Hi there,

I have a strange problem with XP that has just started over the past few days.

1.) I am able to start up WinXP like I have been for months. However, I noticed that the "Welcome" sound does not play. I have short cuts to my Outlook and IE in the quick Launch bar, but once I click on one of the shortcuts, Windows seems to freeze. I am able to move my mouse, I can open up folders that are on the desktop, but I can NOT go to the Start Button (does nothing), NONE of the shortcuts on my Quick Launch Bar work,..I can't launch any program at all. I can't even CTRL+ALT+Delete. Nothing comes up.

2.) I can get into Safe Mode, and everything seems fine (I'm writing this post while in Safe Mode).

3.) On restart, I can get the System Configuration Utility to come up, and I can make sure that some of the needless start up items are disabled. I click "Apply" and close the utility. It then asks me if I want to "Restart" or "Exit Without Restarting". If I press "Restart", Windows hangs like it has been and does nothing (I have to restart manually). If I press "Exit w/o Restarting" nothing happens...but nothing is fixed, and I still have to restart manually.

Any ideas??

Please help.

The first thing of many that comes to mind is to do a virus scan. If you have a second computer that runs NTFS, remove the Hard Drive of the sick computer and add it as a slave with the one that is not and run it as a slave. Then run a virus scan on the sick drive.

It may not be a virus, may have a corupted registry in which case you need to re-install XP at that point.

(When I say re-install, I mean a CLEAN re-install..none of that "repair" crap from the CD. Do it once and do it right.)

Good luck.

well some of your windows xp files either had been corrupted or you might had virus in your computer. reinstall xp and see if that fixes your problem. and run anti virus. don't use norton use mcafee instead.

McAffee and Norton use the same basic virus definitions. It is really a matter of preferance of anti-virus programs mccrappy-cough-Norton rules-

I am having a similar problem with my father's system. If I boot with the network cable connected the system freezes when the desktop appears. If I press CTRL-ALT-DEL, taskmanager shows 85-99% CPU utilization for WINLOGON.EXE. If I boot without the network connected eveything is fine. I can ever connect the cable later and have full access to the Internet.

I have tried fixklez and loaded Norton 2003. I have also used AD-AWARE to remove any spy-ware. I will remove the HD and try to check it on another system.