Perhaps right click the taskbar and choose 'Task Manager'
and its 'Applications' tab.
Then you can select the thing that is hung and press the 'End Task' button.

Nope, didn't work. Once again I had to log off with programs still open. It doesn't happen often, but it's a pain when it does.

I might try.. Task Manager, Users tab... and Disconnect. Then I only need to put in my password rather than doing a full shut down.

Have you looked in the EventVwr at the time of the hang to see if maybe it has a resolution available to maybe fix those hangs ?

Curious,,, what is it that leads up to these hangs ?

I have the same problem. Also sometimes I have the same sort of thing occuring when I try to "wake " my PC. It won't wake so I have to shut it down manually and reboot. I will try looking at the event viewer next time it occurs, but I doubt I can understand what the EV is telling me.
(Vista Ultimate)- I do love Vista, I can't understand all the bad press it has gotten.
Pam

Pam,

Is your system a HP?

Debi,

Is this situation occurring when you are on the Internet? Working with multi-tasking with applications? Both or a combination of both? I ask as my feeling is you have a resource concern.

DA

The last time it happened I had a 2 programs open, was on the Internet and was trying to open an email. This is on a Gateway laptop just 1 year old with 320 GB memory & 1.73 GHz Dual drive.

DA,
No it is a custom built system.(Vista Ultimate 64 bit.) It seems to only occur(rarely) when I "wake " up the system- It seems to hang up while reloading. I have turn the PC off and reboot. The "spinning blue circle" that the OP mentioned, doesn't seem to occur when I am using FF or IE, but happens occasionally when my DH uses AOL ( I can't get him to use FF)
Pam

Hi Debi,
What browser do you have? My spinny thing, I thought, was the browser trying to keep up with my impatience. My son said it will be like that till I upgrade from dial-up.
Donna

Pam,

I asked as some HP built systems had a concern as you described which was apparently resolved with a patch.

Debi,

How much RAM do you have and have you checked your startup for unnecessarily enabled items? If you're multi-tasking as you described when this occurs I still lean to a resource issue. When it does occur a quick test could be to close one of the running applications via a right click on the Toolbar entry.

I have a Vista system on an antique DUN and the only time I get Internet loading delays,anyone of three browsers, is when a site has a plethora of cookies or is graphic intensive. When I am multi-tasking it is not a problem. Of course, I have my startup pared back.

DA

DA and Mikie,
I have an AMDAthlon 64X2 Processor4200+2.2GHZ with 2.00 GB Ram and lots of room left.
I have my start up pared down.

I have noticed when I "wake" my pc, that when I listen carefully there is a faint click-after my USER logo appears on the monitor, before my desktop appears- if I don'w wait for that "click" BEFORE clicking on my user logo or pusing "enter"- that is when my "hang up" happens. ( I don't know if this is clear)

Like Debi- the spinning blue circle seems to happen when I am multitasking from different applications. I have gone to TM and both application show but I can't end either one and have to shut down. Next time I will try the "users" tab- "disconnect" as Mikie suggested.

I will also try EViewer next time this occurs, but I have glanced at that in the past just out of curiosity and have no idea what to make of the info. there.
Pam

Pam you might change your power profile in control panel, the advanced configurations, to not require a password on wake. Unless you need to keep others out. There are all kinds of power settings there... maybe look through those and see if everything seems to make sense.

Another thing might be is that some mice don't play well with waking from sleep... you can disable the allow mouse to wake system in Device Manager / Mouse. Then wake it with your keyboard or power switch, assuming they are set to do sleep/wake too.

My vista laptop wakes straight to desktop, kind of a fast fade up to brightness, otherwise an instant desktop, with one bloop sound indicating the wifi switched on. No pause for anything. Only way it wakes is with push of the power on button.

Pam,

Please remember that Vista in itself requires a GB of RAM for operation. Then your AV, an alternative firewall if you have one, and everything else has to share the remaining GB.

Do you by chance have a photo slide show or a screen saver configured between use and "sleep"?

DA

DA
Ah Ha! I do have a photo of my Granddaughters as a screen saver on my desktop!
Mikie
I don't need a password, but will look at my power profile and see if I can make sense of it.
I seem to remember possibly doing something with it at one time. My AVG used to scan at 3am, but now doesn't when the PC sleeps. I have it set to scan at 7am. now as I am usually up and going by then, but notice it won't run if the PC is sleeping. Could there be a connection?
Pam

Pam,

For what it is worth, I honestly don't know many people who configure their systems to go to sleep at all anymore. We, and I include myself, configure them to "never" and "high performance". Nothing wrong with configuring them to go to sleep, but it is really old Win95/98 technology and when we had CRT monitors.

DA

I'm a penny pincher more so than most on my power bill, and its still darn expensive!
I've used a kill-a-watt gizmo on most everything in my house and computers cost on your power bill to run. More per month than my 22 cu/ft refrigerator/freeser. Makes sense for me to sleep or hibernate things as long as I dont get wake/sleep modes happening too close together so as such to add wear and tear to the electronic components.

Disclaimer: For beginning users,we are not talking about leaving systems on during adverse weather. As the thunderstorm/tornado season is upon us undoubtedly there will be the annual questions in regard to that subject.

Mikie,

Nothing wrong with savings money. Just as much as there is nothing wrong with configuring systems to "sleep". Nor is there anything wrong with leaving systems on 24/7. None will harm a system.

My point is many traditions we as users, particularly us older ones who have been through multiple O/Ss and advancing peripherals, still use today what is instilled in us as habit developed from old technology.

DA

Sorry for the delay in reponding.

I usually use IE b/c that's what I'm used to though I do have FF downloaded.

It happened again tonight with 2 programs opened and trying to open an email. Seems like it's happening when I try to open emails (sometimes). I use MS Mail which I hate.

I tried the TM, but that didn't work. Finally have to log out and reboot again.

As for resources, not sure (again) where I check for that DM. I have been downloading alot of pics b/c I'm in the process of developing a new website, but the spinning circle was happening even before all the pic download.

This computer has 3 Gigs of ram.

Please download Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware to your desktop. Click here
Double Click mbam-setup.exe to install the application.
 Make sure a checkmark is placed next to Update Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware and Launch Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware, then click Finish.
 If an update is found, it will download and install the latest version.
 Once the program has loaded, select "Perform Full Scan", then click Scan.
 The scan may take some time to finish,so please be patient.
 When the scan is complete, click OK, then Show Results to view the results.
 Make sure that everything is checked, and click Remove Selected.
 When disinfection is completed, a log will open in Notepad and you may be prompted to Restart.(See Extra Note)
 The log is automatically saved by MBAM and can be viewed by clicking the Logs tab in MBAM.
 Copy&Paste the entire report in your next reply.
Extra Note:
If MBAM encounters a file that is difficult to remove,you will be presented with 1 of 2 prompts,click OK to either and let MBAM proceed with the disinfection process,if asked to restart the computer,please do so immediately.

Debi,
Malwarebytes' Anti Malware is a great program- perhaps it may find something there. However, I have but running that program and updating it faithfully every week since Jan, quick scan once a week and full scan once a month, nothing has ever shown up. The problem you mentioned about the circle running when you try to open an email while engaged in another program has not occured recently. I haven't done anything but am waiting for it to happen again.

Eliminating the sleep mode has cured the hang up- spinning cirlce on wake up. Thanks for the help DA and Mikie - I think my photo screen saver is the culprit on that.
Pam

I already have Malwarebytes loaded but haven't ran it for several weeks. Will report back later with update.

Thanks.

Though 3GB of RAM is comfortable, I still think it is a resource issue. In essence in your last report you were running three applications at the same time along with your background services and tasks, AV and firewall. Obviously each system and the software it uses is different, but regardless each also has its limitations.

DA

I run the Malware but my battery died so I don't know if the scanning finished before it died. I was in a meeting so I didn't catch it. The log didn't report anything strange.

I ran it again last night and there were 0 infections.

How do I know if my resources are running low?

The Performance Tab of the Task Manager will provide you a lot of information.

DA

Post this log if you get a chance, it will tell us a lot more..

Click Here to download HJTInstall.exe
 Save HJTInstall.exe to your desktop.
 Doubleclick on the HJTInstall.exe icon on your desktop.
 By default it will install to C:\Program Files\Trend Micro\HijackThis .
 Click on Install.
 It will create a HijackThis icon on the desktop.
 Once installed, it will launch Hijackthis.
 Click on the Do a system scan and save a logfile button. It will scan and the log should open in notepad.
 Click on "Edit > Select All" then click on "Edit > Copy" and Paste the entire contents of the log (no attachments) into your next post.
DO NOT use the AnalyzeThis button, its findings are dangerous if misinterpreted.
DO NOT have Hijackthis fix anything yet. Most of what HJT lists will be harmless or even required by your Operating System.