What was running when I had to hard reboot?

[mlschelpat]

Sometimes after PC is idle for awhile I cannot get any response from keyboard
or mouse and have to do a hard reboot. Not in standby mode, HD light is
blinking so it is doing something, pushing power button, like when it is in
standby, has no effect . Is there a registry entry or log file containing the
program name running when I hit the reset button? This XP Pro SP2 IE7 with
all current updates. (There are several annoying programs installed for
protection that like to do scans & automatic updates (Norton Zonealarm, etc)
without prior warning so its probably one of them. No send/receive lights
blinking on the cable modem so this machine hasn't been hijacked.) Thanks

 

[Kelly]

Yes, in the registry they are located under the run keys for Local Machine
and Current User. To disable natively, go to Start/Run: type in msconfig.
Once there, go to the Startup Tab and de-select accordingly. Also if you
open the Task Manager (C,A,D) it will list all processes running.

You can also run Doug's Program Tracker listed here:
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_u.htm#xp_util

Good luck!

--

Happy Mardi-Gras,
Kelly (MS-MVP/DTS&XP)

Taskbar Repair Tool Plus!
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/taskbarplus!.htm

 

[mlschelpat]

Thanks for your reply, Kelly, but what I was actually looking for was an
indicator of the specific program/process that was keeping the system so busy
that I could get no response from keyboard/mouse, forcing me to hit the
system reset button to reboot, ie who was the last guy to use the CPU and do
I/O. Task manager shows me what's running and getting CPU and IOs when I am
able to enter alt/ctrl/del, but I can't enter anything. I was hoping that
there might be a "fingerprint" recorded somewhere, that I could retrieve
after the reboot, that would point to the system hog at the moment I
rebooted, but I guess that info is only stored in some register (memory)
which is cleared with the reboot. Event logs & Drwatson don't contain
anything because the hog didn't fail. Maybe what I need is a trace, in a
wraping file, of CPU/IO users that I retrieve after the fact, but my searches
don't turn up anything like that. Adios, Mike