Re: Appls won't open until shutdown

Hi,

Tips Fixes & FAQs - System Restore opens to a blank window:
http://bertk.mvps.org/html/tips.html

How to recover from a corrupted registry that prevents Windows XP from starting:
http://support.microsoft.com/Default.aspx?id=307545

And if the above fail.
How to Perform a Windows XP Repair Install by Michael Stevens MS-MVP:
http://michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm

--
Regards,
Bert Kinney MS-MVP Shell/User
http://bertk.mvps.org
Member: http://dts-l.org


"gmk15" wrote
OK. Here's an update on what I've found or tried so far:

I installed Sysclean.com and ran it. It did not find any viruses.
I installed Ewido and ran it. It found some tracking cookies but nothing
else.
I installed Spybot Search & Destroy and it didn't find anything.
I tried some malware removals - Vundofix.exe, Sysprotect, Look2Me - and they
didn't fix anything.
I deleted all the Temporary Internet files - no change to the system
behavior.
I tried to run cleanmgr from Start-> Run but it won't come up (on a regular
boot or in Safe mode).
I tried to bring up My Computer, Control Panel, Norton Anti-Virus, and System
Restore in Safe mode and none come up. System Restore gets the frame of its
window up but then just sits there. Windows thinks it is non-responsive.
I tried Last Known Good Configuration and it didn't make any difference
either.

So, this thing is pretty weird. I suspect registry corruption of some kind.
I saw in the Microsoft support section a case of a thing called Qcbar that
makes registry changes and causes some of the behavior I've seen. I checked
the registry and didn't find it on this computer. Since I can't get System
Restore to run and I haven't found any other problems I think re-install is
all that's left to do unless someone has another bright idea.

Thanks again for all the help! It was quite an education and in a morbid way
kind of fascinating.

Glen

"Bert Kinney" wrote:

Hi,

The Last Known Good Configuration startup option provides a way to recover
from
problems such as a newly added driver that may be incorrect for your
hardware.
It does not solve problems caused by corrupted or missing drivers or files.
When you choose Last Known Good Configuration, only the information in
registry
key HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet is restored. Any changes made to other
registry keys remain.

What happened when you ran System Restore?

--
Regards,
Bert Kinney MS-MVP Shell/User
http://bertk.mvps.org
Member: http://dts-l.org


"gmk15" wrote
Thanks! I should also have mentioned that I checked the
hard drive via chkdsk and it seems to be OK. And, I tried
a Safe mode from MSCONFIG and it didn't do much for
me either. This problem started recently and the boy is
a typical teenager who runs lots of games and stuff.

Since I can't run Norton or the spyware software that is
installed on the machine I may have to try connecting to
the Symantec Web site and do a scan. I'll check out your tips, too.

I'll also try Last Good Configuration and System Restore
(if there is a recent backup). And, I've been searching
for ideas on the HP Web site.

Glen

"Bert Kinney" wrote:

Hi,

Infection should be ruled out.
Virus and Spyware removal and prevention steps:
http://bertk.mvps.org/html/spyware.html

How long ago did this problem start?

System Restore is another option.
All About System Restore in WinXP
http://bertk.mvps.org/index.html

--
Regards,
Bert Kinney MS-MVP Shell/User
http://bertk.mvps.org
Member: http://dts-l.org


"gmk15" wrote
A friend of mine has a son who has an HP Pavilion notebook with Windows
XP
Home Edition. The computer has been misbehaving lately. Windows comes up
and
you can log in. You can bring up a command prompt and enter commands.
You can
bring up Task Manager. But, some applications like Norton Anti-Virus and
the
Windows Control Panel won't come up. You can click but nothing happens.
Some
applications come up but then go into an unresponsive state. It's pretty
odd.
I tried using MSCONFIG to turn off appls running at startup. That didn't
fix
the problem. I tried turning off services and again no luck. I tried
uninstalling the display adapter via My Computer -> Properties and
rebooting.
No luck. A strange behavior is that when you initiate shutdown the appls
you
tried to bring up start popping up and then failing of course (since
Windows
is shutting down). It's as if something is unblocked and things start to
work. Any suggestions (besides re-installing from scratch)? Thanks!


.

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