freezing'

[rvusa]

For the last two days I have noticed my computer 'freezing' for a period of time, then working normally again. The programme I am using at the time doesn't seem to matter too much. Looking at Windows Task Manager, it shows, at the relevant times, a CPU usage of 100%, which, I guess, explains the 'freezing'?

Windows XP Home
2.13Ghz AMD Athlon
60Gb Hard drive with 50Gb free
768Mb RAM
Netscape browser.

Any suggestions that a 'fairly dumb' computer user could understand and maybe act upon?

[Saab Dastard]

The most common culprit is an anti-virus program, with "on-the-fly" file checking enabled - i.e. whenever a file is opened and / or written to it gets virus checked.

Example - combine that with java apps - the java run-time environment is a MINIMUM of 50 MB - and you get a fairly lengthy pause while AV runs.

To try to identify what is taking 100% CPU, load Task Manager (ctrl alt del), and keep it in the background; then when the computer freezes, see what process is consuming the CPU cycles.

SD

[rvusa]

Thanks for that SD.
It just locked up again and, using Task Manager, it gave a figure of 99 for 'netscape.exe' . Do you have any suggestions of where to go next and what to do?
D
It seems to be happening with increasing frequency and each time it is netscape.exe that is reading 99. (just locked as I typed this for exactly 1 minute!)

[Saab Dastard]

How about ditching netscape and using Firefox?

A browser per se shouldn't be doing that. Try checking what browser helper objects (toolbars, etc.) are loading with netscape - and disabling or removing them.

SD

[Gertrude the Wombat]

A browser per se shouldn't be doing that.

Thing is, it probably isn't the browser per se (other than some really nasty JavaScript perhaps). It's probably some add-on or plug-in ... and it's likely related to some particular web site(s) or page(s).

If for example there are animations (using whatever technology) on a web page that are happy to soak up 100% CPU ... then a sane browser will run those bits of itself, or plugins or whatever, at reduced thread priority, so that even if you're using 100% CPU you don't get the "freezing" because anything else you want to do runs at a higher priority.

So, Saab Dastard is probably right that you'd get a different result with a different browser (Firefox, IE, who cares, different is probably the point here).

You should also check for any malware that might be running in the browser context.

You should also consider whether these "freezing" events correlate with visiting particular web sites, and if so maybe avoid those sites.

[rvusa]

SD and G de W, thanks for your replies, not all if which I understood! However, I tried IE and then downloaded Firefox and both of those were fine. It therefore seems that it is a Netscape problem which is not specific to any particular website.

For my 'edification' do you have any simple instructions that would allow me to identify which bit of Netscape is at fault. It's a fairly recent happening so don't understand the cause.
Thanks again.

[Gertrude the Wombat]

Don't ask me, I don't know anything about Netscape ...

... however all browsers might do this sort of thing on some web site or other, so it arguably does make some sense to keep several installed!

[Keef]

It could be some Java that Netscape was running, all innocent-like.

If you now have Firefox, go to Tools - Addons and install NoScript. That will block Java from any site you haven't authorised, and stops all those problems in my machine.