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Windows 7 forum: help Win7 desktop icons freeze after startup has completed

by: yelto July 28, 2011 9:52 AM PDT

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help Win7 desktop icons freeze after startup has completed

by yelto - 7/28/11 9:52 AM

3 month old HP Dv6 Laptop with Windows 7 Problem Windows 7 desktop icons freeze after startup has completed. I have gone through all 106 posts about Windows 7 freezing at startup but I have not as yet found one that fits my problem exactly. So I will try to explain the problem but please be patient as I am not a computer expert but I can follow most basic instructions, and the laptop in question is my wife's and I am more familiar with XP on my own computer. The following problem is intermittent at switch on, and when it happens the only way out of it is to power down then switch back on again, maybe once or maybe 3 or 4 times before it is O.K. In the past couple of weeks, after switching on Windows 7 it boots up as normal to the desktop, but the first icon you try to open whether it be a desktop Icon which will highlight or a toolbar button at the bottom or even the 'Start' button which will depress the computer will not open these items. The mouse pointer can still be moved about the screen so the computer has not actually frozen. I have checked the startup folder which is empty


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Please Try This...

by Grif Thomas Moderator - 7/28/11 10:17 AM

In Reply to: help Win7 desktop icons freeze after startup has completed by yelto

Usually such things are the result of a problem program, or programs which are locking things up.. Let's try stopping some of those programs from running at startup, identifying the problem program, then removing it from the mix..

Restart the computer into Safe Mode. (Start the computer and immediately start pressing the F8 key, till a selection screen opens. Use the up/down arrows to select "Safe Mode", then press the Enter key.)

After the machine is in Safe Mode, click on Start, then type "msconfig" in the search line, then press the "Enter" key. When the System Configuration Utility loads, click on the "Startup" tab, UNCHECK all the boxes listed there. If you're familiar with this section, you can leave a few items CHECKED such as hard drive listings a few other, but be sure to UNCHECK everything else listed including the antivirus, etc.. Then click on "Apply",, then OK and restart the computer.

Upon restart into "normal" Windows, see if things work correctly. If so, then you'll know that one of those programs, or more, is causing the issue.. So, start "re-checking" the programs, one by one, till you find the culprit.. If the culprit is a program which isn't required to run at startup, then leave the box UNCHECKED or even uninstall the program if you don't use it.. You can safely leave a few programs UNCHECKED such as Java, Adobe Reader, etc. as they're not required to run at startup anyway.

Hope this helps and let us know how it goes.

Grif


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help Win7 desktop icons freeze after startup has completed

by yelto - 7/29/11 8:33 AM

In Reply to: Please Try This... by Grif Thomas Moderator

Thanks for that info. I will give it a go after I return from a long weekend
I've always been a bit wary of checking & unchecking these boxes in case the computer will not boot up at all. and then I'm stuck. but her that shall be obeyed is getting to the point of loosing confidence and interest in the machine so this is a risk I'm willing to take.

The way the machine faults out occassionally does point to something happening in the background as you suggest.

thanks


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help Win7 desktop icons freeze after startup has completed

by yelto - 8/8/11 5:48 AM

In Reply to: Please Try This... by Grif Thomas Moderator

Grif
I have done as you suggested and all seems to be O.K. (no freezing after windows start) Touch wood.
And if it does start to playup again at leastI now know where to look first.

Once again thanks.

Rod


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Tell me about your can of air.

by R. Proffitt Moderator - 7/29/11 8:36 AM

In Reply to: help Win7 desktop icons freeze after startup has completed by yelto

I see you are looking at software but did you use your canned air on the vents every 6 months to keep it cool?
Bob


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At 3 months, a warranty issue but try this.

by R. Proffitt Moderator - 8/8/11 10:10 AM

In Reply to: help Win7 desktop icons freeze after startup has completed by yelto

HP failed in a spectacular way for me but I digress.

The failure was a recent HP laptop that would freeze and not boot but you could see stuff on the screen when ... USB devices were plugged in.

While I know the cause HP's repair destroyed the laptop which means I have strong words about this area. If unplugging USB things let's it work, I'd go for a full return, refund and get another model.

If you want to know the cause it's a bug in the Insyde BIOS but so far there is no one to address this issue and I'm out one laptop.
Bob


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Windows7 forum: help Win7 desktop icons freeze after startup

by yelto - 8/10/11 3:32 AM

In Reply to: At 3 months, a warranty issue but try this. by R. Proffitt Moderator

Thats interesting as there is sometimes a memory stick in the USB port, but the important one is the Wireless mouse that has been installed which uses a USB Transmitter/reciever/dongle, I know the problem started after this was installed, but how soon after I can't remember so these are things to look into if the problem returns. As I said in the last reply all seems to be OK at the moment. but as everybody knows, computers are good at hitting back when you least expect it.

Thanks a lot for this information.

Rod


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