Unable to access Desk Top Properties

A little background first.

I purchased a new pc for my grand daughter last June. It came with XP Home.

It replaced an older pc with 98SE.

A problem that first manifested itself on the older pc has now appeared on the newer pc.

We are unable to right click and get the menu options to display. The pc will lock and requires a reset to get it back in operation.

We are able to get to the display thru the Control Panel on the XP pc. Which on the older pc came up missing in the Control Panel in addition to not being able to bring up the menu by right clicking. In the case of the 98SE pc there was no lock up but no menu either.

I restored to an earlier time and after a couple of cold boots the problem reappeared. I performed this 3 times with the same results.

It can be a registry problem but I have no idea where to begin on that.

I also have a hunch that it can be associated with the Instant Messenger programs that are installed. This comes from my taking the older pc and after cleaning everything off and making it into a plain Jane desktop for the wife on our network, it has no problems.

As a point of reference, at the same time I purchased the pc for her I got an identical pc for my grand son. It has no problems and mine which is a home built, with XP Pro, is also trouble free.

Two pc's over 3 years with nearly the same identical problem is not a coincidence.


Any thoughts out there?

Thanks

 

Go to the link below and scroll down to #203 on the right-hand side (Restore Right Click Properties).

http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm

Save the REG File to your hard disk. Double click it and answer yes to the import prompt.

Steve

 

Thanks Matacumbie. I've downloaded the REG file.

I'll give it a try sometime this week after I create a new restore point.

Bye the Bye, that's a handy web site, Kelly's Korner. I'll keep it for later research.

Steve [also]

 

OK.

Yeah, Kellys Korner has a good reputation and you can trust the content.

Hope it work's for you.

Steve