Multiple computers: Start menu oversized and frozen at startup

[Guest]

Basically after a few months of running Vista Ultimate, both on my old
computer and my new one, the start menu is oversized and is frozen after
Windows has loaded from a regular boot.

At first it looks like this:

http://www.eeplanet.com/dd/the problem.jpg

Basically it looks like that (expanded in size) when it first starts up. It
won't do anything... if I mouse over it, all you see is the "hourglass"
animation.

I can still access task manager with ctrl alt del, so I end the explorer
process and restart it. When it comes back up, it STILL stays locked up, but
it has returned to the normal width...

This has done this in every computer I have owned.

I thought at first it was my old computer, but now I see it on this one. I
DID figure something out on my old computer though: If I used system restore
to go back to the last update prior to the latest Windows Defender update,
everything works fine again... I then tried to do the update again (defender
definitions) and it happened again on the next boot... So I disabled Windows
update and the problem was solved. I have not tried this yet on my new
computer...

Anyone else had this problem?

 

[Andre Da Costa[ActiveWin]]

Go to Start > All Programs > Accessories and right-click
on the Command Prompt and choose "Run as administrator".
Type in: SFC /SCANNOW and press your Enter key.

If that does not work, try repairing your system. Boot from your Windows
Vista DVD, select the System Repair Option > on the setup screen, select
'Repair Computer > Select your installation of Windows > select Startup
Repair option and follow instructions.

 

[Guest]

I've done that multiple times... as well as repaired windows using the dvd.

Doesn't work unfortunately.

Only 2 solutions so far that I have found:

1. Restore to the date before the Defender update when the problem first
started happening

2. Format and reinstall windows... If I don't disable windows update, the
problem happens again.

Is this a bug that Microsoft has not found yet? Where can I submit bug
reports? This is getting old lol.

 

[Guest]

The resized task bar is not due to anything I have done... It is not
responsive.... Clicking on it causes it to give the Vista warning that says
"This program is non responsive.... click to close..... wait until it
responds"

After ending the process, and manually running explorer through task manager
causes the task bar to reappear at the proper size (not enlarged), but it is
still unresponsive and gives the same warning when you click it.