Whenever a program locks up on my computer, and I try to end that program, I cannot do so. It is as if the "end program" component also locks up. So I have to turn off the machine. Anyone know what else I can do?1 person needs an answerI do too

Have you tried using Ctrl+Alt+Del to access Task Manager to end the programme?Sometimes Task Manager can take a minute or so to appear but it is an infinitely better way than pressing the Start button. That can cause system damage! Hope this helps, Gerry Cornell

Yes, after I press "control, alt, delete" and the task manager comes up, I am unable to end the program. It is as if ending the program is impossible. Thanks.

Is the computer a laptop or a desktop? Desktops often have a reset button which is less likely to cause damage than using the Power On / Off button.Hope this helps, Gerry Cornell

Is the computer a laptop or a desktop? Desktops often have a reset button which is less likely to cause damage than using the Power On / Off button.Hope this helps, Gerry CornellThis is a problem for me too....especially when running firefox. Mine is a laptop. Thanks.

JoanHow much RAM memory?Try Ctrl+Alt+Delete to select Task Manager and click the Performance Tab. Under Commit Charge what is the Total, the Limit and the Peak? Hope this helps, Gerry Cornell

Instead of figuring out how to end the program when your computer locks up, I recommend you figure out why your comptuer is locking up and fix that instead.If you keep turning off your machine (I assume using the power button), soon you will have a new post that looks like this:My system will not boot and I see a message like this:Windows XP could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt: \WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEMThen someone will suggest you try to fix your system with KB307545 and that won't help you either.XP has a mechanism built in designed just to help diagnose systems that lock up, freeze or hang and it is quite useful. I would suggest using it (that is what it is for) after fundamental general troubleshooting steps are exhausted.You know - easy questions like... what is the program that is locking up?I would also suggest everybody with XP lockup issues start their own new topic so they can be worked on separately or this thread is going to get messy fast.Thank heaven I am not a moderator (fortunately, I have no control over the way this forum operates).Maybe someday the XP forums "Ask a question" dialog will ask these questions automatically when a new thread is started so I do not have to ask them every single time. It might even be possible to resolve an issue in a single reply when enough information is provided.Please provide additional information about your system:What is your system make and model?What is your XP Version and Service Pack?Describe your current antivirus and anti malware situation: McAfee, Symantec, Norton, Spybot, AVG, Avira!, MSE, Panda, Trend Micro, CA, Defender, ZoneAlarm, PC Tools, Comodo, etc.Was the issue preceded by a power interruption, aborted restart, or improper shutdown? (this includes plug pulling, power buttons, removing the battery, etc.)Does the afflicted system have a working CD/DVD drive?Do you have a genuine bootable XP installation CD (this is not the same as any Recovery CDs that came with your system)?What do you see that you don't think you should be seeing?What do you not see that you think you should be seeing?Fill in the blank: My system was working fine until: ____________________________________________.Click Start, Run and in the box enter:msinfo32Click OK, and when the System Summary info appears, click Edit, Select All, Copy and then paste the information back here.For video driver information, expand the Components, click Display, click Edit, Select All, Copy and then paste the information back here.There will be some personal information (like System Name and User Name), and whatever appears to be private information to you, just delete it from the pasted information.This will minimize back and forth Q&A and eliminate guesswork.Perform some scans for malicious software, then fix any remaining issues:Download, install, update and do a full scan with these free malware detection programs:Malwarebytes (MBAM): http://malwarebytes.org/SUPERAntiSpyware: (SAS): http://www.superantispyware.com/They can be uninstalled later if desired.They can be uninstalled later if desired. Do, or do not. There is no try.I decided to save up points for a new puppy instead of a pony!