MSGSRV32 is Not Responding

[equestrian42@invalid.com]

The last week or so my computer seems to just suddenly stop for
awhile. Sometimes as long as a minute or so. When I do CTRL ALT DEL
I get an error message saying MSGSRV32 is not Responding. If I close
it, everything works fine, except when I shutdown the computer locks
up so I have to just shut it off.

Anyone have any ideas what's going on?

I'm running Win98SE on a 1ghz P3. 380 (something) Ram

No detected viruses or spyware. Harddrive is not fragmented and
checks ok with scandisk. Everything else works fine.

 

[PCR]

equestrian42@invalid.com wrote:
| The last week or so my computer seems to just suddenly stop for
| awhile. Sometimes as long as a minute or so. When I do CTRL ALT DEL
| I get an error message saying MSGSRV32 is not Responding. If I close
| it, everything works fine, except when I shutdown the computer locks
| up so I have to just shut it off.

MSGSRV32 is the Windows 32-bit VxD Message Server. It allows apps to
communicate with each other. It rarely is at fault, but some other app
has left it hanging by forgetting to tell it its done, maybe.

(1) If you let it sit there, will the computer recover on its own?
(2) Can you switch to another task with Ctrl-Alt?
(3) Does it happen no matter what you are running,
or is it always in the same application(s)?
(4) Did you install something new lately?
(5) Have you tried a cleanish boot (minimal apps
checked in the Startup Group)...?...

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=281965
How to Troubleshoot Using the Msconfig Utility with Windows 98
(281965) - This article describes how to use the Microsoft System
Configuration (Msconfig) utility to troubleshoot configuration errors in
Windows 98 and Windows 98 Second Edition.

| Anyone have any ideas what's going on?

Here are two articles, but likely they won't be your cure...

• Msgsrv32.exe Stops Responding and Then the Computer Stops Responding
(306616) - and-When you press CTRL+ALT+DELETE, MSGSRV32 is listed as Not
Responding in the Close Program dialog box. -
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/306616/en-us

• Computer stops responding each night at midnight
(302843) - If you press CTRL+ALT+DELETE, Msgsrv32 may appear as not
responding.
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/302843/en-us

| I'm running Win98SE on a 1ghz P3. 380 (something) Ram
|
| No detected viruses or spyware. Harddrive is not fragmented and
| checks ok with scandisk. Everything else works fine.

Uhuh! Very good! Those were the first things to try!


--
Thanks or Good Luck,
There may be humor in this post, and,
Naturally, you will not sue,
Should things get worse after this,
PCR
pcrrcp@netzero.net

 

[equestrian42@invalid.com]

On Sun, 18 Nov 2007 18:54:43 -0500, "PCR" <pcrrcp@netzero.net> wrote:

>equestrian42@invalid.com wrote:
>| The last week or so my computer seems to just suddenly stop for
>| awhile. Sometimes as long as a minute or so. When I do CTRL ALT DEL
>| I get an error message saying MSGSRV32 is not Responding. If I close
>| it, everything works fine, except when I shutdown the computer locks
>| up so I have to just shut it off.
>
>MSGSRV32 is the Windows 32-bit VxD Message Server. It allows apps to
>communicate with each other. It rarely is at fault, but some other app
>has left it hanging by forgetting to tell it its done, maybe.
>
>(1) If you let it sit there, will the computer recover on its own?
>(2) Can you switch to another task with Ctrl-Alt?

Some work, some dont.

>(3) Does it happen no matter what you are running,
> or is it always in the same application(s)?

Pretty much no matter what I am doing, but it seems that when I have
lots of things going on at once it's more likely.

>(4) Did you install something new lately?

Shortly before this started, I installed a driver for USB. That's
about all. Since then I upgraded my virus scanner, and installed
Opera. Since the problem began before the scanner upgrade and Opera,
I dont blame them. I cant see how a USB driver would cause this much
problem, but anything is possible, I guess...
There is an "Unknown" device in control panel / systems that I can not
get rid of...... Everytime I boot, it asks me for a driver but dont
find one, and I have no idea what it wants.

>(5) Have you tried a cleanish boot (minimal apps
> checked in the Startup Group)...?...

I always keep my startup apps very minimal. There are only 4 entries
right now. One is for my mobo and needed. the other 3 are part of
Windows itself. The only other ones I use regularly are a popup
blocker, and a flash media blocker, but I've used those two for years
without problems.

>
>http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=281965
>How to Troubleshoot Using the Msconfig Utility with Windows 98
>(281965) - This article describes how to use the Microsoft System
>Configuration (Msconfig) utility to troubleshoot configuration errors in
>Windows 98 and Windows 98 Second Edition.

Isn't there some sort of software that can record everything that is
loaded and what is occurring in Windows? Software like that would be
most helpful.......


>
>| Anyone have any ideas what's going on?
>
>Here are two articles, but likely they won't be your cure...
>
>• Msgsrv32.exe Stops Responding and Then the Computer Stops Responding
>(306616) - and-When you press CTRL+ALT+DELETE, MSGSRV32 is listed as Not
>Responding in the Close Program dialog box. -
>http://support.microsoft.com/kb/306616/en-us
>
>• Computer stops responding each night at midnight
>(302843) - If you press CTRL+ALT+DELETE, Msgsrv32 may appear as not
>responding.
>http://support.microsoft.com/kb/302843/en-us
>
>| I'm running Win98SE on a 1ghz P3. 380 (something) Ram
>|
>| No detected viruses or spyware. Harddrive is not fragmented and
>| checks ok with scandisk. Everything else works fine.
>
>Uhuh! Very good! Those were the first things to try!

 

[PCR]

equestrian42@invalid.com wrote:
| On Sun, 18 Nov 2007 18:54:43 -0500, "PCR" <pcrrcp@netzero.net> wrote:
|
|>equestrian42@invalid.com wrote:
|>| The last week or so my computer seems to just suddenly stop for
|>| awhile. Sometimes as long as a minute or so. When I do CTRL ALT
|>| DEL I get an error message saying MSGSRV32 is not Responding. If I
|>| close it, everything works fine, except when I shutdown the
|>| computer locks up so I have to just shut it off.
|>
|>MSGSRV32 is the Windows 32-bit VxD Message Server. It allows apps to
|>communicate with each other. It rarely is at fault, but some other app
|>has left it hanging by forgetting to tell it its done, maybe.
|>
|>(1) If you let it sit there, will the computer recover on its own?
|>(2) Can you switch to another task with Ctrl-Alt?
|
| Some work, some dont.

Uhuh. So, the whole computer isn't at a standstill. I see you also did
say even the frozen apps would recover on their own. Hmm.

|>(3) Does it happen no matter what you are running,
|> or is it always in the same application(s)?
|
| Pretty much no matter what I am doing, but it seems that when I have
| lots of things going on at once it's more likely.

It could be Windows reached a point where it must use the swap file or
otherwise move code in/out of RAM. But that shouldn't take minutes to
do. Can you set up System Monitor to monitor key values? That is at
"START, Run, SysMon", or put a shortcut to "C:\WINDOWS\SYSMON.EXE"
somewhere handy.

Especially check the Kernel Processor Usage, Disk Cache Size, Unused
Physical Memory, & Swapfile in Use figures. Those are the troublesome
ones!

|>(4) Did you install something new lately?
|
| Shortly before this started, I installed a driver for USB. That's
| about all. Since then I upgraded my virus scanner, and installed
| Opera. Since the problem began before the scanner upgrade and Opera,
| I dont blame them. I cant see how a USB driver would cause this much
| problem, but anything is possible, I guess...
| There is an "Unknown" device in control panel / systems that I can not
| get rid of...... Everytime I boot, it asks me for a driver but dont
| find one, and I have no idea what it wants.

The USB device must become a suspect, as is that unknown device. Here is
an article...

• How to use Registry Editor to identify an unknown PCI device
(298837) - When you install Microsoft Windows, the Add New Hardware
Wizard may search for drivers for an unknown device. ... the device may
be displayed as Unknown Device under Other ... To use this information
to help you identify the unknown device, follow these steps: Click Start
, and then click Run.
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/298837/en-us

|>(5) Have you tried a cleanish boot (minimal apps
|> checked in the Startup Group)...?...
|
| I always keep my startup apps very minimal. There are only 4 entries
| right now. One is for my mobo and needed. the other 3 are part of
| Windows itself. The only other ones I use regularly are a popup
| blocker, and a flash media blocker, but I've used those two for years
| without problems.

Probably it isn't them, then, unless those blockers have suddenly come
across something truly sinister. (But you did a virus check.) Are you
always online when this happens? I must admit some sites seems to cause
IE to freeze for me as well, & other apps continue to work during the
freeze-- just as yours do! But, when I Ctrl-Alt-Del, it is always that
IE instance that is "not responding".

|>
|>http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=281965
|>How to Troubleshoot Using the Msconfig Utility with Windows 98
|>(281965) - This article describes how to use the Microsoft System
|>Configuration (Msconfig) utility to troubleshoot configuration errors
|>in Windows 98 and Windows 98 Second Edition.
|
| Isn't there some sort of software that can record everything that is
| loaded and what is occurring in Windows? Software like that would be
| most helpful.......

System Monitor may help. Also...
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sysinternals/Processesandthreadsutilities.mspx?wt.svl=featured
Process Explorer from there is good.

|>
|>| Anyone have any ideas what's going on?
|>
|>Here are two articles, but likely they won't be your cure...
|>
|>• Msgsrv32.exe Stops Responding and Then the Computer Stops Responding
|>(306616) - and-When you press CTRL+ALT+DELETE, MSGSRV32 is listed as
|>Not Responding in the Close Program dialog box. -
|>http://support.microsoft.com/kb/306616/en-us
|>
|>• Computer stops responding each night at midnight
|>(302843) - If you press CTRL+ALT+DELETE, Msgsrv32 may appear as not
|>responding.
|>http://support.microsoft.com/kb/302843/en-us
|>
|>| I'm running Win98SE on a 1ghz P3. 380 (something) Ram
|>|
|>| No detected viruses or spyware. Harddrive is not fragmented and
|>| checks ok with scandisk. Everything else works fine.
|>
|>Uhuh! Very good! Those were the first things to try!

--
Thanks or Good Luck,
There may be humor in this post, and,
Naturally, you will not sue,
Should things get worse after this,
PCR
pcrrcp@netzero.net