Control panel problems

Hello

Im running an Ispiron 6400 laptop, MS Windows Vista Home Basic 32-Bit SP2
60GB Hard Drive, 2GB Ram.

Ive been having a few problems with the computer over the months but i haven`t had the time to resolve the problems.

If i open Control Panel and click on either Performance Information and Tools or Network and Sharing Centre, they either crash,freeze or take an age to open, the other icons and their relevant windows open normaly. any ideas ?
Cheers
Paul
P.S This also applies, if i make either of them a shortcut on my desktop.

 

have yoiu tried running sfc /scannow from a command prompt?

 

Hi
Yes i have run a SFC/SCANNOW and forgive me because i cant remember the terminology it used, but it was all ok.
Thanks

 

Hi,
Have you tried to run the "READ ME RUN ME" in the malware section here...

http://forums.majorgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=35407

You may have malware issues that are causing this problem.

iain.t :major

 

Ok, i have sent logs to malware removals forum
I will get back to you one way or another
Thanks
Paul

 

Hi
Just got the all clear, logs are clean, from the Malware Forum, The message from TimW is as follows,Your logs are clean. I suggest you return to your other thread.
Any other ideas most appreciated,
Cheers
Paul

 

Greetings, paul4444.

Couple of quick questions:

1. Do you experience the same symptoms when in Safe Mode?

2. Do you have a Windows Vista disk?

 

Greetings to you mate
In answer to your questions.

In safe mode they open very quickly.

I have the Reinstallation DVD, Windows Vista, Home Basic 32 Bit.

Thank`s for your time
Regards
Paul

 

The fact that the applets respond quickly while in Safe Mode indicates that some 3rd-party software may be causing the issues.

Try this: click Start > All Programs > Accessories > Run. Enter msconfig. In the Startup tab, disable all entries, OK out and restart your machine.

Now, test the CP applets in question. If they run smoothly, then you can go back into msconfig/startup and selectively enable until you find the culprit(s).

 

Caliban
I disabled all start up`s and done a restart, but still, with nothing in start up performance and network sharing, show white screens and then slowly open,even the System configuration window reported a not responding notice, but it did eventually work :cry

 

And these are the only two applets that crash? Weird.

Try this - it's a little time-consuming, but I think we need to check.

1. Re-enable the startups that you changed, and reboot.

2. Open Black Viper's Vista Service Configurations.

3. Run services.msc and match your services with BV's "Safe" settings.

4. Reboot, see if your symptoms change.

 

Hello Caliban
After looking at the Black Viper web site for a good hour and then going back to it because of confusion,ive come to the conclusion that i have no idea where to start with it. :confused

Sorry mate could you be a little more do this and then do that, because if i start messing with the Registry willy nilly i think its going to turn into a disaster.

Thanks for your patience

Paul

 

Hi
Well i feel like a right dim wit :-o

I understand that im meant to make a comparasent between Blackviper`s recomended settings and my own, I know how to look at my sevices but finding his, is my problem, you say look in the Home Basic Column, where is it ?
Anyway i decided to download his SAFE DEFAULTS !Safe_WinVista_Home_Basic_SP2_32_Start_v200 SETTINGS.

Which after a restart has made no noticable difference, i made a System restore point just in case.

Yours
DUMBER AND DUMBO rolleyes

 

Does anything stand out with the list of your services compared to Black Viper's list? Look for anything odd, some non-Windows service that is associated with anything you don't recognize.

Are you connected to the internet when the crashes occur? Make sure you test while physically disconnecting any network related devices. For that matter, also ensure that no unnecessary discrete USB devices (printers, hard drives, etc.) are connected when testing.

Something else: since we've been tinkering with this thing, might not be a bad idea to rerun motc7's System File Checker suggestion again. A quick tutorial is here.

Frankly, my suggestion would be to prepare to perform a Windows repair/reinstall. This would be a non-destructive rebuild - your data and documents should be safe, but it's always prudent to back up important files first. Something is causing those applets to crash, but finding the reasons might prove to be problematic - with a Vista reinstall, we might be able to further narrow down what the next steps should be.

 

Sorry i didn`t get back sooner
I checked the services of black vipers and my own and nothing stood out,but to be honest there were so many services that i may of missed some.
You mentioned doing a Windows repair/reinstall, is that the same as doing a complete reinstall.
cheers

 

Depends upon what type of Vista disk you have. This article has a good rundown on which disks will work or not work.

The reinstall should be considered as a last resort - to be sure we can figure this out without such drastic measures.

Be patient - keep listing things you have tried.

 

This is beyond my knowledge, but maybe the focus should be on what is Not loaded in Safe mode,
other than what has already been tried via msconfig > startup.

 

Excellent point, mjnc. That's why we were trying to discern what services may be causing the issues - the machine runs fine in Safe Mode, yet the problems present when booting into Normal Mode with no startups enabled.

Which leads me to another quick shot. Paul, try this: re-enable any startups you've disabled via msconfig, reboot, and then either use Windows Defender's Software Explorer or StartupCPL to selectively disable any startups (StartupCPL will install as a Control Panel applet). Maybe one of those programs can catch something different.

 

I suggest using Startup Control Panel Standalone Version which puts it's start icon on the desktop instead of in Control Panel.
Since the problems are with Control Panel applets, might be better to leave it alone.

This is what I use to monitor and adjust startup procedures.
I'm very happy with it and highly recommend this little app. :major

 

You can run the Control Panel applets directly as follows:

Start > Run > control.exe /name Microsoft.PerformaceInformationAndTools

Start > Run > control.exe /name Microsoft.NetworkAndSharingCenter

For information about running Vista Control Panel applets directly,
see Developing for the Control Panel-Windows Vista
and search for the sub-heading "A New syntax for Opening Control Panel".

The following may also be useful:
How To Add Or Remove Control Panel Applets in Windows Vista & Windows 7

This may help to re-register those two applets.

 

Hi Guys
Well i downloaded and ran Startup Control Panel Standalone Version.
1, Startup(user) unchecked 1, restarted, no change.
2,HKLM/run unchecked all, restarted,no change.
3,HKCU/run unchecked 1, restarted, no change.

The rest had nothing inside.

Now going to try the next step, mentioned in the last reply.

Thanks for your help, im getting totally confused with it all :confused

 

One other thing to try is to create a new user and log on with that account. See if the results are the same.

 

Yeh that seemed like a good idea, but alas no, same old story:cry

 

[ Hi Guys
I tried running the applets as you have suggested i copied and pasted control.exe /name Microsoft.PerformaceInformationAndTools and the other one after and nothing happened.
cheers
QUOTE=mjnc;1602647]You can run the Control Panel applets directly as follows:

Start > Run > control.exe /name Microsoft.PerformaceInformationAndTools

Start > Run > control.exe /name Microsoft.NetworkAndSharingCenter

For information about running Vista Control Panel applets directly,
see Developing for the Control Panel-Windows Vista
and search for the sub-heading "A New syntax for Opening Control Panel".



The following may also be useful:
How To Add Or Remove Control Panel Applets in Windows Vista & Windows 7

This may help to re-register those two applets.[/QUOTE]

 

Just wondering if everybody has given up on me

 

Hi, Paul.

Seems as if we've exhausted all of the normal procedures. Maybe it's time to consider the Vista repair reinstall.

 

Hi
Im a bit worried about doing that mainly because my install disk comes from Dell and a repair install is not an option according to one of the previous posted articles QUOTE
( Depends upon what type of Vista disk you have. This article has a good rundown on which disks will work or not work. )

Im also concerned that MS have finished helping with SP1 and as my disc is from 3 or 4 years ago, for sure SP1 is not on the install disc.

Thankyou