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Desktop icons are dead...

R

Roy

Flightless Bird
Please excuse me if this has been addressed before--I just found this
group.

Sometimes my desktop icons will go completely dead: can't left click,
right click or double click any of them. They just don't respond to
anything. Likewise, the desktop itself doesn't respond to a right
click with the popup menu (like it's supposed to). This seems to
happen when I click an icon while a program (any program) is starting.

Everything else--taskbar, desktop gadgets, Start menu--works fine. I
am so tired of having to reboot the machine over this same issue.
 
D

Dave-UK

Flightless Bird
"Roy" <rfeni@webspanning.net> wrote in message news:8b78o5p4hrp5ueau7mskmtpl8c0dc4059j@4ax.com...
> Please excuse me if this has been addressed before--I just found this
> group.
>
> Sometimes my desktop icons will go completely dead: can't left click,
> right click or double click any of them. They just don't respond to
> anything. Likewise, the desktop itself doesn't respond to a right
> click with the popup menu (like it's supposed to). This seems to
> happen when I click an icon while a program (any program) is starting.
>
> Everything else--taskbar, desktop gadgets, Start menu--works fine. I
> am so tired of having to reboot the machine over this same issue.
>

Are you talking about Win7 icons - Computer, User's Files, Recycle Bin etc.
or shortcut icons you have created ?
 
R

Roy

Flightless Bird
BOn Tue, 23 Feb 2010 19:24:24 -0000, "Dave-UK" <Here@Home.com> wrote:

>
>"Roy" <rfeni@webspanning.net> wrote in message news:8b78o5p4hrp5ueau7mskmtpl8c0dc4059j@4ax.com...
>> Please excuse me if this has been addressed before--I just found this
>> group.
>>
>> Sometimes my desktop icons will go completely dead: can't left click,
>> right click or double click any of them. They just don't respond to
>> anything. Likewise, the desktop itself doesn't respond to a right
>> click with the popup menu (like it's supposed to). This seems to
>> happen when I click an icon while a program (any program) is starting.
>>
>> Everything else--taskbar, desktop gadgets, Start menu--works fine. I
>> am so tired of having to reboot the machine over this same issue.
>>
>
>Are you talking about Win7 icons - Computer, User's Files, Recycle Bin etc.
>or shortcut icons you have created ?
>
>
Both. But I discovered something: when I opened Internet Explorer and
it crashed, I used Task Manager to close it down. Windows restarted
Internet Explorer and--mirabile dictu!--suddenly all desktop icons
worked again. (And all the icons that I double-clicked when I was
trying to see if they worked? Now all those programs popped up too.)
Maybe Internet Explorer is the problem. That may have been the program
that was starting when I clicked an icon.
 
D

Dave-UK

Flightless Bird
"Roy" <rfeni@webspanning.net> wrote in message news:45f8o5tu32kpbtsq2d5sb45e3pgvo9t7og@4ax.com...
> BOn Tue, 23 Feb 2010 19:24:24 -0000, "Dave-UK" <Here@Home.com> wrote:
>
>>
>>"Roy" <rfeni@webspanning.net> wrote in message news:8b78o5p4hrp5ueau7mskmtpl8c0dc4059j@4ax.com...
>>> Please excuse me if this has been addressed before--I just found this
>>> group.
>>>
>>> Sometimes my desktop icons will go completely dead: can't left click,
>>> right click or double click any of them. They just don't respond to
>>> anything. Likewise, the desktop itself doesn't respond to a right
>>> click with the popup menu (like it's supposed to). This seems to
>>> happen when I click an icon while a program (any program) is starting.
>>>
>>> Everything else--taskbar, desktop gadgets, Start menu--works fine. I
>>> am so tired of having to reboot the machine over this same issue.
>>>
>>
>>Are you talking about Win7 icons - Computer, User's Files, Recycle Bin etc.
>>or shortcut icons you have created ?
>>
>>
> Both. But I discovered something: when I opened Internet Explorer and
> it crashed, I used Task Manager to close it down. Windows restarted
> Internet Explorer and--mirabile dictu!--suddenly all desktop icons
> worked again. (And all the icons that I double-clicked when I was
> trying to see if they worked? Now all those programs popped up too.)
> Maybe Internet Explorer is the problem. That may have been the program
> that was starting when I clicked an icon.

Maybe it's an add-in or something extra like that in IE.
 
P

Peter Foldes

Flightless Bird
Roy

Classic sign of a malware infection

Download, install, run, update and perform a full scan (separately) with the
following two applications (freeware versions are the ones to use for this):

SuperAntiSpyware
http://www.superantispyware.com/

MalwareBytes
http://www.malwarebytes.com/

After performing a full scan with one and then the other and removing
whatever they both find completely, you may uninstall these products,
if you wish.

Download and run the MSRT manually:
http://www.microsoft.com/security/malwareremove/default.mspx

Reboot.

--
Peter

Please Reply to Newsgroup for the benefit of others
Requests for assistance by email can not and will not be acknowledged.

"Roy" <rfeni@webspanning.net> wrote in message
news:45f8o5tu32kpbtsq2d5sb45e3pgvo9t7og@4ax.com...
> BOn Tue, 23 Feb 2010 19:24:24 -0000, "Dave-UK" <Here@Home.com> wrote:
>
>>
>>"Roy" <rfeni@webspanning.net> wrote in message
>>news:8b78o5p4hrp5ueau7mskmtpl8c0dc4059j@4ax.com...
>>> Please excuse me if this has been addressed before--I just found this
>>> group.
>>>
>>> Sometimes my desktop icons will go completely dead: can't left click,
>>> right click or double click any of them. They just don't respond to
>>> anything. Likewise, the desktop itself doesn't respond to a right
>>> click with the popup menu (like it's supposed to). This seems to
>>> happen when I click an icon while a program (any program) is starting.
>>>
>>> Everything else--taskbar, desktop gadgets, Start menu--works fine. I
>>> am so tired of having to reboot the machine over this same issue.
>>>
>>
>>Are you talking about Win7 icons - Computer, User's Files, Recycle Bin etc.
>>or shortcut icons you have created ?
>>
>>
> Both. But I discovered something: when I opened Internet Explorer and
> it crashed, I used Task Manager to close it down. Windows restarted
> Internet Explorer and--mirabile dictu!--suddenly all desktop icons
> worked again. (And all the icons that I double-clicked when I was
> trying to see if they worked? Now all those programs popped up too.)
> Maybe Internet Explorer is the problem. That may have been the program
> that was starting when I clicked an icon.
 
C

Char Jackson

Flightless Bird
On Tue, 23 Feb 2010 16:18:11 -0500, "Peter Foldes" <okf22@hotmail.com>
wrote:

>Roy
>
>Classic sign of a malware infection
>
>Download, install, run, update and perform a full scan (separately) with the
>following two applications (freeware versions are the ones to use for this):
>
>SuperAntiSpyware
>http://www.superantispyware.com/
>
>MalwareBytes
>http://www.malwarebytes.com/

That Malwarebytes address caused me a bit of concern since I knew the
correct address is .org, but it looks like it does a redirect so it's
fine.
 
R

Roy

Flightless Bird
On Tue, 23 Feb 2010 16:18:11 -0500, "Peter Foldes" <okf22@hotmail.com>
wrote:

>Roy
>
>Classic sign of a malware infection
>
>Download, install, run, update and perform a full scan (separately) with the
>following two applications (freeware versions are the ones to use for this):
>
>SuperAntiSpyware
>http://www.superantispyware.com/
>
>MalwareBytes
>http://www.malwarebytes.com/
>
>After performing a full scan with one and then the other and removing
>whatever they both find completely, you may uninstall these products,
>if you wish.
>
>Download and run the MSRT manually:
>http://www.microsoft.com/security/malwareremove/default.mspx
>
>Reboot.
Thanks, Dude. I'll give it a shot.
 
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