Can't get start menu to work; just get an hourglass

[Cathy]

When I place my mouse over the start menu (or any of the
items on the bar at the bottom of the screen), all I get
is an hour glass. The only way I can access my programs
is by going through the shortcuts on the desktop. The
only way I can shut down is by using CTL-ALT-DEL which
brings up the Windows Task Manager. From there I can
select the shut down commands. But, when I do shut down,
I always get a window saying the following program has
stopped responding and has to be closed
first: "Notification Wnd for RNAdmin." I close it and
then Windows shuts down.

This just started recently. All of a sudden I kept
getting pop-ups (like 30 at a time!) so I suspected a
virus or spyware or something like that. So, I installed
Norton Anti-Virus and it did find several spyware and
adware programs. I have deleted them as best i can using
their instructions.

I have also downloaded all available security and other
XP updates but am still having the same problem.

Has anyone else heard of this? Do you think this is a
Windows XP issue or is it possible my computer is still
infected with something else malicious?

 

[Guest]

Hi Cathy

I'm having the same problem. I hope someone responds to you. I just upgraded from ME. The event ID it 10010 A1F4E726-8CF1-11D1-BF92-00600 81ED811. The error discription is "Ther sever %1 did not register with DCOM within the required timeout". I don't know what that means. If if find a solution I will post it

 

[Guest]

Hi Larry, Sorry to hear you're having problems, too. I
did not upgrade. This is a new (June 2003) HP Pavilion
a250y machine which has always had Windows XP on it. All
was fine until mid-December 2003 when the problems
started. I hope someone can help both of us!

-----Original Message-----
Hi Cathy,

I'm having the same problem. I hope someone responds to

you. I just upgraded from ME. The event ID it 10010
A1F4E726-8CF1-11D1-BF92-00600 81ED811. The error
discription is "Ther sever %1 did not register with DCOM
within the required timeout". I don't know what that
means. If if find a solution I will post it.

 

[Chuck]

When I place my mouse over the start menu (or any of the
items on the bar at the bottom of the screen), all I get
is an hour glass. The only way I can access my programs
is by going through the shortcuts on the desktop. The
only way I can shut down is by using CTL-ALT-DEL which
brings up the Windows Task Manager. From there I can
select the shut down commands. But, when I do shut down,
I always get a window saying the following program has
stopped responding and has to be closed
first: "Notification Wnd for RNAdmin." I close it and
then Windows shuts down.

This just started recently. All of a sudden I kept
getting pop-ups (like 30 at a time!) so I suspected a
virus or spyware or something like that. So, I installed
Norton Anti-Virus and it did find several spyware and
adware programs. I have deleted them as best i can using
their instructions.

I have also downloaded all available security and other
XP updates but am still having the same problem.

Has anyone else heard of this? Do you think this is a
Windows XP issue or is it possible my computer is still
infected with something else malicious?

Cathy,

If you cleaned your computer using NAV, there is indeed a possibility
that you did not remove everything necessary.

Many parasites are best detected, and removed, as spyware. For
spyware detection / removal, you need HijackThis and Spybot S&D (both
free), and expert advice at SWI Forums. Complete instructions are
here:
http://forums.spywareinfo.com/index.php?showtopic=5187

Cheers,

Chuck
I hate spam - PLEASE get rid of the spam before emailing me!
Paranoia comes from experience - and is not necessarily a bad thing.

 

[Dave Douglas]

Just a thought, this might help"
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm
Line117

 

[Cathy]

Thanks all for your thoughts and ideas. Now I understand
how nasty spyware can be. So, I ended up restoring my
entire hard drive -- reformat, etc. That's because
shortly after posting I ended up having major problems
with my internet access. When trying to work with my
cable company to troubleshoot, I was unable to do some of
their commands because of my start menu problems. It was
such a hassle that I decided for me it was easier to
start fresh. I knew that I had been infected and didn't
want to mess around with trying spyware removal
software. You can believe that I now use a firewall and
always will! Good luck to others with this problem.

 

[Chuck]

Thanks all for your thoughts and ideas. Now I understand
how nasty spyware can be. So, I ended up restoring my
entire hard drive -- reformat, etc. That's because
shortly after posting I ended up having major problems
with my internet access. When trying to work with my
cable company to troubleshoot, I was unable to do some of
their commands because of my start menu problems. It was
such a hassle that I decided for me it was easier to
start fresh. I knew that I had been infected and didn't
want to mess around with trying spyware removal
software. You can believe that I now use a firewall and
always will! Good luck to others with this problem.

Cathy,

It's good that you will be protecting yourself further. But don't get
a false sense of security.

A firewall will protect you against intrusions (and infections) coming
in from the internet actively. It will keep hackers from actively
installing malware on your computer.

Unfortunately, most malware is transmitted passively, as infected code
in email, from hostile websites, or downloaded with free software. No
software firewall, or NAT router, will detect all spyware and viruses.

Norton Antivirus will detect, and block or remove most viruses, and
some spyware. But NAV won't do it all either.

Just as religiously as you use NAV, you need to use spyware
protection. NAV 2004 claims to provide spyware protection, but the
spyware experts know that Symantec's efforts are just starting.
Fortunately, the best spyware protection is free. HijackThis and
Spybot S&D, and complete instructions for using both, are available
at:
http://forums.spywareinfo.com/index.php?showtopic=5187

Ad-Aware, another free spyware protection, complements Spybot S&D, and
is available from:
http://www.lavasoftusa.com/

Harden your browser. There are various websites which will check for
vulnerabilities, here are three which I use. You have to check each
browser periodically, new vulnerabilities are discovered all the time.
http://www.jasons-toolbox.com/BrowserSecurity/
http://bcheck.scanit.be/bcheck/
https://testzone.secunia.com/browser_checker/

Harden your operating system. Check at least monthly (Microsoft
releases patches on a monthly basis, with urgent ones being released
as necessary).
http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/

Stay informed. There are dozens of security newsletters and websites
which describe currently known threats. One that I check regularly
is:
http://isc.sans.org/

Use common sense. Don't browse dodgy websites with an insecure
browser (ie, IE). Don't install patches emailed to you. Don't open
email attachments at all, unless you know and trust the sender, and
can verify that he/she sent it intentionally. Don't routinely open
email as HTML, read email as text only until you know you can truest
its contents.

Cheers,

Chuck
I hate spam - PLEASE get rid of the spam before emailing me!
Paranoia comes from experience - and is not necessarily a bad thing.