Computer help

[overkill94]

All of a sudden a new icon has popped up on my lower-right toolbar. All it says when I move my cursor over it is "Disabled" but then when I right click or double-click it doesn't do anything. I've checked through the processes running and nothing looks out of the ordinary. Ran a Spybot and Ad-Aware scan and it's still there after all the fixes were made.

I've attached an image of the icon although it's pretty hard to see. Anybody have any idea what this is and how to get rid of it? If not, maybe a tech forum that you recommend?

toolbar.JPG

[johnnya24]

Odd ... I don't recognise it.

Normally my solution to strange and unexplained things going on with my PC is to re-install windows (which may be of no help ) ... sometimes quicker than dealing with the frustrations associated with trying to fix problems ... and you get a fresh and fast system.

Is that XP?

[overkill94]

Odd ... I don't recognise it.

Normally my solution to strange and unexplained things going on with my PC is to re-install windows (which may be of no help ) ... sometimes quicker than dealing with the frustrations associated with trying to fix problems ... and you get a fresh and fast system.

Is that XP?

Yeah, it's Windows XP. I re-formatted maybe a year and a half ago but my computer's getting pretty old (6 or 7 years now) so it only helps a little. I haven't really noticed any performance problems, but I always get a bit leery when I see stuff I don't recognize.

[johnnya24]

Yeah, it's Windows XP. I re-formatted maybe a year and a half ago but my computer's getting pretty old (6 or 7 years now) so it only helps a little. I haven't really noticed any performance problems, but I always get a bit leery when I see stuff I don't recognize.

No need to re-format usually ... just make sure you have (or can get hold of) the programs you normally use so you can easily reinstall them. There is a way to keep the file / program associations and still re-install ... but don't recommend that unless there is no way to get a program working again post-install (i.e. you no longer have the software).

When I was using XP I realised I needed to reinstall it every 6 months to keep it working smoothly ... it also helped to see off any of the problems I was experiencing prior to this.

Have you checked if your specs allow you install Windows 7? A reasonable Pentium 4+ and 1GB of ram is usually enough to run it well. THe upgrade from XP to 7 is like night and day.


Windows 7 system requirements:

If you want to run Windows 7 on your PC, here's what it takes:

1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor

1 gigabyte (GB) RAM (32-bit) or 2 GB RAM (64-bit)

16 GB available hard disk space (32-bit) or 20 GB (64-bit)

DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver

[overkill94]

No need to re-format usually ... just make sure you have (or can get hold of) the programs you normally use so you can easily reinstall them. There is a way to keep the file / program associations and still re-install ... but don't recommend that unless there is no way to get a program working again post-install (i.e. you no longer have the software).

When I was using XP I realised I needed to reinstall it every 6 months to keep it working smoothly ... it also helped to see off any of the problems I was experiencing prior to this.

Have you checked if your specs allow you install Windows 7? A reasonable Pentium 4+ and 1GB of ram is usually enough to run it well. THe upgrade from XP to 7 is like night and day.


Windows 7 system requirements:

If you want to run Windows 7 on your PC, here's what it takes:

1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor

1 gigabyte (GB) RAM (32-bit) or 2 GB RAM (64-bit)

16 GB available hard disk space (32-bit) or 20 GB (64-bit)

DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver

Won't the program still be there even if I re-install Windows? I usually re-format just so I can get a clean slate and get rid of any residual programs/files that are no longer needed.

Looks like I'd have to do a little upgrading to be able to use Windows 7. Right now I have the following:

3.06 GHz Pentium 4, 32-bit
768 MB of RAM
10.2 GB available hard disk space
no clue on my graphics device

I've been thinking about getting a new computer anyway. Once you factor in buying the new RAM, hard drive, and Windows 7 software, the difference probably isn't all that much.

[cardboardbox]

the icon on the left I assume? No idea. Its possible its always been there but you had it set to hide the tray icon.

Try doing a system restore to a day you didnt have it.

[johnnya24]

Won't the program still be there even if I re-install Windows? I usually re-format just so I can get a clean slate and get rid of any residual programs/files that are no longer needed.

Looks like I'd have to do a little upgrading to be able to use Windows 7. Right now I have the following:

3.06 GHz Pentium 4, 32-bit
768 MB of RAM
10.2 GB available hard disk space
no clue on my graphics device

I've been thinking about getting a new computer anyway. Once you factor in buying the new RAM, hard drive, and Windows 7 software, the difference probably isn't all that much.

A reinstall deletes all the previous files associations with programs and files ... you basically have to reinstall all the programs on a fresh copy of windows. Formatting is usually NOT a necessity ... if you can why not ... but not necessary. I generally only reformat if I have big problems that I fear might have spread further than the windows OS.

RAM and hard drives are cheap ... and Windows 7 is free isn't it? ... or have I been misinformed?

1GB DDR2 533 or 667mhz is like £10 ... depends on your MOBO and its limits. Older mobo's can't take 1GB, so you'd need 2x512 MB sticks. Post the mobo make and model number and I'll let you know.

A couple of small upgrades and Windows 7 will feel like a brand new system.

[overkill94]

I'm so far removed from my computer geek days, how do you find out what model your motherboard is?

I think Windows 7 was offering free upgrades early on but I'm guessing you'd have to pay the usual $150 or whatever now.

[johnnya24]

I'm so far removed from my computer geek days, how do you find out what model your motherboard is?

I think Windows 7 was offering free upgrades early on but I'm guessing you'd have to pay the usual $150 or whatever now.

Best way (somtimes only way) is to open 'er up and find the model number on the board ... should be around the RAM / Processor area.

[cardboardbox]

I would not upgrade a 6 or 7 year old pc.

If you really only want to figure out what that tray icon is, click run, type msconfig, go to the startup tab and start unchecking everything until you randomly select the right one. You'll need to restart each time to see if the one you unchecked was it. You can also follow each startup item's path to see if that tray icon is also attached to the .exe file listed.

[Judge Jude]

I've mentioned before - whatever your politics, we're all computer rescuers now - and cardboardbox is the man on this stuff, this computer troglodyte has found over the years.......

[johnnya24]

I would not upgrade a 6 or 7 year old pc.

If you want an easy life, fair enough, spend a little more for a new PC ... but other than that I can't say I agree with you old boy

I upgraded a friends PC about a year and a half ago. He had an 6 year old 775 board, so I gave him my old core2duo (available now brand new for like £20), bought 2x1GB RAM (now that will hit you a whopping £20), loaded it up Vista (at the time ... now it has 7) ... and when I am using his PC I can barely notice any difference in performance from my own.

Now if I loaded it up Photoshop with 2/3 big files, and fired open a few other programs it will drag a bit, but even then it could handle it. State of the art gaming is not an option ... but that isn't an issue.

I don't see the point in spending $3/400 on a new PC when $60/70 will get you the same thing (assuming you are not looking for gaming or other highly intensive activity).

The only question would be the wear and tear on the mobo. With free internet delivery these days (here anyway) ... I would recommend ordering one component at a time ... plugging it in to make sure it works ok ... then ordering the next. That way you get to see that everything works as you go along, and you don't end up with a bunch of redundant components (or at least avoid major hassle in getting your $ back).

[cardboardbox]

If you want an easy life, fair enough, spend a little more for a new PC ... but other than that I can't say I agree with you old boy

I upgraded a friends PC about a year and a half ago. He had an 6 year old 775 board, so I gave him my old core2duo (available now brand new for like £20), bought 2x1GB RAM (now that will hit you a whopping £20), loaded it up Vista (at the time ... now it has 7) ... and when I am using his PC I can barely notice any difference in performance from my own.

Now if I loaded it up Photoshop with 2/3 big files, and fired open a few other programs it will drag a bit, but even then it could handle it. State of the art gaming is not an option ... but that isn't an issue.

I don't see the point in spending $3/400 on a new PC when $60/70 will get you the same thing (assuming you are not looking for gaming or other highly intensive activity).

The only question would be the wear and tear on the mobo. With free internet delivery these days (here anyway) ... I would recommend ordering one component at a time ... plugging it in to make sure it works ok ... then ordering the next. That way you get to see that everything works as you go along, and you don't end up with a bunch of redundant components (or at least avoid major hassle in getting your $ back).

at the very least he's going to want a new cpu, more ram, hard drive, and then if he wants to be legal he has to buy Windows 7. Compound this with possibly worn out components like power supply and case fans and its just not smart to spend money on a losing cause. Now if you want to go the illegal route, I can see some benefit to avoiding the new pc but in that case I'd go with the tiny little pc's that you can mount on the back of a monitor (assuming you have a monitor worth keeping). Otherwise, maybe its time to pick up a $300 notebook.

[johnnya24]

at the very least he's going to want a new cpu, more ram, hard drive, and then if he wants to be legal he has to buy Windows 7. Compound this with possibly worn out components like power supply and case fans and its just not smart to spend money on a losing cause. Now if you want to go the illegal route, I can see some benefit to avoiding the new pc but in that case I'd go with the tiny little pc's that you can mount on the back of a monitor (assuming you have a monitor worth keeping). Otherwise, maybe its time to pick up a $300 notebook.

For me it's not an issue ... I get fidgety if I have to wait a nano second for a response ... I'm always upgrading bits and bobs

But components can be surprisingly resilient if they haven't been battered and abused. I think that extra $$ is better off being spent on a quality monitor, speakers etc (i.e. the stuff you physically interact with) rather than the stuff under the hood ... if all you do is surf, watch video and listen to music ... a Pentium 4 3ghz with some beefed up RAM, and anything other than XP should be all you need.

My laptop sits gathering dust ... laptops cannot compete with PC's IMO unless you need mobility.

[overkill94]

Thanks for the input fellas, I'll have to do some price checking and see what the best route is.

I already have a work laptop so mobility isn't a concern. The real concern is that it takes 5-10 seconds for my porn vids to load.