[jelleym]

For the past few months, ever since Microsoft had asked me if I want to "enable synchronization" - every hour or so, a dialog box pops up asking me "Do you wish to enable Microsoft Synchronization?" It is SUCH a major pain. Is there a way to disable it or to totally Remove that program? I have no idea WHAT the heck it is.

Rhetorical footnote
No need to respond to this, since I really should tackle one issue at a time.
I keep getting ever more tangled in a web. Another past [unresolved] issue is that when I try to open documents on my F: drive's zip disk that were created with WordPad, it displays: "cannot load Word for Windows 6.0 files". Inconsistently, some of my documents DO open, but others don't. Someone had advised me to download a similar program as Word, saying that might successfully open those files. But that was a huge download, and when I downloaded it thru the night, the next day the download had failed for some reason.

Also, every time I go thru the excruciating reinstall, the system remains slow. Of course, it may just be my Dialup or phone connection or 256 RAM. All I know, is that I keep remaining stuck, and never getting extracted, since I have problems ON TOP OF previously unresolved issues.

[cams-dad]

?? - Is this machine on a network? Check here: open My Computer, click Tools -> Folder options and see if you have an Offline Files tab. If so, uncheck "Enable offline files".

[jelleym]

...oops due to non-photographic memory, I didn't clarify that it's ZoneAlarm that causes the popup,

First asking if I want to allow the MS Synchronization program access online
Then asking if I want to allow it access to the Trusted Zone

(or is it vice versa? don't remember)

But my question is:

Do I even NEED the MS Synchronization program?
Microsoft has a way of forcing you to answer Yes or No questions, when you don't even know what you're saying Yes or No to! Then afterwards you find intrusive popups as a result of accommodating their quirks.

[1101doc]

1. Only you can tell if you need/want synchronization. It has to do with a Windows powered mobile device: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobi...c/default.mspx I'm guessing that you don't, because you didn't know what it was. Your call.

2. "Cannot load Word for Windows 6.0 doesn't really have anything to do with WordPad. Windows reports that it is trying to open a progam that I assume from your post that you do not have. Couple of workarounds: Rather than double clicking the problematic files, right click and choose "Open with..." Select WordPad, and check the box that says "Always use..." Since your system seems to be referencing an uninstalled application, Try running the Microsoft Windows Installer Cleanup Utility: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/290301 Download and install. When you run the app, it will present a list of programs for which Installer has references. Left click any uninstalled program once to highlight, and then push the "Remove" button. If you run the tool on an installed program, all the files and folders will remain, but it will not run until it is re-installed to the original directory. This Utility is designed to clear orphaned items left after uninstallation.

3. To change the behaviour of ZA alerts, go to the ZA Control Center and select Program Control from the left panel. Then click the "Programs" tab. Scroll down to the program you want to manage, and in the column headed "Access," click the symbol that is displayed. A small dropdown menu will present. A question mark means "Ask me every time." A check mark means "let it go through and don't bother me about it." A big red X means "Never. Ever. At all. Even a littlebit. And I don't want to hear about it again, either!"

4. Get more RAM! Find out what you need here:http://www.crucial.com/
Don't have to buy from them to use the scan or the manual tool, but get a matched pair of exactly the right kind of RAM for your system. Buy as much as your board will support. You'll be so much happier! Right now it's like you're driving a V8 Mustang (2.4 processor) with a 2 gallon gas tank.(256 RAM)
Even Dial up will be better. (not much tho.. No way to get cable or DSL?)

5. If you don't do alot (tons) of word processing, you likely don't need Word or even Open Office. I generally find WordPad enough, and now there's on-line word processing as well. In your situation, I likely wouldn't bother with it at least until I got more RAM. I've had a system with 256 RAM, and just developed the habit of doing only one thing at a time.

6. For what I have learned about the basics of controlling XP see my Vox: http://doc1101.vox.com/ Nothing geeky, just some useful tools and informational sites. To visit the "links," copy and paste the URLs to your browser address bar in a new tab.

[jelleym]

Via Search, "Synchronize" was found in Programs > Accessories

Apparently, it:
"Updates the network copy of materials that were edited offline, such as documents, calendars, and e-mail messages."

(which I needed like a hole in the head)

anyway, I'm just leaving those 4 red XXXX in ZoneAlarm for:
msfeedssync.exe

Thank you!

P.S. Re: the Word for Windows topic, I'll follow up via PM

[ht3]

jelleym, googling for "msfeedssync" had me read this thread...

my notes:

(a) too little memory to run a properly updated (now to Vn3) Windows-XP (but you knew that)

(b) you are using ZoneAlarm (speaking from experience: I got rid of it not long after paying for it)

if you don't use RSS, turn it off (see http://www.novahq.net/forum/showthre...adid=4231218); if you decide to use it, limit the access frequency (a IE parameter setting)

turn off all automated software update downloading (Microsoft, HP, Apple, whatever...), allow availability alerts only (if offered. if not, complain to the company)

Best Regards!

[TheOutcaste]

ht3 is right on about the Microsoft synchronization, follow his link, or see post 5 in this thread to disable it. http://forums.techguy.org/windows-vi...tion-what.html

For the cannot load Word for Windows 6.0 files issue, SP2 is likely to blame for that, the legacy RTF converters are turned off. See if this will resolve that: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/883090

And if you can go to 512 MB RAM, you'll have much better performance. 1GB would be even better.

HTH

Jerry

[jelleym]

Uh... this post is a year old and I don't seem to have that prob. anymore, but you betta believe that I got many other probs. not least of which is an ongoingly SLOW system for years already, as well as the fact that LCDs have gone WideScreen which discriminates against electrosensitive people such as myself for whom widescreens are lethal. (i.e. the more surface area, the more phosphor pixels (so-called anti-rad shields & LCDs haven't helped me). Also, I imagine there's more (or wider) CCFL area.

The reason I never get around to fixing these tech probs. is for the very reason that I'm seldom on computer anymore due to my electrosensitivity.

I realize this is boring to most, but it's where I'm at, so what the heck.

[ht3]

>Uh... this post is a year old and I don't seem to have that prob. anymore...

well, jelleym, some day someone else might google for just that problem... and now find my answer. whatever you did to get rid of the problem will be forever hidden (unless you bother to take the time to reveal it)

>I got many other probs. not least of which is an ongoingly SLOW system for years

sounds like it could be the stupid DNS-cache updating problem (that has been p*ssing me off all of 2008 already - I don't recall exactly why or when it started). Easy to check for -- fire up the Task-Manager and check for the problem. How? Sort the list of the running processes by CPU-time and (I expect) you'll see "System Idle Process" as #1, and "svchost.exe" (owned by NETWORK SERVICE!) in the number #2 spot <--- that's the DNS-cache flushing bugger! If your computer slows down to a crawl and you see this at the highest CPU-%, preventing you from getting to the net, or anything done, just end it, KILL it DEAD, and things will start working again for you. (there are other svchost.exe processes with different owners; do not touch those). It will come back to pester you after the next reboot (from "deep sleep" or after reboot), and if you have the time and patience (I've seen it take 1 CPU-hour in the first 2 real hours) to let it "get done," you shouldn't see the problem again until... well, whatever triggers the DNS-flushing (every 24 hours I believe to be the common standard)

>the fact that LCDs have gone WideScreen which discriminates against electrosensitive people such as myself

I'm not familiar with that problem. Could you provide a link, please, to some page which explains the problem 'as you would have us understand it'? (of course I could google, but that doesn't mean I'll get to the explanation as YOU think of the problem). Do you have to use the (newer?) LCD thingy? Can't you continue to use whatever display you were using before?

>I'm seldom on computer anymore due to my electrosensitivity.

clearly, I don't understand what this is all about. Apologies, but I trust that your explanation will thoroughly enlighten me. thanks for making the effort to communicate and respond in the first place, in spite of the troubles you have to overcome to do it.

Regards!

[jelleym]

Ah..hi, there & sorry for the delay.

Since my forementioned issues aren't exactly related to this tech board, I'll try sending you a PM by way of explanation. There's also the issue of privacy, ahem..

UPDATE: You seem to have disabled your P.M.