johnnygamer

I have a very similar problem.

Windows XP Professional with SP2. On a clean install the recycle bin works fine. After installing a few programs the recycle bin "breaks". By this you can delete files and they go to the recycle bin (and you see the recycle bin full icon) but if you double click the recycle bin no files are shown and when this happens sometimes the "Recycle Bin Tasks" drop down menu disappears as well. Dropping to a DOS prompt and changing to the directory and then issuing a dir/a shows the file in the recycle bin:
C:\RECYCLER\S-1-5-21-583907252-1563985344-725345543-1003>dir /A
Volume in drive C has no label.
Volume Serial Number is 007D-2499

Directory of C:\RECYCLER\S-1-5-21-583907252-1563985344-725345543-1003

24/03/2008 11:24 PM <DIR> .
24/03/2008 11:24 PM <DIR> ..
30/10/2007 01:22 AM 1,503 Dc11.lnk
24/03/2008 11:24 PM 65 desktop.ini
24/03/2008 11:24 PM 820 INFO2
3 File(s) 2,388 bytes
2 Dir(s) 46,502,129,664 bytes free

C:\RECYCLER\S-1-5-21-583907252-1563985344-725345543-1003>

Also what I have noticed is that soon after the file will be deleted by itself. Something is automatically emptying the recycle bin as next dir I do a dir /a the file is missing:
C:\RECYCLER\S-1-5-21-583907252-1563985344-725345543-1003>dir /A
Volume in drive C has no label.
Volume Serial Number is 007D-2499

Directory of C:\RECYCLER\S-1-5-21-583907252-1563985344-725345543-1003

24/03/2008 11:26 PM <DIR> .
24/03/2008 11:26 PM <DIR> ..
24/03/2008 11:24 PM 65 desktop.ini
24/03/2008 11:26 PM 0 INFO2
2 File(s) 65 bytes
2 Dir(s) 46,502,133,760 bytes free

C:\RECYCLER\S-1-5-21-583907252-1563985344-725345543-1003>

(Right now the "Recycle Bin Tasks" drop down menu has disappeared from the recycle bin)

I currently have the following protection software installed:
Ad-Aware 2007
AVG Free Edition
Avira AntiVir PersonalEdition Classic
Belarc Advisor 7.2
HijackThis 1.99.1
MailWasherPro
PC Pitstop Optimize 1.5
Spybot - Search & Destroy 1.4
SpywareBlaster 4.0
SurfSecret REGISTERED v3.00
Sygate Personal Firewall
Trend Micro Anti-Spyware
Unlocker 1.8.6
Windows Installer Clean Up

I've tried all the registry fixes and patches on the net as well as dropping to a command prompt in safe mode and deleting the RECYCLER directory(and all subdirectories and files) but to no avail as the problem still persists.

Unlike removed20608a I am not using or have installed:
securitytaskmanager1.6
Audio Shell

Can't find much on google in regards to this problem. Has this problem before, formatted and clean installed. Recycle bin was fixed. After installing a few apps, it broke :(