Why can't I launch any programs?

[Gonzo]

Evening all,

My Dell desktop runing Windows 7 has all of a sudden decided not to play.

The machine boots up and the mouse works OK but clicking on any program icons, or trying to launch them from the program menu just does not work. The cursor does the "waiting" thing for a few seconds but then nothing happens.

I can open things like control panel and windows explorer but cannot click on anything once in them - that's how I know the mouse works.

I've restored back to a point when I knew it worked (before a windows update) with no luck.

As far as I can see everything is still installed (i.e. I haven't been visited by the phantom uninstaller).

Any ideas/things I need to try - bearing in mind I can't get on the net using it to download any utilities!

 

[scud]

Have you tried????

Starting in safe mode?

Press f8 or f12 or similar (dependant on laptop make/model) on startup

When started in safe mode... do things work normally?

let us know if it does, then we'll knock off a program one at a time to find the one that might be causing the problem.

 

[scud]

also....

When you boot normally and it's finished it's start up.... press CTRL + ALT + DEL, run task manager and see what applications are running and tell us how much memory and CPU % etc is being used (performance tab)... we can worry about the processes in a bit

 

[Popell]

Is it all icons? If its your av or spyware, it may be a virus has disabled access to them.

or I could be talking total llobocks, google is your friend

 

[Gonzo]

OK, thanks for the reply chaps. Update:

- Starting in safe mode does not solve the problem.
- In safe mode CPU useage is 0% or 1% at rest.
- no applications running but loads of processes operating.
- The only thing I may have done recently is installed SpyBot to complement AVG.

Managed to get into the uninstall program list in control panel and tried to unistall Spybot to see if it made a difference - managed to highlight it on the list but the uninstall button wouldn't work in the same way that the launch program icons don't work.

Any next steps for me?

 

[shugie]

In safe mode, type "msconfig" in the box on the start menu, then enter, choose "selective startup" go to "services" tab and untick anything that you can't identify as a pukka programme, then do the same in the "startup" tab. Look out for any programme name that looks like a real jumble of characters, in a sub-directory that looks equally jumbled up, make a note of the file name and directory. OK to end msconfig, go into explorer find the odd file name and rename it to something you can find again.
Start the machine up again, if it works fine, you can go back through msconfig turning services and startup items back on until the problem re-occurs, but if it does not when they are all ticked (except any weird name as above), then it might be a good plan to delete the odd name file and its subdirectory, it's probably some sort of trojan virus thing.

 

[Gonzo]

In safe mode, type "msconfig" in the box on the start menu, then enter, choose "selective startup" go to "services" tab and untick anything that you can't identify as a pukka programme, then do the same in the "startup" tab. Look out for any programme name that looks like a real jumble of characters, in a sub-directory that looks equally jumbled up, make a note of the file name and directory. OK to end msconfig, go into explorer find the odd file name and rename it to something you can find again.
Start the machine up again, if it works fine, you can go back through msconfig turning services and startup items back on until the problem re-occurs, but if it does not when they are all ticked (except any weird name as above), then it might be a good plan to delete the odd name file and its subdirectory, it's probably some sort of trojan virus thing.

OK, went through that and googled any names that had an unkown publisher, then disabled a few. The reamining ones say that they're from Microsft, Apple, Adobe etc - names that I know. Could something be masquarading as one of the big names?

No change after a few reboots.

 

[shugie]

OK, went through that and googled any names that had an unkown publisher, then disabled a few. The reamining ones say that they're from Microsft, Apple, Adobe etc - names that I know. Could something be masquarading as one of the big names?

No change after a few reboots.

Sounds like you've not got the antivir plague then. Do you have an anti-virus programme, and have you run a scan recently?

You can boot in safe mode and it all works presumably? Does logging in as another user, not in safe mode, work or not?

 

[scud]

here's a google fix...

http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/76467-35-desktop-icons-work

Perhaps your file associations have been corrupted..

 

[scud]

any luck?

 

[Aidan1150]

I have just had this very same problem with a two year old E-machines laptop running Vista and after a couple of evenings of faffing about I just bit the bullet and did a complete re-install of the operating system which seems to have sorted it.

 

[Gonzo]

I have just had this very same problem with a two year old E-machines laptop running Vista and after a couple of evenings of faffing about I just bit the bullet and did a complete re-install of the operating system which seems to have sorted it.

Have tried a few things and (gulp ) will be doing the very same soon. Thankfully all photos, music and docs have been copied onto an external drive.

 

[Gonzo]

Have reinstalled Vista (couldn't find the W7 upgrade disc ) and all is now working well.

Need to work my way through the drivers - no sounds yet despite using the Dell driver disc so I may well be back to ask again soon......