Slow at 2am would mean the computer is tired and needs rest... or you've had too much coffee maybe and your mind is speeding & that makes the computer seem slow. (kidding wiff ya ;) You might want to look at a program to defrag your registry called PageDefrag ... just type sysinternals into your browser, hold down the Control key and hit enter. Simple tiny program. There are other registry defrag programs for xp but a bit less effective. Do you manually defrag your hard drive occasionally ? A Fragged up hard drive slows things down, especially after a long day. Windows auto updates and virus scans seem to default to the wee hours of the morning to auto run ... that always worries me when I cant sleep. 'Whats that running my hard drive light' Those things running can make you slow down. ~~ I haven't personally messed with core selection. Really haven't read much about it but do understand how somebody at Microsoft says it works. In my mindset, I think you may be able to set programs CPU priority level probably more efficiently than trying to outsmart the way windows handles the core selection. Affinity on Xp, to change it permanently you will need a program to handle the settings. Windows will allow you to change core choice, but as soon as that program shuts down or at reboot, windows will revert to its default scheme of auto handling the cores... which from what I've read, windows does very well unless you have a program that for some reason gives you a hassle hogging both cores,,, or I guess if your computing habits are really stressing things making you think you can speed it up by slowing down a certain program, thus allowing one you want to do something 'right now' faster, yet at half speed, when that core is needed and shared elsewhere. Here is a link that might be useful: Toms Hdwe... old stuff but ,,, affinity.

Susan, Owbist is great, knowledgeable, and always helpful, so please don't take my response as disputing his obliging and useful advice to you. I have no doubt there is a memory issue that correcting will prove beneficial. What you describe sounds like an overloaded cache directory. This may also be referred to by some programs as the program's scratchpad (or whatever Photoshop Elements calls it). Any program that works with graphics (most programs, actually, whether they work with graphics or not, especially Word), utilizes this area for temporary storage used by your computer's memory. Everything you do in PE creates these temp files, which are an integral part of forming/creating/modifying while in the program. Just opening a graphic in PE prompts the program to automatically generate these cache/scratch/temp files to help it remember the graphic and everything you do to it (such as lightening, sharpening, applying effects, etc.). In other words, PE is creating and storing copies of the information it needs and makes easily retrievable while you task. It is one reason undo is possible, for example, but has many other uses. The program automatically created this area/directory on your hard drive during installation, and some programs build them more heavily and more rapidly than others. That would depend on the size of these files and how many it builds for each individual graphic. Some build only one, but some build quite a few. I have no idea how many PE creates or how big they are. Additionally, there are other temp files the program may be creating. Even though it's finished with those files and has discarded them to the cache/scratchpad directory or to your Temp directory in Windows, it still accesses them. Or, in the very least, they are sitting there in the way, interferring with the program's functionability (is that a word? LOL). This explains your sudden decrease in efficiency. Therefore, adding memory will certainly help but only for the length of time it takes the cached/scratched files to build beyond RAM's ability to manage - which is what actually just happened. Now, your task is finding its location so you can clean it out and be able to clean it periodically. I'm sorry I cannot help with that because I don't have PE. I do have Photoshop but couldn't find its scratch folder doing a quick look. Once you delete all the *junk* in there, PE will resume normal function at a maximum rate of tasking speed that your amount of memory will accommodate. As Owbist indicated, the more the merrier. :) Start another thread for someone with PE to help you find that folder. Incidentally, clean out your Temp directory. C > Windows > Temp Bet you find a bunch of stuff with a .tmp extension. You will likely find files with other extensions, but I wouldn't touch those. Good luck

OK, here's that log. Logfile of Trend Micro HijackThis v2.0.2 Scan saved at 4:55:30 PM, on 8/29/2009 Platform: Windows Vista SP1 (WinNT 6.00.1905) MSIE: Internet Explorer v7.00 (7.00.6001.18294) Boot mode: Normal Running processes: C:\Windows\system32\Dwm.exe C:\Windows\Explorer.EXE C:\Windows\system32\taskeng.exe C:\Program Files\Synaptics\SynTP\SynTPEnh.exe C:\Program Files\HP\QuickPlay\QPService.exe C:\Program Files\Windows Defender\MSASCui.exe C:\Program Files\Hewlett-Packard\HP Wireless Assistant\HPWAMain.exe C:\Program Files\Hewlett-Packard\HP Wireless Assistant\WiFiMsg.exe C:\Program Files\AVG\AVG8\avgtray.exe C:\Program Files\Hewlett-Packard\HP Health Check\HPHC_Scheduler.exe C:\Program Files\Windows Sidebar\sidebar.exe C:\Program Files\Common Files\LightScribe\LightScribeControlPanel.exe C:\Program Files\Hewlett-Packard\Shared\HpqToaster.exe C:\Program Files\Synaptics\SynTP\SynTPHelper.exe C:\Program Files\Trend Micro\HijackThis\HijackThis.exe C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\IEUser.exe C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe R1 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Default_Page_URL = http://ie.redirect.hp.com/svs/rdr?TYPE=3&tp=iehome&locale=en_us&c=81&bd=Pavilion&pf=laptop R1 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Search Page = http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=54896 R1 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Default_Page_URL = http://ie.redirect.hp.com/svs/rdr?TYPE=3&tp=iehome&locale=en_us&c=81&bd=Pavilion&pf=laptop R1 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Default_Search_URL = http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=54896 R1 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Search Page = http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=54896 R0 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Start Page = http://ie.redirect.hp.com/svs/rdr?TYPE=3&tp=iehome&locale=en_us&c=81&bd=Pavilion&pf=laptop R0 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Search,SearchAssistant = R0 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Search,CustomizeSearch = O1 - Hosts: ::1 localhost O2 - BHO: &Yahoo! Toolbar Helper - (02478D38-C3F9-4efb-9B51-7695ECA05670) - C:\Program Files\Yahoo!\Companion\Installs\cpn\yt.dll O2 - BHO: Adobe PDF Reader Link Helper - (06849E9F-C8D7-4D59-B87D-784B7D6BE0B3) - C:\Program Files\Common Files\Adobe\Acrobat\ActiveX\AcroIEHelper.dll O2 - BHO: WormRadar.com IESiteBlocker.NavFilter - (3CA2F312-6F6E-4B53-A66E-4E65E497C8C0) - C:\Program Files\AVG\AVG8\avgssie.dll O2 - BHO: Java(tm) Plug-In 2 SSV Helper - (DBC80044-A445-435b-BC74-9C25C1C588A9) - C:\Program Files\Java\jre6\bin\jp2ssv.dll O2 - BHO: HP Smart BHO Class - (FFFFFFFF-CF4E-4F2B-BDC2-0E72E116A856) - C:\Program Files\HP\Digital Imaging\Smart Web Printing\hpswp_BHO.dll O3 - Toolbar: Yahoo! Toolbar - (EF99BD32-C1FB-11D2-892F-0090271D4F88) - C:\Program Files\Yahoo!\Companion\Installs\cpn\yt.dll O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [SynTPEnh] C:\Program Files\Synaptics\SynTP\SynTPEnh.exe O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [QPService] "C:\Program Files\HP\QuickPlay\QPService.exe" O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [Windows Defender] %ProgramFiles%\Windows Defender\MSASCui.exe -hide O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [hpWirelessAssistant] C:\Program Files\Hewlett-Packard\HP Wireless Assistant\HPWAMain.exe O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [WAWifiMessage] C:\Program Files\Hewlett-Packard\HP Wireless Assistant\WiFiMsg.exe O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [NvCplDaemon] RUNDLL32.EXE C:\Windows\system32\NvCpl.dll,NvStartup O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [AVG8_TRAY] C:\PROGRA~1\AVG\AVG8\avgtray.exe O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [HP Health Check Scheduler] c:\Program Files\Hewlett-Packard\HP Health Check\HPHC_Scheduler.exe O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [Sidebar] C:\Program Files\Windows Sidebar\sidebar.exe /autoRun O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [LightScribe Control Panel] C:\Program Files\Common Files\LightScribe\LightScribeControlPanel.exe -hidden O4 - HKUS\S-1-5-19\..\Run: [Sidebar] %ProgramFiles%\Windows Sidebar\Sidebar.exe /detectMem (User 'LOCAL SERVICE') O4 - HKUS\S-1-5-20\..\Run: [Sidebar] %ProgramFiles%\Windows Sidebar\Sidebar.exe /detectMem (User 'NETWORK SERVICE') O9 - Extra button: Send to OneNote - (2670000A-7350-4f3c-8081-5663EE0C6C49) - C:\PROGRA~1\MICROS~3\Office12\ONBttnIE.dll O9 - Extra 'Tools' menuitem: S&end to OneNote - (2670000A-7350-4f3c-8081-5663EE0C6C49) - C:\PROGRA~1\MICROS~3\Office12\ONBttnIE.dll O9 - Extra button: HP Smart Select - (58ECB495-38F0-49cb-A538-10282ABF65E7) - (no file) O9 - Extra button: Research - (92780B25-18CC-41C8-B9BE-3C9C571A8263) - C:\PROGRA~1\MICROS~3\Office12\REFIEBAR.DLL O9 - Extra button: HP Smart Select - (DDE87865-83C5-48c4-8357-2F5B1AA84522) - C:\Program Files\HP\Digital Imaging\Smart Web Printing\hpswp_BHO.dll O13 - Gopher Prefix: O16 - DPF: (7530BFB8-7293-4D34-9923-61A11451AFC5) (OnlineScanner Control) - http://download.eset.com/special/eos/OnlineScanner.cab O18 - Protocol: linkscanner - (F274614C-63F8-47D5-A4D1-FBDDE494F8D1) - C:\Program Files\AVG\AVG8\avgpp.dll O20 - AppInit_DLLs: avgrsstx.dll O20 - Winlogon Notify: !SASWinLogon - C:\Program Files\SUPERAntiSpyware\SASWINLO.DLL O23 - Service: AVG Free8 E-mail Scanner (avg8emc) - AVG Technologies CZ, s.r.o. - C:\PROGRA~1\AVG\AVG8\avgemc.exe O23 - Service: AVG Free8 WatchDog (avg8wd) - AVG Technologies CZ, s.r.o. - C:\PROGRA~1\AVG\AVG8\avgwdsvc.exe O23 - Service: Com4Qlb - Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. - C:\Program Files\Hewlett-Packard\HP Quick Launch Buttons\Com4Qlb.exe O23 - Service: GameConsoleService - WildTangent, Inc. - C:\Program Files\HP Games\My HP Game Console\GameConsoleService.exe O23 - Service: HP Health Check Service - Hewlett-Packard - c:\Program Files\Hewlett-Packard\HP Health Check\hphc_service.exe O23 - Service: hpqwmiex - Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. - C:\Program Files\Hewlett-Packard\Shared\hpqwmiex.exe O23 - Service: InstallDriver Table Manager (IDriverT) - Macrovision Corporation - C:\Program Files\Common Files\InstallShield\Driver\1150\Intel 32\IDriverT.exe O23 - Service: LightScribeService Direct Disc Labeling Service (LightScribeService) - Hewlett-Packard Company - C:\Program Files\Common Files\LightScribe\LSSrvc.exe O23 - Service: NVIDIA Display Driver Service (nvsvc) - NVIDIA Corporation - C:\Windows\system32\nvvsvc.exe O23 - Service: QuickPlay Background Capture Service (QBCS) (QPCapSvc) - Unknown owner - C:\Program Files\HP\QuickPlay\Kernel\TV\QPCapSvc.exe O23 - Service: QuickPlay Task Scheduler (QTS) (QPSched) - Unknown owner - C:\Program Files\HP\QuickPlay\Kernel\TV\QPSched.exe O23 - Service: Cyberlink RichVideo Service(CRVS) (RichVideo) - Unknown owner - C:\Program Files\CyberLink\Shared Files\RichVideo.exe O23 - Service: XAudioService - Conexant Systems, Inc. - C:\Windows\system32\DRIVERS\xaudio.exe -- End of file - 6727 bytes I get a warning on HJT that the publisher is unknown. Also, the version I have requires me to run it as administrator as I have Vista.

I may have discovered a bug in the new software. I was baking last night and selected Surround Bake. I set the temperature to 400°F and it showed "Preheating 250°F". At this point I changed my mind and hit cancel, opting instead for a Standard Bake at 400°F. After selecting standard bake and inputting the temp, it stopped showing "Preheating..." and the oven acted as though it was at full temperature when it wasn't. The bottom element clicked on and off as it would if it had achieved temp. After about 15 minutes of this activity, I opened the oven and thought no way is it 400°F. I canceled the Bake mode and selected Surround Convection at 400°. Now the oven showed "Preheating 250°F" like it did originally, but switching back to Bake again killed the preheat cycle. Going back to Surround Convection, I got the preheat indication again. Switching to Pure Convection the preheat designation disappeared again. There seems to be a problem with the programming logic. Unless you leave it in the initial mode selected fully through the end of preheat, the oven seems to get confused. This could be the reason why some folks have said that the oven is 50-100° off, or that things take forever to bake. Does anyone know of a way to "reboot" the computer without running outside the flip the circuit breaker?