My Memory is Like Quicksand!

[Rick Altman]

I have a situation that is plaguing and perplexing me. The simple
explanation is this:

Stuff gets stuck in memory.


It is now an everyday occurrence that some application or module that is
supposed to run and then go away doesn't go away. Sometimes it's a splash
screen for an application launching, sometimes it's a media player, and
other times it's a full-blown application. The one that fails me with 100%
consistency is the Adobe License Manager, adobelmvsc.exe, which kicks in
three minutes after a PDF file is opened and is supposed to check for a
legitimate license (which I have) and then go away. It never goes away.
iTunes frequently gets stuck, and several others are culprits.

When these programs or processes get stuck, there is no amount of prying in
Task Manager that can remove them. And because they refuse to release, the
Shutdown, Restart, or Logoff procedures hang in perpetuity.

As far as I know, the only recourse is to power-cycle, which I now do
multiple times per day.



I'd love to get to the bottom of this, but I don't really know where to
start. Any ideas...?




Rick A.
Pleasanton CA

 

[Guest]

I had this problem on a 2000 machine several years ago. Turned out, virtual
memory was being corrupted due to a hard drive that was SLOWLY dying.
Windows was completely silent about it until we finally decided to run ChkDsk.

Another indicator was that persistent registry settings were not being
persistent. We would set options on windows and folders, and they would
return to default on reboot. The registry finally became so screwy, even
after replacing the drive and restoring from backup, that we had to reinstall
the operating system.

I kind of doubt it is a memory problem, but it is a slight possibility.
Windows is NOT as good at finding those as Microsoft claims, either.

Hope this helps. Reply either way, and especially if it turns out to be a
different problem, if you would.

 

[Malke]

I have a situation that is plaguing and perplexing me. The simple
explanation is this:

Stuff gets stuck in memory.


It is now an everyday occurrence that some application or module that
is supposed to run and then go away doesn't go away. Sometimes it's a
splash screen for an application launching, sometimes it's a media
player, and other times it's a full-blown application. The one that
fails me with 100% consistency is the Adobe License Manager,
adobelmvsc.exe, which kicks in three minutes after a PDF file is
opened and is supposed to check for a legitimate license (which I
have) and then go away. It never goes away. iTunes frequently gets
stuck, and several others are culprits.

When these programs or processes get stuck, there is no amount of
prying in Task Manager that can remove them. And because they refuse
to release, the Shutdown, Restart, or Logoff procedures hang in
perpetuity.

As far as I know, the only recourse is to power-cycle, which I now do
multiple times per day.

First make sure that the computer is completely virus/malware-free:
http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Removing_Malware

If the machine is clean and the problems still occur in Safe Mode, then
you may have hardware problems. Here are general hardware
troubleshooting steps:
http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Hardware_Troubleshooting

Testing hardware failures often involves swapping out suspected parts
with known-good parts. If you can't do the testing yourself and/or are
uncomfortable opening your computer, take the machine to a professional
computer repair shop (not your local equivalent of BigStoreUSA).

Malke

 

[Rick Altman]

Thanks, Dean --

My memory all checks out okay, but I haven't run ChkDsk in about 10 years.
Didn't know that you could under XP. I have no Registry creap at all, except
for the usual MS Messenger. I have already repartitioned and put a fresh
copy of XP on; same result. So it's either my hardware or it's a specific
software glitch that has recreated itself.

I'm at a loss...

 

[Rick Altman]

Hi Malke --

Computer is completely virus/malware free. Have not tried any tests in Safe
Mode, though. If I asked you to speculate on what kind of hardware problems
might create this kind of condition, what would you say? I'm completely
comfortable inside the box but I wouldn't know where to start...

 

[Malke]

Hi Malke --

Computer is completely virus/malware free. Have not tried any tests in
Safe Mode, though. If I asked you to speculate on what kind of
hardware problems might create this kind of condition, what would you
say? I'm completely comfortable inside the box but I wouldn't know
where to start...

That's why I gave you the general hardware troubleshooting steps - to
help you with a starting place. Here is the link again:

http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Hardware_Troubleshooting

Malke