Resolved Start menu freeze/hangs/stops responding

I had a problem a while ago with my start menu (see http://www.windowsbbs.com/showthread.php?t=63177). I never solved this problem because i was going to buy a new computer and so on.

Now i have bought my new computer and got a totally fresh install of windows xp and i still get this problem with random freezes of the start menu. Just nothing happens when i click it. I guess it have to be some of the programs i have installed that causes it so i wonder if anyone else experinced this, was it a program fault or something else?

List of programs installed:

http://www.sconez.net/programs1.JPG
http://www.sconez.net/programs2.JPG

Note: Some of the programs i have installed now wasn't installed on my old computer when i got the problem, but most of the was.

Thanks in advance!

 

zappe, maybe I have to state it, although you might have a clue where the problem lies...be careful of installing "free" programs!

You want us to identify the program that is stalling your system. It may be a badly written program. It may be a well written program that, say, needs to check a large amount of files or large files.

If there is "checking" or loading of programs in the Notification Tray, going on at startup (watch the HDD LED) and the freezes occur at startup, you are not giving the system enough time to do it's job. Either that, or you will need to restrict what programs run at startup.

You say "random ", if it is not only at startup, what is happening in the background to cause it? Two different computers, one of the programs you have installed is causing it.

Maybe it is a clash of two programs running in the background.

You do the "leg work" Do websearches and find out background information on the programs you have installed. It may be a program you have spent (a lot of) money on, that doesn't mean to say it works well.

You should investigate background information on programs before you install them (at least I do).

Matt

 

no, it's never at startup... the computer have to run a while for it to happen, but it's not a specific action that makes it happen (what i can see).
Im just guessing it's some of my programs, it may be something else.

I just posted it here to see if someone else experienced something like this, did some googleing yesterday before i posted and made a change to my antivirusprogram that could cause it according to microsoft, will see if that helps.

Otherwise i just have to uninstall programs and see what happens.

 

How did you decide upon the title (Start menu freeze/hangs/stops responding) for this thread?

 

well, didn't know what to call it so...

 

MS would probably suggest a clean boot.
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310353/en-us
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/331796/en-us
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/316434/en-us

Matt

 

okey, and wait and see if it works there?

 

You may also get some information by right clicking on My Computer, select manage and Under System Tools, open up the Event Viewer. Check out both your application and system logs and let us know if you see a recurring pattern of something having problems.

 

no errors at all there and now it have stopped again.

 

This is how you narrow down the culprit:

From the second of my links. It talks about a game, but will cover those programs where it seems to occur on your system.

A little time consuming, but if somebody gives you a "do this" fix, you won't learn as much about why it is happening, and, if it happens again under different circumstances you may pinpoint the problem a whole lot easier.

Matt
Edit: Event Viewer was a good suggestion. It would cut a lot of corners. Pity, although the "long way" may give you a few insights into how things work (I expect you would like "quick and simple "...not to be, by the look of things)

 

Zappe:

Admittedly, you confused me a little with that title contradicting your comment, "no, it's never at startup... "

I re-read everything you said, looked at the incomplete thumbnails you provided and went back to the previous BBS thread that you linked to. I'm no malware guru but there were things in your old HJT log that are a little troubling. You may be well advised to post a new HJT log over in the malware forum.

Additionally, following up on Matt's earlier comment, I too would counsel some caution re: just what you are installing on your computer. Quite often users get sucked into putting software on their machines that does little more than "muck things up ". Its your machine and you get to make the choices but you are also the one who has to live with those choices and, as the case may be, suffer the consequences.

 

now i got a second problem... the "Programs" on the Start Menu just show "(Empty)" now. Tried google and tried the things on windowsxp.mvps.org/AllPrograms.htm

and seems like i don't got the freeze part on the start menu though.

 

Think i solved it now.
Probably caused by Logitech Quickcam Drivers, found this after some searching on google.