Suddenly it's gone

[Guest]

In the last few days I have had several users have their Windows desktop go away on them. The only thing you can see is their backdrop (either their wallpaper or picture). All of the icons disappear as well as the start menu and taskbar.

The mouse and keyboard still work, but you can’t bring up any windows programs and/or right click the background to bring up the display properties.

The only thing you can do is CTL+ALT+DEL and bring up the task manager. You can see that the programs that were running when the problem occurred are still running, but the only thing you can do is shutdown and reboot the system.

Is there anyone else experiencing this problem?

 

[Willie]

Several Computers? Maybe try here;

Ad-Aware - www.lavasoftusa.com
Spybot - http://www.safer-networking.org/
CWShredder - http://www.spywareinfo.com/~merijn/downloads.html
Stinger-http://vil.nai.com/vil/averttools.asp

Willie



"Sleepless in Springfield" <Sleepless in
(e-mail address removed)> wrote in message

In the last few days I have had several users have their Windows desktop

go away on them. The only thing you can see is their backdrop (either their
wallpaper or picture). All of the icons disappear as well as the start menu
and taskbar.

The mouse and keyboard still work, but you can't bring up any windows

programs and/or right click the background to bring up the display
properties.

The only thing you can do is CTL+ALT+DEL and bring up the task manager.

You can see that the programs that were running when the problem occurred
are still running, but the only thing you can do is shutdown and reboot the
system.

 

[Guest]

I (and others) have posted this same problem under the general newsgroup. I have tried all the regularly suggested removal methods with no success.

Waiting to see who the superstar is that has the fix!

 

[D.Currie]

"Sleepless in Springfield" <Sleepless in
(e-mail address removed)> wrote in message

In the last few days I have had several users have their Windows desktop

go away on them. The only thing you can see is their backdrop (either their
wallpaper or picture). All of the icons disappear as well as the start menu
and taskbar.

The mouse and keyboard still work, but you can't bring up any windows

programs and/or right click the background to bring up the display
properties.

The only thing you can do is CTL+ALT+DEL and bring up the task manager.

You can see that the programs that were running when the problem occurred
are still running, but the only thing you can do is shutdown and reboot the
system.

Is there anyone else experiencing this problem?

I've seen a bit of that on customer's computers, and generally, there's
something that's trying to start that isn't working or is clogging up the
process. If you can get into safe mode, you can go into msconfig and turn
off mysterious things that you don't need. Then run a thorough scan for
spyware and viruses.

It might actually be a real program that choking on startup, but so far all
the ones I've seen have been loaded with spyware and viruses.

 

[Guest]

"Sleepless in Springfield" <Sleepless in
(e-mail address removed)> wrote in message

go away on them. The only thing you can see is their backdrop (either their
wallpaper or picture). All of the icons disappear as well as the start menu
and taskbar.
programs and/or right click the background to bring up the display
properties.
You can see that the programs that were running when the problem occurred
are still running, but the only thing you can do is shutdown and reboot the
system.

I've seen a bit of that on customer's computers, and generally, there's
something that's trying to start that isn't working or is clogging up the
process. If you can get into safe mode, you can go into msconfig and turn
off mysterious things that you don't need. Then run a thorough scan for
spyware and viruses.

It might actually be a real program that choking on startup, but so far all
the ones I've seen have been loaded with spyware and viruses.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I should have added that it's not going to be any kind of spyware. For one, two of the machines are relatively new and also we are running Anti-Virus software that also does a really good job of keeping Spy/Adware at bay.

I can assure you we are virus and spyware free.

 

[Chuck]

I should have added that it's not going to be any kind of spyware. For one, two of the machines are relatively new and also we are running Anti-Virus software that also does a really good job of keeping Spy/Adware at bay.

I can assure you we are virus and spyware free.

Spyware comes in many variants, and is increasingly resilient to detection and
removal. Combined threats (using both viral and non-viral infection) are the
future.

Have you done ALL of the following for each computer? Can you post a link to
your HijackThis analysis in one of the expert forums (below)?

First, download LSP-Fix and WinsockXPFIx from <http://www.cexx.org/lspfix.htm>,
and CWShredder from <http://www.majorgeeks.com/download4086.html>. All are
free.

Next, close all Internet Explorer and Outlook windows, then run CWShredder.
Have it fix all.

Now check for, and remove, spyware. Get HijackThis
<http://www.majorgeeks.com/download.php?det=3155> and Spybot S&D
<http://www.safer-networking.org/index.php?page=download>. Both free.
1) Install and run Spybot. First update it ("Search for updates"), then run a
scan ("Check for problems"). Trust Spybot, and make all recommended deletions.
2) Install and run HijackThis. Do NOT make any changes immediately. Save the
HJT Log. <http://forums.spywareinfo.com/index.php?showtopic=227>
3) Have your HJT log interpreted by experts at one or more of the following
forums (and post it, or a link to your forum post, here):
<http://forums.net-integration.net/>
<http://forums.spywareinfo.com/>
<http://spywarewarrior.com/index.php>
<http://forums.tomcoyote.org/>
<http://www.wilderssecurity.com/>

If removal of any spyware affects your ability to access the internet (some
spyware builds itself into the network software, and its removal may damage your
network), run LSP-Fix and / or WinsockXPFIx.

Cheers,
Chuck
Paranoia comes from experience - and is not necessarily a bad thing.