Win2k Grief

[debugger]

<FONT size=1>Hi! Just yesterday, I discovered that whenever I tried launching a number of applications (such as Windows Explorer, My Computer, Network Neightborhood, My Documents, Recycle Bin, to name a few) from desktop icons, as well as a number of Windows tasks (again Windows Explorer, but also stuff like Scheduled Tasks) from the start menu, under Win2k, nothing happened. The disk goes for a short while as if it was launching the application, and then nothing. Not even an error message. I can right-click on these desktop items and get the normal context-sensitive menu, but nothing else. And it only seems to affect Win2k stuff since all other applications, including MS Office ones, that have an icon on the desktop will start correctly. The only way I can, for instance, run Windows Explorer is to do that Windows Button-E thing, or to directly run the executable from the Start menu's Run option. Any thought on what's going on? P.S. I checked the shortcuts, and they're good, including the environment variable.</FONT>

 

[ojai00]

Try booting up in safe mode or with the bare minimum (only system programs and without anything else in the taskbar). I just had that problem with one of the computers at work where it took forever for the desktop to load. It turned out that a virus had corrupted a file and Windows was trying to start it up. Hope this helps.

 

[amdskip]

What did you do to the machine recently, installed software, etc? Run virus and ad aware.

 

[debugger]

Nope! Did nothing to it, at least, I can't remember. Well, I thought that perhaps a registry key somewhere had been damaged, but I checked what MS said on that topic, and I seem to be fine. Please let me not have to reinstall win2k...

 

[mechBgon]

I agree, run a virus scan with up-to-date virus definitions. If you want, you can reinstall Win2000 over itself and I think your programs and settings will all survive.