Weird Computer Stuff Again

Some process is periodically running through all the items on the desktop as well as the items in the task bar stealing focus from what ever I am doing at the moment. This is a real PITA. If I am looking for an item in a right click menu, that menu goes away. If I am in a app menu, that menu goes away. Meanwhile if I can see the desktop I can see all the desktop items flickering.

Anyone see this before? I'm not sure how to even debug this since nothing shows up in task manager as jumping up and using significant resources.

Windows 8.

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Rick C
Reply to
rickman
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I'll mention it once and then never bring it up again - gotta get with the penguin.

I'm sure you have your reasons for still using Windows 8, and that's okay. But just so you know that it's hard on our empathy to see such suffering.

The penguin is a patient lover, though. When you're ready, he'll be waiting.

Reply to
bitrex

Get the SYSINTERNALS Processmon application. It'll show all running processes.

Cheers

Reply to
Martin Riddle

I have definitely been considering the penguin. Maybe it's time.

Someone has offered to help me install a linux distro on a USB flash stick which would let me preserve my windows hard drive without fear of corrupting anything. I think my biggest concern is begin able to run all the apps I currently run. LTspice is a big one.

Also, I actually tried going down that road once some years back and one guy in particular would just jump on my shit for not wanting to dig into every page of the manual and learn every detail of every program.

Maybe it's time...

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Rick C
Reply to
rickman

I've got Process Hacker and it just shows the Windows Explorer process jumping up to highest CPU usage. That doesn't really tell me the cause.

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Rick C
Reply to
rickman

Apart from Win8 being a complete dog what you describe here is characteristic of faulty keylogging malware or possibly a stuck Alt key on the keyboard. You should run a deep virus scan as a matter of urgency

- preferably booted using a CD cut by another trusted machine.

Root kits have a bad habit of disabling the resident AV product.

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Regards, 
Martin Brown
Reply to
Martin Brown

LTspice runs fine under Wine. I don't really know what that means, but on my Linux (Peppermint) machine I have no problems with LTspice.

Cheers

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Clive
Reply to
Clive Arthur

Yeah, most of the "modern" distros are perfectly usable 99% of the time from the GUI, no command line required. I don't know as much as many folks because I don't find myself often needing to open up a terminal for what I do.

Learning a few basics of the terminal like how to work with files/permissions, list hardware, install packages and kill a program or process if it misbehaves (this actually works 100% of the time, rather unlike Windows) is helpful but it takes all of an afternoon.

Reply to
bitrex

formatting link

running ltspice is straight forward; install wine, run ltspice install, done

Reply to
Lasse Langwadt Christensen

Maybe the CIA?

Certainly can't be caused by MS software, eh? I mean, it is so stable and reliable (as I type this on my Macbook Pro)...

John

Reply to
John Robertson

Is there something similar for Debian? I've worked with Rasbian on the rPi so I'm at least slightly familiar with that and I'd like to keep things as much the same as possible.

But the UI won't be any better I bet... ;)

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Rick C
Reply to
rickman

the process should be the same, just download the debian iso instead

ubuntu is based on debian, sorta just adds a bit polish and stability

since it is exactly the same it won't be any worse either ;)

Reply to
Lasse Langwadt Christensen

do tell

Reply to
M Philbrook

Ah, OSX has its problems too. They just don't seem to be as annoying as the MS ones. At least I can figure out how to fix the issues by using UNIX stuff in terminal...

Linux...I used to sell Red Hat Linux back in 1996 when I had my retail software store. Never did use it, although I probably will shift over if OSX gets any more User-UnFriendly. Not as bad as MS yet, though Apple is trying to make one operating system do everything. I think they forgot there is supposed to be a difference between platforms, a laptop isn't a iPhone which isn't an iPad, which isn't a desktop.

Or am I too turning into a fuddy-duddy about this sort of thing? Sigh.

John

Reply to
John Robertson

Linux Mint is quite nice and runs LTspice happily under Wine. I use the Mate edition. Mint is derived from Debian.

John

Reply to
jrwalliker

Replacing windows with debian or ubuntu with debian? assuming the latter.

formatting link

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This email has not been checked by half-arsed antivirus software
Reply to
Jasen Betts

And Linux Mint is based on Ubuntu, just with more polish and stability :-)

Debian is good as a base for distributions, for servers, and for embedded systems. But it is less good for desktop users - Debian is stricter about trying to keep everything open source, which makes it less convenient when you want nvidia or AMD drivers, Google Chrome, etc. Ubuntu makes it easier to install that sort of thing - Mint makes it even easier. And both of Mint's desktops (Mate and Cinnamon) are much nicer than Ubuntu's "giant telephone" approach.

But since you still have Debian underneath, you can still use "apt-get" and friends, and pretty much any web site that says "this is how to do X in Debian" will work for Ubuntu and Mint.

Reply to
David Brown

Replacing Windows.

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Rick C
Reply to
rickman

I run LTSpice on linux. Install wine if it's not already on there - it usually is. Right click spice & tell it to open it with wine. Done.

Linux normally comes with a fairly thorough range of apps already installed. For the odd app that doesn't cover, pick something from the distro's repository. Installing stuff from 3rd party websites is one of the main downfalls of windows.

that's his problem

way past time. The main downside of linux is it's too often in the hands of immature people. Watch out for distros that are all flashing lights and no usability, and check whatever you get has long term support, avoid any that don't.

NT

Reply to
tabbypurr

I use Xubuntu on my machine, it uses the XFCE desktop environment instead of Unity.

It says it's designed for "older computers" and these days I consider any machine more than about 2 years old an "older computer."

Runs like a bat out of hell on my i7 laptop...

Reply to
bitrex

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