In about July 2019, my Windows 7 computer was starting to lock up when displaying a never-ending barrage of Not Responding errors that appeared across the top of my Firefox browser, Outlook and any other Microsoft software like Word, that I happened to be working with at the time this happened.
At first, the Not Responding issue only happened every once in awhile but as time went by, those error messages happened more frequently… to the point of locking my computer down for over 10 minutes at a time. Talk about frustrating!
Having suffered through the deliberate slowing down of WindowsXP machines that happened back when Microsoft was trying to force their users to upgrade to at least Windows 7, I figured this was Microsoft’s latest tactic to force me to upgrade to Windows 10.
Knowing all to well how dangerous it is to simply upgrade an old computer to a newer version of Windows, I ordered my new Windows 10 computer, and it was delivered and setup ready for me to use on 7 September 2019.
As the days went by, the Not Responding prompt started appearing periodically, but once again, as time went by, the Not Responding became more and more frequent, literally locking my new computer down for over 10 minutes or more at a time, so that I could not work on it.
My computer doctor checked out my Windows 10 computer and could find NOTHING wrong with it. He searched and searched and searched. And it did seem that this only happened when I had my browser and/or Outlook software opened, and connected to the internet.
However, have you ever tried working online without a browser and/or email software open? …asks Trish facetiously, of course.
I became more and more frustrated and my computer doctor showed me that my present internet provider had to be throttling back my internet connection which was probably causing this Not Responding issue… and it did seem logical as my internet provider at that time was Telnet and they had been recently bought out by Worldline. This new business owner’s support staff were trying to convince all Telnet customers to switch over to cable internet access… which I did NOT want to be part of.
After all, I have had no issues with the measly 5 MB of internet access that Telnet provided me with… until now that is.
In checking my internet speed, I really was being denied and throttled back. Here’s what I recorded when testing my Worldline internet access which was using Bell Telephone lines.
The support staff at Worldline has become so overworked and frustrated themselves, that the techie I was working with refused to resolve this issue even though I provided him with the link to this video as my proof that either they or Bell Telephone were throttling back my connection.
Not only was I not getting the 5 MB that I was paying for, but now too, my connection is being obviously throttled back once it started moving up to 8 MB.
In chatting with others who live in the GTA (Greater Toronto Area), on BOTH sides of Toronto, mind you… these folks were suffering from the Not Responding locking of their computers too, and all of them were using telephone lines for internet access.
Several users have since left Bell due to this issue and their poor support!
So… at least now I knew I wasn’t alone, as the support service with Worldline class had me believing that I was the only one on the planet suffering with this issue.
One Windows user told me that since they left Bell and moved to Rogers’ cable for their internet access, their computer hasn’t given them as many Not Responding prompts as before. Mind you, that user is still using Windows 7. Knowing their issue still prevails, what would be the point of my moving to cable internet access.
Due to the lack of quality support that I used to get from Telnet, I no longer felt that I needed to remain loyal to a business like Worldline whose obvious intent was to NO longer provide the same level of quality support that Telnet did previous to their taking over that business.
TekSavvy is now my provider and they gave me 6 MB… so, an improvement, wouldn’t you say?
Keep in mind that I work online. I don’t have a lot of gizmos an other users online, so anything beyond that 6 MB would be a total waste for me.
Anyway, the main reason I moved my internet access over to TekSavvy is that they promised me that they would provide me with similar access (well, 1 MB more actually), that they would make SURE I got my 6 MB, PLUS they would help me resolve this Not Responding prompt that was locking up my computer, as I was certain this was being caused by my access to the internet.
Long story short… the Bell repair fella’ that hooked my service up to TekSavvy went above and beyond the call of duty on Remembrance Day, getting me online with TekSavvy’s monitor. If Bell hired CEOs with only half the qualities that this man has, well, they’d STILL be the best telecom business in the country. Only wish there were more people like this fella for getting the job done.
For the first week using TekSavvy’s modem, I was informed by their tech support staff that I was not using their IP address, and so, naturally, I was STILL getting the Not Responding prompt that was locking up my Windows 10 computer. That was finally resolved once their next level of support person Chris helped me.
After that Chris spent over an hour with me chasing down what could be causing this issue, as he was certain that the Not Responding prompt was being caused by my computer.
Using my eyes, Chris had me open up my computer’s Task Manager and asked me to read out what I saw under the Processes…

This is when Chris asked me what I was using that is using Flow.
I told him that I had no idea what that was. That’s when he suggested that this COULD be what is causing the issues that I was experiencing as it did not make sense that my internet access might be causing this. Apparently, an internet access does not have that kind of power.
Okay… granted… but let me tell you where my thinking was… apparently, Bill Gates is no longer at the “helm” at Microsoft, so now perhaps, like the MAC with Steve Job now gone… the previous quality we came to depend on from Microsoft is no longer being provided in Windows. I mean, this issue DID rear its ugly head near the end of my using Windows 7, right? So, it must be something that Windows has failed to code into their operating system that is allowing the internet to interfere like this… leastwise, that was my thinking.
Thankfully, Chris seemed to be as analytical as I am, and once we discussed things back and forth, Chris got me on to the same page as him. Though I was adamant that my computer doctor had to be right, sometimes he too makes mistakes… daaaah, after all he is human, right? Where was my thinking… LOL?
That’s when I sent my computer doctor a screen print of my Task Manager asking him if he knew what Flow is for. When I didn’t hear back from him and knowing how in demand his services are right now given everyone needs to be using Windows 10 shortly, I tried Google searching for Flow. Low and behold, I got everything but what I was actually asking for.
The very next day, I thought to Google search “what is Flow in Task Manager” (without the quotation marks, of course) and finally I got what I was looking for. The third listing in my search results shown below…

…clicking on the title itself, provided me with the BEST explanation I could have EVER hoped to have discovered.
This issue appears to have started back in 2017, first on Notebooks but has obviously escalated over the years to include desktop computers.
Flow appears to have something to do with audio on the computer and MIGHT be exclusive to Hewlett Packard. Some of those who were chatting in that forum went so far as to delete Flow from there computer. I wasn’t that brave and so I sent my computer doctor Jamie yet another email, detailing everything that I had discovered.
Like poor Jamie wasn’t busy enough, but he is such a reliable computer doctor that he took control of my computer and simply renamed the Flow executable file…

…and VOILA! my problem was then SOLVED!
Oh… and the audio on my computer was totally unaffected.
In the forum discussion, it does sound like this may be exclusively a Hewlett Packard issue and NOT Windows, though who can say for certain, as yet.
When I discussed this further with my computer doctor Jamie, I informed him that I turned on my old Windows 7 computer and could NOT find any Flow on that computer. So, why was my Windows 7 computer acting out with the Not Responding earlier? Jamie suggested that this issue might have come with an update that HP or Windows issued, who know for certain.
He’s right, as according to the forum discussion, HP have apparently remained tight-lipped about this issue since it was first posted in 2017.
Now, if you find that your computer is issuing the same Not Responding error and locking up your computer, if you do NOT use Windows 10… or that your Windows 10 computer has NO Flow executable… then DO go to your Task Manager (like Chris had me do) and then find out exactly what each and every memory hog is that you are uncertain about. Simply adjust my Google search listed above to suit your Task Manager finding.
Sure hope you found this post helpful and that it has made it possible for you to fix your Windows 10 Not Responding locking up your computer issue. Feel free to share this with your friends.
Excel Freezes “Not Responding” on Windows 7 and Windows 10 [SOLVED]
Back when my entertainment computer that was using Windows 7, started affecting my favourite Excel spreadsheet (which contained a list of my favourite TV series), in which I experienced a Not Responding issue, as noted above.
Other pros suggested that perhaps my spreadsheet contained to much information.
Having formerly worked in an office of our local manufacturer for many years, I know that Excel was quit capable of handling a LOT more information within a spreadsheet than what I am keeping in mine.
On the other hand, a few years ago now, I was told that Excel is not being as readily used in offices anymore as the newer versions apparently stopped providing the necessary addons that it once used to include.
It was because of this tidbit of information that I was left wondering if the version of Excel that I was now working with had been striped altogether… though I wasn’t quit convinced.
So, I prevailed…
Once my entertainment computer was replaced with a Windows 10 machine, I found I had the same issue with this file and blamed it on not having updated my version of Excel. Then I got lucky and found Office 2019 on sale for all of $19. Needless to say that I jumped at offer and bought the rights to use it on ONE computer only. Only have one entertainment computer, so that’s fine by me.
After installing Office 2019, my Excel file was automatically converted… but… the Not Responding issue continued.
Aaaaaaah!
Then I FINALLY guessed at the REAL issue, and took a copy of that file into my office computer… and voila! My guess was correct.
The file has been corrupted… Daaaaaah!
Why it has taken me THIS long to figure that out is beyond me, but alas, I FINALLY woke up.
Here’s what I did… I saved a copy of the file in csv format. Closed the corrupted file… opened the csv file and then saved THAT as an updated Excel file, and began formatting this file to match the corrupted file. Voila… problem now solved!
Windows 10 Broken Registry Items Fixed!
So, your AVG software informs you that your PC is suffering from clutter…

…and, having not seen THIS issue since Windows 3.1, I prayed to find Gibson’s who used to provide an easy to use cleaner for registries back in those days.
What I did find is that several others were experiencing the very same issue and, it seems that NO one has discovered an easy fix.


Then one day while cleaning my computer of excess temp files and other clutter with CCleaner, I noticed the option for Registry and clicked on it…
…and then clicked on the Scan for Issues button. Low and behold, if all of the broken registry items were in fact listed as were reported by other software…
…so, then I took the chance and clicked on the Fix selected issues button… selected “YES” in response to CCleaner’s prompt asking “Do you want to back up the registry before making changes?”, and VOILA… registry items were then fixed.
NOTICE: Among the list of problems that CCleaner provided, I noticed a key piece of software that I have been using on a regular basis, being listed as Obsolete software key, so if I were to leave that checked, you know, to be fixed, I might lose access to that software. In searching the internet for this prompt, others have seen this prompt tpp (though NOT for the same software), and have been warned to NOT run a registry cleaner on Windows 10 on a regular basis, as this could cause issues. I have cleaned my registry once already. Yet, here is more clutter that has been detected even though I have NOT been adding and deleting software. So, the second time around I will consider this to be a false reading.
Be sure to leave me a comment below if you would like to discuss any of these issues further.
UPDATE 17 Sep 2021: It seems Flow keeps getting reinstalled on my computer. Is this happening with Windows10 updates? Who knows for sure. But sure enough, it started abusing my CPU’s resources and making the CPU race though on a racing track.
It has been uninstalled once more, so hopefully there will be no more issues… well… until the next update anyway.
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