Desktop icons are dead...

[Roy]

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.

 

[Dave-UK]

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 ?

 

[Roy]

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.

 

[Dave-UK]

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.

 

[Peter Foldes]

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.

 

[Char Jackson]

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.

 

[Roy]

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.