Perhaps you can explain something to me. Why would an Adobe Photo Shop .exe command freeze my computer, over and over again? I ID'd the file when the Windows Device Manager showed it was chewing up 99 % of the CPU. When I went to delete the process file I got one of those throat-catching warnings: You want to do this? Sure you can but your computer will turn into nuclear waste. So I googled the process name, got this site and was told in plain English (ohh how I love plain English) it was an Adobe command. So I did a Bush and deleted the whole program instead. I'm trying to figure things out as I'm going along but I'm not getting anywhere fast. Thanks.

(Moderator edit: moved post to more appropriate forum. jgweed)

When is photoshop locking up? Mainly, what are you doing when it locks up, like just starting it (if so, what part does it get to when it locks up), applying a filter, opening an image, etc. etc.

What version of photoshop are you using, and on what OS?

Sorry for all the questions, but I need to know these before I can help you out!

Also, your system specs would be nice, mainly the cpu, amount of ram and number/size of hard drives (internal).

See if this info from Adobe can help you.

Thanks stevealmighty and handplane for your help. I haven't got back to you because I only just found where this post had been moved to. I'm so new at this that when I couldn't find it where I put it (the Windows XP forum) I just thought I hadn't managed to post it at all and went back to reading tutorials (basic, basic ones). Stats: Intel ®, Pentium ® 4 CPU 2.40 GHZ 2.39 ghz 736 MB RAM, internal hard drives - local 37.2 GB, a DVD and CD drive. My system was freezing all the time, any time, no matter what was running. I was having to turn it off at the wall four, five times a session. I was about to scissor the cables. The Desktop was often wiped clean - no Startup, no icons. I kept watching Windows Task Manager - the CPU graph kept spiking to 100% usage and staying there. I had no idea what that meant but thought it couldn't be good. When I looked at the process tab I found a file "adp.exe" (I think that's right, something else that's finally seeped into my thick brain is to write down what I'm doing), the adp.exe process file was notching up 99% CPU usage. I went to delete it but got the DON'T BE STUPID warning so I googled it and came to this site which immediately told me it was an Adobe Photo Shop process file. I didn't know what else to do so deleted the whole program. Nothing has crashed since. I can't tell you how clever I feel!! (joking). I'd still like to understand what happened so if you can help, I'd be very grateful. Also, handplane, I was only on that link you gave me two seconds before I learnt something really important - about restarting the computer after a systems error and not continuing to work. But with the problem I had, I couldn't have kept working if I wanted to. Sorry this is long winded but it's so good to talk to someone who isn't, like me, walking into brick walls in the dark, thanks again, Marg

No problem on taking a while getting back to us Novitiate! Are you sure that file was "adp.exe"? If so, than that's a "baddie"....please take a look HERE. Please follow the removal instructions and see if that makes a difference. If that wasn't the exact file, then please keep reading!

Photoshop shop shouldn't be using up 99% of your cpu unless it's really doing something intense (like resizing, filtering etc.).

As for your issue with Photoshop freezing, could you answer a few questions please:

What version are you using (exactly, like not just "6", but rather "6.01").

Where do you have your scratch disk set up to (what drive letter)?

Have you installed any fonts besides the default ones that come with Windows?

Have you installed any extra filters/plugins? If so, which ones (a link would be nice!)?

If it's installed, double click the icon to start PS (ps=PhotoShop), then quickly hold down ctrl+shift+alt. A window should pop up asking if you want to delete startup files (or something similar). Click yes and it'll finish starting up. This will allow ps to create new scratch settings (startup settings). If it's not installed, then we'll get to this later.

Let me know about this and we'll start working on this.

Back again, stevealmighty (having a smile at your humble name), this is really bad for my work. An hour ago I said, I'll just check out what "Scratch disk" means before I get back to that rotten spreadsheet and here i still am having spent an enjoyable half hour at the U of Berkeley multimedia website. No, I don't have a scratch disk because the Adobe Photoshop program was not installed by me but downloaded itself when my daughter was showing me a CD of pics from her recent New Zealand holiday. Nor had I installed any fonts or plugins. I've only just got broadband and my dialup was too mingy for me to do anything on the Internet. I also hunted through my journal and found the process file name: it was "apdproxy.exe". I can't tell you the version of the program because I deleted it and don't know how to find that info now. So, I guess my question is now: would I get into trouble again if I download another version of Adobe Photoshop?

LOL! Don't worry about the nick name, it doesn't reflect my intelligence (thank god!). HERE's a quick story about how I got that nick name.

It doesn't seem as if you've got the professional version of Photoshop installed, more like a free version that comes bundled with certain things (like cameras, scanners etc.). If you don't need it, don't use it. Chances are that it was sucking up all that processor speed becuase it was either looking for an update or scanning your computer for images that it could open (.jpg, .gif, .tif etc. etc.).

HERE is a list of free computer editing programs that you can use. As for storage or "photo management", I'd just recommend that you copy the images from the camera to a folder (labeled by date, event or something that you'll recognize when searching for images), verify that they are there on your hard drive, then delete the images off the camera itself.

If you do want this adobe software on your computer, you could download it again, then check the options for a way to shut off the "auto search" and/or "auto update" features. However, I've always had a huge heartache about programs that just install themselves without asking my permission....I figure if they don't ask to be on my machine then I don't want them there. If it were me, I'd use one of the freeware programs listed to edit my photos rather than a program that downloaded itself on my computer.

Also, just becuase you've got programs downloading themselves on your computer, I'd strongly recommend that you follow these instructions HERE and just do the scans (no need to submit a HJT log unless you think that you're still infected, or if you just want to make sure that you're not infected with something that the programs might miss or something that keeps re-installing itself). Just some friendly advice!

Hope this helps, and please let us know if you have any more questions about anything at all!

I guess military life can't be all bad if you learn so many useful skills. I'd like to see some of your pics if you have any on a site somewhere. Do you have military conscription over there ? (I'm Australian - we had it during Vietnam). I think you forgot to link the last "HERE" for instructions re. the scans. I agree that self-downloading programs are rude but I'm such a newbie I'm reluctant to do anything about anything unless driven to it. I have run SpyWare and Ad adware a few times since getting sat. service and was surprised at the direct correlation between time spent online and the number of malware ticks sticking. I know it's obvious but I still found it surprising just how many crawled out of the woodwork. I'll let you know how the scans go (PS Now I know what a HJT scan is as well as a scratch disk - you are good for my education!) thanks, Marg

DOH! I did forget that link! Click HERE to follow that link, and read the thread by Grinler. Do everything except post a HJT log, that is, unless you'd like to do so and have one of our top notch members from the HJT team check out your log for you!

As for military conscription, well, in the US it's called the draft, but we haven't used it since (I believe) the 1970's, which is why we call it the "Free Army" (but it goes for all the branches, not just the Army). Realistically, the President can invoke the draft at any time so long as the circumstances call for it. As for me getting assigned to do photography when my job was a generator mechanic, well, that's what we call "All other duties as assigned"...meaning that I was told to do something and did it!

I do have some pictures posted right on this forum. You can view them HERE and a couple airplanes HERE. Hope you like them!

Now, as far as you being a newbie, well, don't sweat it! We all started someplace! Please, by all means, feel free to post any questions or comments that you might have here in the forums (try to use the appropriate forum ). You'll find that we all strive to be polite and helpful, and we'll never laugh at you for asking a question......we'll laugh with you! Kidding!

Looking forward to reading more of your posts! You'll be a pro in no time!

I loved those pics, in fact the Galaxy is now my Desktop background. I used to live on Guam and big planes (B-52s in particular) have a real nostalgia for me. I have to ask you - if you already had to carry all that gear, what possessed you to lug along a camera as well? I'm thinking of that camel-breaking hair. And why Mountain Brigade? You were based in hilly terrain? I like the strong contrasts, gives it a chiaroscuro drama that highlights the burdens you carried. And I had to smile at your later advice regarding the camera's recognition of colour (gamma, BDUs, horrible tech stuff), that the camera was fudging because it had "nearly no information". That is such a description of me! Only computers don't let you fudge too much. I'm away on business for a couple of days. Let you know how the scans go when I get back. Ta, Marg Oh, forgot the '63 Flyin' Falcon. Haven't laughed so hard all week.

Gotta say one last thing. I can't decide whether trying to understand computers (as opposed to just using them) is more like running really fast on a treadmill that is always going faster OR looking through a tiny spy hole into a huge, gloomy auditorium. But one thing I'm starting to understand - the obsession. It IS interesting. Before, I always thought it was boring. One of my friends used to complain about her husband's hours at the computer. She'd put his dinner on a tray, open the door to the computer room and shunt it across the floor before slamming the door shut. We all said, how dreadful, you poor thing. What is the matter with him? Now I know. M

We all know that feeling....

I did all the scans that Grinler recommended except, as I have Norton 2006, I didn't download Panda Antivirus. Do you think it is necessary? Everything seems OK. The Hijack This log must have been OK because it didn't suggest any action. All the computer freezing must have been caused by the Adobe download as, since I deleted it, haven't had another problem. I now have Norton Antivirus and Firewall, Spybot, Ad Aware, McFee Stinger and SpyWare Blaster. I bristle with big guns. Thanks so much with all your help, cheers, Margaret