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XP Pro, no access to taskbar, any of it

Muse

Muse

Lifer
This is a recent install, and I've had similar problems with my previous install of XP on a different motherboard. Sometimes after booting I have no access to the taskbar, to application icons in it, to the Start button, etc... anything on it. If I have an explorer window open when Windows starts, it's probably one of those windows that I have no access for. I have to shut it with the Task Manager. If I have none of those explorer windows open as a sacrificial unaccessible feature, it's the taskbar that is a nogo. The only way I can get access to the taskbar is to open an explorer window by opening one from the desktop (where I have shortcuts to several folders) and then logging off/on. Please, can I get a suggestion what I can do about this annoying behavior? Thanks.
 
Originally posted by: daveybrat
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.co...bar_desktop_fixall.vbs

Muse, download this script file, run it and reboot. I've used it many times, a great fix!

🙂
Click to expand...

I haven't downloaded it yet, but I will, no matter what happens.

I decided I should maybe install SP3 first and see if I still have the problem before running the script. May I ask: how do I run the script? Do I just double click it? put the file name and location at the prompt in a CMD window and hit Enter?

I just installed SP3 and rebooted a couple of times and so far, no problem. But that definitely does not mean I'm out of the woods on this one yet. Well see what happens over the next several reboots.

I'm having another problem which may or may not be a distinct problem: Upon waking the system from S3 Standby, the system is often locking up. Windows doesn't reappear, only a mouse cursor on a blank screen or no video at all (can't remember which). The system is completely unresponsive to mouse clicks or keyboard including Control+Alt+Delete and the Power Button. Only a reset regains control of the system. Of course, while this is the state of affairs I leave nothing open in Windows that needs to be saved, or could cause trouble with a reset. I'll have to monitor this problem as well having installed SP3. I just tested Suspend and it worked, but my experience with it is that when I've just put the system in Suspend it reawakens OK. If it's been a few hours, lockup. Could just be coincidence (the OK after 5 minutes, not OK over a few hours factor), I've only started using S3 Standby a few days ago. I love it, but it has to work, of course.
 
I ran that script. There's a problem, though. After running that script, and ever since, including after a reboot, I've lost all my shortcuts on the taskbar including the one right next to the start button, being the shortcut to the desktop. I'm unable to place any shortcuts on the taskbar now.
 
Ah, I found the solution. In Taskbar properties, I checked "Show Quicklaunch." That fixed it. 🙂 Somehow I guess the script had turned it off. My quicklaunch icons are reverse order, but what the heck? I can rearrange them easily enough.

What I didn't realize is that I have to run this script every time I have a similar problem. Therefore, I've put a shortcut to it on the desktop. At least the desktop itself seems to remain accessible.
 
Originally posted by: Muse
I'm having another problem which may or may not be a distinct problem: Upon waking the system from S3 Standby, the system is often locking up. Windows doesn't reappear, only a mouse cursor on a blank screen or no video at all (can't remember which). The system is completely unresponsive to mouse clicks or keyboard including Control+Alt+Delete and the Power Button. Only a reset regains control of the system. Of course, while this is the state of affairs I leave nothing open in Windows that needs to be saved, or could cause trouble with a reset. I'll have to monitor this problem as well having installed SP3. I just tested Suspend and it worked, but my experience with it is that when I've just put the system in Suspend it reawakens OK. If it's been a few hours, lockup. Could just be coincidence (the OK after 5 minutes, not OK over a few hours factor), I've only started using S3 Standby a few days ago. I love it, but it has to work, of course.
Click to expand...

This is a bug and there is something at the MS forums about this. This may be one of them, do a search for it there if it's not: http://forums.microsoft.com/Te...stID=3004710&SiteID=17

 
Originally posted by: computer
Originally posted by: Muse
I'm having another problem which may or may not be a distinct problem: Upon waking the system from S3 Standby, the system is often locking up. Windows doesn't reappear, only a mouse cursor on a blank screen or no video at all (can't remember which). The system is completely unresponsive to mouse clicks or keyboard including Control+Alt+Delete and the Power Button. Only a reset regains control of the system. Of course, while this is the state of affairs I leave nothing open in Windows that needs to be saved, or could cause trouble with a reset. I'll have to monitor this problem as well having installed SP3. I just tested Suspend and it worked, but my experience with it is that when I've just put the system in Suspend it reawakens OK. If it's been a few hours, lockup. Could just be coincidence (the OK after 5 minutes, not OK over a few hours factor), I've only started using S3 Standby a few days ago. I love it, but it has to work, of course.
Click to expand...

This is a bug and there is something at the MS forums about this. This may be one of them, do a search for it there if it's not: http://forums.microsoft.com/Te...stID=3004710&SiteID=17
Click to expand...

I tried hibernation instead and was glad to see restore from hibernation worked, but this too was only after a few minutes. Last night I tried it again and the system failed to waken properly in a manner similar if not the same as it did with S3 after a few hours. No video (soft glow only), and the numlock on light on my keyboard was on (I never use numlock). The system did not respond to keystrokes and I had to reset the machine.

Edit: Your link above is to a page entitled Windows XP SP3 Power Management Bug. I think I had the problem before installing SP3 yesterday. Not having tested the hibernation scenario at that point, I can't be sure of that, but AFAIK, I had these/this problem before SP3 installation. Of course, I had run Windows Update for critical updates shortly after installing XP a couple of weeks ago.
 
For the record, I saw this same problem on 2 copies of Vista Basic and one of the fix scripts worked for it too.

Glad you got it taken care of.
 
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