Windows desktop is totally unresponsive

djst4nley · 10-06-2008, 03:45 PM

Hello everyone.

I am really racking my brains here. I hope anyone can help, I truly am stuck.

A few nights ago I turned off my PC with NO prior major updates (no software installed, no updates, no reg editing). The next morning I turn it on, I log in however the desktop is blank. No start bar, no desktop icons, its as if EXPLORER.EXE hasnt loaded - but it has. Its in the taskmanager but clearly isnt working correctly.

I close the explorer.exe and open a new one - nothing. It crashes. I can sometimes open cmd.exe, but thats quite rare. Then some times, I will put in firefox.exe in the taskmanager run box and it works?! However this is rare and most the time the computer on startup is totally unresponsive. Heres what I've done to fix:

Add new admin user, login with this - didnt work
Start in safe mode - worked
System restore - restored to earlier date succesfully, but made no difference
Total antivirus scan - found a few, removed all successfully, still didnt work
Full chkdsk - fixed some errors, still didnt work
Unchecked all msconfig startup boxes - still didnt work
Started in diagnostic mode from msconfig (load basic drivers and services only) - still didnt work
Disabled all old, unused, and unneeded drivers - still didnt work

Really need help on this one guys, the almost constant state is just as if explorer.exe isnt loaded. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\Shell is also explorere.exe which is what it should be

would really appreciate any help everyone. Attatched a highjackthis log in the mere hope of anything!

Code:

Logfile of HijackThis v1.99.1
Scan saved at 11:43:37 PM, on 10/6/2008
Platform: Windows XP SP2 (WinNT 5.01.2600)
MSIE: Internet Explorer v6.00 SP2 (6.00.2900.2180)

Running processes:
C:\WINDOWS\System32\smss.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\winlogon.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\services.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\lsass.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\svchost.exe
C:\WINDOWS\System32\svchost.exe
C:\Program Files\Lavasoft\Ad-Aware 2007\aawservice.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\spoolsv.exe
C:\Program Files\Common Files\Apple\Mobile Device Support\bin\AppleMobileDeviceService.exe
C:\WINDOWS\System32\dlcgcoms.exe
C:\WINDOWS\System32\svchost.exe
C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe
C:\WINDOWS\explorer.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\wuauclt.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\rundll32.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\wuauclt.exe
C:\WINDOWS\regedit.exe
C:\WINDOWS\PCHealth\HelpCtr\Binaries\MSConfig.exe
C:\Program Files\HijackThis\HijackThis.exe

R0 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Start Page = http://google.com/
O2 - BHO: AcroIEHlprObj Class - {06849E9F-C8D7-4D59-B87D-784B7D6BE0B3} - C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat 

6.0\Reader\ActiveX\AcroIEHelper.dll
O2 - BHO: Spybot-S&D IE Protection - {53707962-6F74-2D53-2644-206D7942484F} - C:\PROGRA~1\SPYBOT~1\SDHelper.dll
O2 - BHO: OIN Analytics - {6B221E01-F517-4959-8C41-81948E7F2F17} - C:\Program Files\OINAnalytics\OINAnalytics1.dll
O2 - BHO: SSVHelper Class - {761497BB-D6F0-462C-B6EB-D4DAF1D92D43} - C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.6.0_07\bin\ssv.dll
O2 - BHO: (no name) - {7E853D72-626A-48EC-A868-BA8D5E23E045} - (no file)
O2 - BHO: FlashFXP Helper for Internet Explorer - {E5A1691B-D188-4419-AD02-90002030B8EE} - 

C:\PROGRA~1\FlashFXP\IEFlash.dll
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [DLCGCATS] rundll32 C:\WINDOWS\system32\spool\DRIVERS\W32X86\3\DLCGtime.dll,_RunDLLEntry@16
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [avast!] C:\PROGRA~1\ALWILS~1\Avast4\ashDisp.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [MSConfig] C:\WINDOWS\PCHealth\HelpCtr\Binaries\MSConfig.exe /auto
O9 - Extra button: (no name) - {08B0E5C0-4FCB-11CF-AAA5-00401C608501} - C:\Program 

Files\Java\jre1.6.0_07\bin\ssv.dll
O9 - Extra 'Tools' menuitem: Sun Java Console - {08B0E5C0-4FCB-11CF-AAA5-00401C608501} - C:\Program 

Files\Java\jre1.6.0_07\bin\ssv.dll
O9 - Extra button: (no name) - {DFB852A3-47F8-48C4-A200-58CAB36FD2A2} - C:\PROGRA~1\SPYBOT~1\SDHelper.dll
O9 - Extra 'Tools' menuitem: Spybot - Search & Destroy Configuration - {DFB852A3-47F8-48C4-A200-58CAB36FD2A2} - 

C:\PROGRA~1\SPYBOT~1\SDHelper.dll
O9 - Extra button: Messenger - {FB5F1910-F110-11d2-BB9E-00C04F795683} - C:\Program Files\Messenger\msmsgs.exe
O9 - Extra 'Tools' menuitem: Windows Messenger - {FB5F1910-F110-11d2-BB9E-00C04F795683} - C:\Program 

Files\Messenger\msmsgs.exe
O16 - DPF: {4F1E5B1A-2A80-42CA-8532-2D05CB959537} (MSN Photo Upload Tool) - 

http://gfx2.hotmail.com/mail/w3/pr01/resources/MSNPUpld.cab
O16 - DPF: {6414512B-B978-451D-A0D8-FCFDF33E833C} (WUWebControl Class) - 

http://www.update.microsoft.com/microsoftupdate/v6/V5Controls/en/x86/client/wuweb_site.cab?1212006921848
O16 - DPF: {6E32070A-766D-4EE6-879C-DC1FA91D2FC3} (MUWebControl Class) - 

http://www.update.microsoft.com/microsoftupdate/v6/V5Controls/en/x86/client/muweb_site.cab?1212006905348
O16 - DPF: {E1E73B44-2D20-47A9-9CA2-B534CEBBF856} (F-Secure Health Check 1.0) - 

http://support.f-secure.com/enu/home/onlineservices/fshc/fscax.cab
O18 - Protocol: livecall - {828030A1-22C1-4009-854F-8E305202313F} - C:\PROGRA~1\MSNMES~1\MSGRAP~1.DLL
O18 - Protocol: ms-help - {314111C7-A502-11D2-BBCA-00C04F8EC294} - C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft 

Shared\Help\hxds.dll
O18 - Protocol: msnim - {828030A1-22C1-4009-854F-8E305202313F} - C:\PROGRA~1\MSNMES~1\MSGRAP~1.DLL
O20 - Winlogon Notify: WgaLogon - C:\WINDOWS\
O23 - Service: Ad-Aware 2007 Service (aawservice) - Lavasoft - C:\Program Files\Lavasoft\Ad-Aware 

2007\aawservice.exe
O23 - Service: Adobe LM Service - Adobe Systems - C:\Program Files\Common Files\Adobe Systems 

Shared\Service\Adobelmsvc.exe
O23 - Service: Apple Mobile Device - Apple Inc. - C:\Program Files\Common Files\Apple\Mobile Device 

Support\bin\AppleMobileDeviceService.exe
O23 - Service: dlcg_device -   - C:\WINDOWS\System32\dlcgcoms.exe
O23 - Service: iPod Service - Apple Inc. - C:\Program Files\iPod\bin\iPodService.exe
O23 - Service: Remote Packet Capture Protocol v.0 (experimental) (rpcapd) - Unknown owner - 

%ProgramFiles%\WinPcap\rpcapd.exe" -d -f "%ProgramFiles%\WinPcap\rpcapd.ini (file missing)

**quizme1220** · 10-06-2008, 06:52 PM

Hello djst4nley, I won't be able to read your HJT Log but you will need to update HJT.

Also follow the 5Step Process http://www.techsupportforum.com/secu...oval-help.html then place your log in the HJT Log Help Forum.

djst4nley · 10-07-2008, 03:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by quizme1220

Hello djst4nley, I won't be able to read your HJT Log but you will need to update HJT.

Also follow the 5Step Process http://www.techsupportforum.com/secu...oval-help.html then place your log in the HJT Log Help Forum.

Thanks.

But the problem is not with malware. The system appears to be clean, for some reason an error is making windows not load.

**quizme1220** · 10-07-2008, 09:14 PM

Well since it's not malware there was no need for a HJT Log so let's give this a try.

1. Start > Run , type in 'regedit' (without the quotes of course) in the search box .

2. Open HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon.

3. In Winlogon, on the right side, there should be a value called "Shell".
Double click this value. Make sure only "Explorer.exe" is the value of Shell, if anything else is there, simply delete it and leave 'Explorer.exe'.

Restart Windows.

PLEASE BACKUP YOUR REGISTRY BEFORE MAKING ANY CHANGES
I hope this solves the problem.

djst4nley · 10-08-2008, 07:59 AM

It already contains explorer.exe : (

However when windows logs on, and explorer.exe is running, I can start a new explorer.exe process, so theres two explorer.exe tasks running in the manager.

Makes me think something might be up with explorer?

**quizme1220** · 10-08-2008, 09:14 PM

Ok, you're saying when you open Task Manager one explorer.exe is runniing but you can start a new explorer.exe process? See if the following will help correct this.

1. Double-click on My Computer
2. Click Tools>Folder Options
3. Click View Tab
4. Uncheck "Launch Folder Windows in separate process"
5. Click OK

10-06-2008, 06:52 PM	#2 (permalink)
quizme1220 TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: New York Posts: 1,297 OS: WinXP Pro Sp3 My System	Re: Windows desktop is totally unresponsive Hello djst4nley, I won't be able to read your HJT Log but you will need to update HJT. Also follow the 5Step Process http://www.techsupportforum.com/secu...oval-help.html then place your log in the HJT Log Help Forum. __________________ Ad-Aware\|SpywareBlaster\|SpyBot\|AVG Free\|HOSTS File\|HijackThis

10-07-2008, 09:14 PM	#4 (permalink)
quizme1220 TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: New York Posts: 1,297 OS: WinXP Pro Sp3 My System	Re: Windows desktop is totally unresponsive Well since it's not malware there was no need for a HJT Log so let's give this a try. 1. Start > Run , type in 'regedit' (without the quotes of course) in the search box . 2. Open HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon. 3. In Winlogon, on the right side, there should be a value called "Shell". Double click this value. Make sure only "Explorer.exe" is the value of Shell, if anything else is there, simply delete it and leave 'Explorer.exe'. Restart Windows. PLEASE BACKUP YOUR REGISTRY BEFORE MAKING ANY CHANGES I hope this solves the problem. __________________ Ad-Aware\|SpywareBlaster\|SpyBot\|AVG Free\|HOSTS File\|HijackThis Last edited by quizme1220; 10-07-2008 at 09:27 PM.

10-08-2008, 07:59 AM	#5 (permalink)
djst4nley Registered User Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 4 OS: Win XP	Re: Windows desktop is totally unresponsive It already contains explorer.exe : ( However when windows logs on, and explorer.exe is running, I can start a new explorer.exe process, so theres two explorer.exe tasks running in the manager. Makes me think something might be up with explorer?

10-08-2008, 09:14 PM	#6 (permalink)
quizme1220 TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: New York Posts: 1,297 OS: WinXP Pro Sp3 My System	Re: Windows desktop is totally unresponsive Ok, you're saying when you open Task Manager one explorer.exe is runniing but you can start a new explorer.exe process? See if the following will help correct this. 1. Double-click on My Computer 2. Click Tools>Folder Options 3. Click View Tab 4. Uncheck "Launch Folder Windows in separate process" 5. Click OK __________________ Ad-Aware\|SpywareBlaster\|SpyBot\|AVG Free\|HOSTS File\|HijackThis