SiSoft Sandra being prevented from starting

[Gustavus]

I have SiSoft Sandra Engineer 2007 (the diagnostic and benchmarking software) installed on my computer. I don't run it often but when I tried to start it recently by clicking on the desktop icon, an hourglass appeared beside the cursor for a fraction of a second and then vanished. The software did not start. Thinking the shortcut link might be bad, I went to the SiSoft folder in Program Files and clicked on the exe file -- with exactly the same result. I then uninstalled the software, cleaned out all traces of it in the registry and reinstalled it. The symptoms are still the same -- brief flash of the waiting cursor, and then nothing.

The reasonable guess was that some of the protective software I have installed was preventing it from running. I keep these updated of course, so one of the updates could have created a conflict. I run Zone Alarm as a firewall and spam filter for my e-mail, Ewido as a spy and trojan filter and Kaspersky as my antivirus. I disconnected from the net and disabled all of these softwares, but SiSoft Sandra will still not start. I still had the installation disk for an older version of SiSoft Sandra so I uninstalled the software again (cleaning the registry as before) and installed the older version of SiSoft Sandra. It still would not start -- although it had run just fine up to the point that I upgraded. By the way the upgraded version had run just fine (on those occasions I needed it) up until recently.

Since it is not SiSoft Sandra that is faulty, and doesn't appear to be any of the protective software I run on my machine that is at fault, about the only thing left would be one of the Windows XP security updates -- which I regularly accept and install. I am runninf Windows XP with SP2 installed and all of the Microsoft security updates installed.

There is nothing in the Microsoft Knowledge Database (that I can find) at Microsoft mentioning a conflict with SiSoft Sandra, but since it is a minor piece of software a conflict could have just not been noted yet.

Do any of you have an idea of what could be stopping SiSoft Sandra from running -- or have you had or heard of anyone having this problem?

Thanks for your help.

 

[Slikkster]

Anything here?

http://www.sisoftware.net/index.html?dir=qa&location=halt&langx=en&a=

 

[Gustavus]

Slikkster, thanks for the link and the message. I had not thought of trying to start SiSoft Sandra in safe mode, but unfortunately the result is the same. The cursor shows the waiting hourglass for a fraction of a second and then goes back to the usual cursor. Something is stopping the software from opening, but I can't figure out what that might be. There is nothing in the thread you referred me to related to the problem I am having.

I am building a new machine this weekend and will try installing my SiSoft Sandra on it while it is still clean. That should work -- but won't tell me what is causing the problem on this machine.

 

[Slikkster]

What make/model of motherboard?

 

[Gustavus]

ABIT TH7-II motherboard with the latest BIOS. The CPU is an Intel Pentium 4 1.8GHz Northwood C overclocked to 2.4 GHz. The operating system is Windows XP with SP2 installed and current on Microsoft updates. Runs stably probably 16 hours per day. The CPU cooler is an XP60 so it runs very cool. 512Meg of Samsung RDRAM -- 800-40ns. I have other computers, but this one is my favorite so I spend much of my time in front of it.

Note added:
The protocol I follow in uninstalling software is to first uninstall using Your Uninstaller, then to do a preliminary registry scrub by running Registry Healer. I then do a registry search using jv16 Power Tools and get rid of all remaining traces of the software in the registry. If an empty folder has been left behind in Program Files, I also delete that. I have found that this protocol, although tedious, does a very good job of eliminating all traces of a software install.

PPS
I have discovered an anomaly which may or may not be related to the problem with running SiSoft Sandra -- at least it is something new that wasn't there before. If I attempt to download a PDF file from any net source, Internet Explorer crashes, returning me to the desktop. I can browse the net, link anyplace, open new URLs -- but if I try to open a PDF document in Internet Explorer, the system crashes. I have nver observed that behavior before -- and suspect it is linked to a protection software. But for the moment, have no other information to report.

 

[Slikkster]

Before anything else, have you tried setting all your components to non-overclocked, or default, speeds to see if this problem persists?

 

[Gustavus]

Slikkster,

That was one of the first things I did -- even though the system has run stably at this speed for a couple of years. Made no difference.

Searching on net turned up a few threads in which people were describing exactly the symptoms I am seeing -- but in those cases it turned out they had updated their motherboard BIOS. The TH7-II motherboard hasn't had a BIOS update for years -- and since it is a discontinued 478 socket model never will again.

I appreciate your help. Not being able to run SiSoft Sandra is no big deal, but I don't like to have a computer that does (or in this cases doesn't do) inexplicable things. It's an orderly universe; right?

 

[Slikkster]

How about this...can you temporarily create a new account in XP --with the same rights as your main account-- and see if you can install Sisoft there, as well as the pdf issue?

 

[toliks]

I have the same problem.
But if i move my windows date to august or early it solves the problem.
I'm trying to understand the root of the broblem

 

[Monkish]

I have exactly the same problem. Was fine. Now won't launch. Tried everything you have. Hmmm.