No response when trying to start programs

A bit of a weird one this but basically what happens is.....sometimes (not everytime) I boot up Windows everything starts - virus scanner, firewall etc., but when I try and start Firefox or Thunderbird or anything in fact - nothing happens. The system doesn't freeze or anything but no application will run. Right-click on the Virus Scanner (in the active program bar) and try and open it - nothing !!

A re-boot usually fixes it - but why should it happen ??

Any thoughts anybody ??

Windows XP SP2 fully up to date.

 

You can do Ctrl + Alt + Del -> Task Manager when you get to the desktop and try looking at the activity of Applications and Processes.

Are icons finished being loaded into the Notification (System) Tray?

Watch the HDD activity LED. If you wait until the activity stops, can you work successfully then?

If you don't have a large amount of RAM, startup programs can be getting put into Page File on the HDD...although, since you can reboot and it works "correctly ", it may be getting caused by a checking program that is scheduled to run at startup (antivirus or antispyware). You probably won't see activity happening in Task Manager, but you will see a lot of activity by the HDD LED. When you reboot the system, the checking program thinks the task has been carried out and lets you start opening your programs.

See if you can open the antivirus "manager" before anything else and look to see if it is running a scan. I find the longer the machine has been shut down, the more the AV wants to scan at startup.

What does the AV want to scan? Everything related to internet activity at least. Run a cleanup on your HDD. Try the program CCleaner to remove Temp files and Temporary Internet Files. Go to Control Panel -> Internet Options and under the first tab (General) -> Temporary Internet Files -> Settings, reduce the "Amount of disk space to use" to say, a couple of hundred megabytes. (I change the "Check for newer versions of stored pages" to Every visit to the page.)

Run Error Checking and a Defragmentation of your drive/s.

Open any programs in the Notification Tray that you don't feel need to be running in the background and disable them from running at startup (usually under Tools -> Options). If want to, say, update your printer software , do it manually ocassionally. Things like iTunes should not need to run in the background, they should be able to start up when the device is connected (shesh!).

If you happen to have an Email program automatically starting, the AV will start checking the emails [Edit: and I expect the same with an instant messenger program].

The problem you describe, for me, I have found, relates to the antivirus.

Matt

 

Thanks Mattman. You've given me food for thought.

It happened again this morning. I could run Remote Desktop Connection and I connected successfully with another computer. Nothing else fired up. I have Avira Antivir Personal Edition Classic (the free one) and that wouldn't open - although it did update itself as it is scheduled to do every day. No other scans are scheduled. Being the free version, email scans are only done when they are opened - not as they arrive.

Your other thoughts.........

In Task Manager only System Idle Process is active.

I have 1.5GB of RAM - so that should be OK.

I Defragged a week ago or so. Recently ran CCleaner and did a Registry Cleanup.

I've cut the startup programs down to the minimum I require.

Leave it with me for a while and I'll do some more investigating and get back to you with my findings.

Thanks very much for your help.

 

Don't know if it will help, but can't do any harm:

http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_abc.htm

Click on E in the alphabet, scroll down to EXE File Association Fix for Windows XP

Download the reg file, double click on it to merge to registry.

 

No good.....

Thanks everyone for your thoughts.

Sorry for not replying earlier but I wanted time to try out different solutions.

"JRosenfield" - Tried Kelly's corner registry fix and thought it fixed it but unfortunately not.

Today had to reboot twice before I could get anything to run - so I'm still at a loss. I have Window Blinds and ObjectDock and can only think that they're causing problems somewhere. I really don't know what to think !!

Just to summarise for newcomers to this post....Trying to execute an ".exe" just does nothing. Windows doesn't hang - it just doesn't run the program. Right-clicking on an active program in the bottom-right taskbar (is that the right terminology ?) of the screen produces no reponse at all. Im at a loss

 

And possibly a visit to both Window Blinds and ObjectDock support sites and see if the type of issue you are having is common or caused by these programs and something else you have running such as Avira. Since it's random it just maybe a startup timing issue with the themer loading or loading properly. It is a shell and if it isn't functiong well loss or nonactive shelled apps will not run.

 

Thanks for all your thoughts.

Tried "shellexview" to no avail. Disabled all but Microsoft - still have same problem and I even had to run that in Safe Mode could it wouldn't execute because of this problem.

I still have to look into Windowblinds and Objectdock.

If I open Windows Explorer and try to open anything - nothing happens and then I can't even close that. Minimize works but trying to close the window gives a beep (error). Ctrl-Alt-delete brings up the Task Manager but things gradually take longer and longer to work (if at all). "System Idle Process" is the only process using CPU (about 90%). Shutting down Windows from here works but I have to click on every application - you know, the "End Now" button.

After 2 or 3 reboots things seem to behave normally (as now).

I have Avira Antivirus, BOClean, Superantispyware - and these have never found anything dubious on the PC.

Re-installing Windows is an option - but a last resort. I'd sooner have to keep re-booting....as long as it doesn't get any worse !!

 

Hi rigsby,
If you have Windowblinds and Objectdock zipped and saved and can uninstall and reinstall at will why not unistall and return windows to a more graphic normal moded theme such as xp style (luna) or classic would offer. It's been years since I even had window blinds, is it possible to temporarily disable or turn the thing off?

Have you tried logging in on another account?
How about an msconfig diagnostic startup?
Had a looksee in event viewer and possibly services to see if you have a stuck service.

 

Thanks for your ideas guys and gals.

Uninstalled Windowblinds alas to no avail. Took about 3 re-boots today to get things going. However, I have some good news....I created a new account and logged in 2 or 3 times and so far (fingers crossed) things are OK. Just going back to the problem - when I fire up Task Manager or Winpatrol - those are two that WILL open - clicking in either application to terminate a running program doesn't stop it.

I really don't relish the idea of repairing/re-installing Windows so I'll concentrate on rebuilding a new account with all my current settings and see if that works.

Goddez1.....What's a "msconfig diagnostic startup" and how do I do it ??

Keep the ideas coming (if there are anymore) - I do really appreciate all the help.

 

Hi rigsby,

msconfigfocus to be on elimination of startup apps)
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310560

I see the new account is working, now ask your self what's different between this one and the one that does not work. Startup apps? Application settings? It just might be that the old account is corrupt in someway such as registry settings and is unfixable. It might be an application that was installed on a per user basis.

You may find this useful:
How to copy data from a corrupted profile:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;811151

Pay special attention to step #4:

 

Hi Goddez1,

Thanks for your advice. I tried your last suggestion re. "copying from a corrupted profile ". I thought it worked, but the glory was short-lived. On the Microsoft site it said not to copy ntuser.dat, ntuserdat.dat.log and ntuser.ini. I had only ntuser.dat and ntuser (which wasn't mentioned), so I DID copy the latter (rightly or wrongly).

Haven't tried the other suggestion yet tho'.

For the time being I've created a new user and done nothing to it. If I then switch user and log in as my 'problematic' user - this seems to solve the problem everytime - so far (!!). I think I'll stick with this solution for the time being (but I will investigate the msconfig stuff when I have time).

Thanks very much for your help.

 

You know where the linked info is. Windowsbbs will keep it for ya' in the archives. I can't blame you for sticking with the fix solution of "new user account ". I'm glad that worked out for you.

Your most welcome.