Hi Guys - I am really hoping one of you guys can help.

I bought a dell laptop a while ago off a friend. There was some porn stuff on it that would not go away so, with the help of a friend we wiped the hard drive, and reinstalled everything.

My problem now is that the computer is very slow, even just scrolling up and down the page is not smooth, it has 256mb and 20 gig hard drive with windowsxp. There is loads of space available. The computer is useable but only just and it is very frustrating.

It is as if part of the memory is faulty?????? I am not much of a wizz on computers I am afraid. Any help would be appreciated.

Yantra, sounds more like something using up CPU time, either a rogue bit of ADVFN Java or perhaps a virus. Use Task Manager to tell you whether one process is using up all the CPU.

Thanks Kayak

looks like you know your stuff - definately a cpu process causing problems - as I type this message there is random text/word apperaing in this text box, my screen then freezes. I do not know where this text is coming from (does not look like programming text) - also appeared in my username box as I logged in. I hope no-one is accesing my computer remotely (..me just being paranoid perhaps!!)

The CPU process taking upto 100% of space is called sapisvr.exe. No idea what this is. Deleted it resarted computer but it eventually reappeared.

Yantraman, that file is something to do with speech recognition software and the problem looks to be memory related. do a google search for sapisvr.exe and you will find some info. Sorry I dont have time to search more now.

Perhaps your speech recognition software is enabled, picking up room noises from the microphone and trying to decode them?

This link should help Yantraman: http://www.computing.net/gaming/wwwboard/forum/646.html. It says there that a 2Ghz processor at least is needed to run speech recognition successfully :-)

Spaceman & Kayak

Thanks sooo much for your help. Microphone was on and computer is now running smoother without that mystery text!!! Pages still dont scroll smoothly but the computer is no longer freezing up and I can finally use the bloody thing for trading again - a big relief.

very many thanks and happy trading!!

Got a problem with networking.

I have broadband using a Linksys ADSL Wireless Gateway to connect Main PC, Secondary PC (both via ethernet) and Laptop via Wireless link.

Both PC's and the Laptop can connect to the internet, but can only get the PC's to network together.

Not sure how to get the laptop working on the network although it was working up until a couple of weeks ago.

What do you I need to check - settings etc.

Thanks

Peterg Many Thanks. Idiot question removed

No probs, doc.

I am having problems getting my Norton antivirus to auto protect. When I try to enable it, it comes up with a message saying an error has occured in the script on this page. I have the latest version of Norton updated automatically and no virus(s) have been detacted when I do a manual virus scan. The message includes a URL res://:\progra~\norton~1\navui.dll/navstats.htm. Any ideas how I can enable autoprotect? It sometimes works but since the last update ofthe Norton antivirus it refuses to auto protect. Thanks in advance, HerbieS

sutherlh1
First thing I would try is a complete unistall of Norton and then a reload.

Thanks Croc, loaded Norton 2004 antivirus from the site and scanned. Despite having automatic updates and frequent scans from Norton antivirus 2002 previously I was surprised to find over 200 files at high risk and around 300 others at risk. Norton 2004 appears to have removed them all.

RogerD or anybody else with a minute.

Last weeks fast movements in the market caused me some technical issues. I.E. since only running one laptop cannot get across to broker sites and sb site quick enough to trade and cannot see market when in broker sites or sb site.

My main question is how do you keep two or more windows active.

I know "Terminal" can achieve this but could somebody tell me how traderPC with two or three screens keeps active windows on different screens.

RogerD gave me some advice but it raised a question in that you can access a new window but it is only that which is active - if I go into my Hoodless Brennan site and login and then switch back say to Mam streaming stockwatch without logging off there is a possibility of being locked out. Certainly this has happened to me if I switch sites without logging off.

Not a tech buff so please bear with me and probably most here are aware that I live in the wilds of Scotland and cannot access info easily or ask anybody easily. Thanks

maddoctor, how much memory do you have in your laptop? At least 256Mb these days for having lots of windows and effortlessly switching between them. If there is a delay between switching windows and you hear the disk drive chattering then you are definitely short of memory.

Kayak , no probs with memory its this "active window" problem as described above.

Not sure exactly what you mean, but to create additional IE windows either type ctrl-N (which creates a copy of the current IE window) or click on the IE icon again (which creates a new instance, so you'll have to log in again). The former method is more convenient and efficient in memory, but also means that if one window crashes the others will too, whereas the latter method doesn't suffer from that. After you have more than one window, you can either switch between windows by using Alt-Tab, or you can fit more than one window onto a screen by dragging the edges or the corners of each window inwards to make it smaller and then moving it by dragging the title bar around the screen.

Kayak , thanks for your reply. Trying to make myself clear but not succeeding it seems. For instance I am watching live streaming stockwatch and want to switch immediately to my broker but at the logged in window and back again or on screen want live prices from stockwatch whilst meantime getting a broker quote , this requires two active windows. Switching as I understand it makes the switched window active and the one I switch from inactive. As I said above this may cause me to be locked out of hoodless brennan.Hope this is clearer.

Have you tried the stuff in post 1446, maddoctor?

yep , understand can get that from file - asking for advice before I try moving windows from a logged in situation on hoodless brennan since if you get locked out you have to damn well ring them up to get unlocked and with open positions this could be scary