Shortcuts / programs not starting up !!!

[webwiz]

I have a PC problem I'v not come across before...
After startingup the system, and all "appears" ok..
I go to a program shortcut via the start menu....
click to start the program of choice - and nothing happens!?!
It may or may not appear in Task Manager.
If it does it's doing nothing , no obvious activity.
If I attempt to try opening another program, same thing and eventually
the Pc locks up!
if I attempt to terminate an apparently non fuctioning program via the
task manager -
it always results in Task Manager locking up.
Right now I rebooted (restart button) and got explorter up to post
this ...
havn't tried anything else yet!
any ideas on what's not an intermittent problem - but one that's
becoming
regular!
I'v also done a restore to one a couple of weeks back!
thanks .

 

[Iceman]

I have a PC problem I'v not come across before...
After startingup the system, and all "appears" ok..
I go to a program shortcut via the start menu....
click to start the program of choice - and nothing happens!?!
It may or may not appear in Task Manager.
If it does it's doing nothing , no obvious activity.
If I attempt to try opening another program, same thing and eventually
the Pc locks up!
if I attempt to terminate an apparently non fuctioning program via the
task manager -
it always results in Task Manager locking up.
Right now I rebooted (restart button) and got explorter up to post
this ...
havn't tried anything else yet!
any ideas on what's not an intermittent problem - but one that's
becoming
regular!
I'v also done a restore to one a couple of weeks back!
thanks .

Can you start programs from the Start > Run command window?

There are a few things you could try. One is a malware/virus check. Another
is reinstalling the programs that annoy you most. Or at least, in the
'Properties' window (right-click shortcut), see if the start path is the
correct one.

 

[Bob F]

I have a PC problem I'v not come across before...
After startingup the system, and all "appears" ok..
I go to a program shortcut via the start menu....
click to start the program of choice - and nothing happens!?!
It may or may not appear in Task Manager.
If it does it's doing nothing , no obvious activity.
If I attempt to try opening another program, same thing and eventually
the Pc locks up!
if I attempt to terminate an apparently non fuctioning program via the
task manager -
it always results in Task Manager locking up.
Right now I rebooted (restart button) and got explorter up to post
this ...
havn't tried anything else yet!
any ideas on what's not an intermittent problem - but one that's
becoming
regular!
I'v also done a restore to one a couple of weeks back!
thanks .

Have you had a serious "malware warning" pop up recently? Something claiming to
be "WindowsRepair" or "XP AntiSpyware 2011" or similar, that asks you to give
them money to solve the problem. There are a bunch of these programs that as one
of their actions, disables the automatic starting of programs by double
clicking. Googleing the exact title of the "program" that gave you the warning
can help find solutions, which tend to involve running anti spyware programs,
and maybe a particular registry repair script to fix some of the damage.

It's big business -
http://www.technologyreview.com/computing/37718/

 

[webwiz]

I'm quite careful as far as Malware is concerned,
I'v got Avast + Comodo Firewall, both of which seem to do a good
job,
I also do - perhaps infrequent - scans with Emsisoft Anti-Malware,
and use this to scan anything downloaded.
I
The Most used program of course is Email, and is often the first to
be initiated - I'm using "Dreammail" and have for some time now,
I reinstalled DreamMail and Comodo.
I suspected Comodo firewall may be at fault, only because on a few
occasions
I'd persevere with it.. and wait to see if the "condition" would clear
itself..
, and after a few minutes, and after trying to start a few different
programs.. I'd then
get them all (3 or 4) trying to start up, and each would initiate a
response from Comodo..
as though partially "sandboxed" - it was almost as though "something"
was holding everything back,
and then the cork popped and out they all came.. weird!!!!
Right now - and having done more or less nothing to resolve it - it
does all seem to be going ok...
but something must be "unstable" somewhere, heaven knows what and
where?!?!
The only system "tweakers" I use, and carefully, are:
CCleaner, WinXP Manager, or Glary Utilities.
Things seem ok right now... but next time I Start up.... who knows?!!!
I'm not entirely confident, -- oh and for a while there I had Soluto
running at each boot, though have recently
uninstalled it.
( apparently it restores any changes made, when you uninstall, though
I still had this problem twice since that ).