Member Avatar for timic

Hi there,
My computer has suddenly started not doing a number of odd things. I have not loaded new software or changed any settings recently that i can think of.
I have Windows XP Home. IE6. The original Service Pack 1 that came with the laptop.
I have run the housecall virus scan from trendmicro and adaware SE. Nothing special showed up. As far as i know i have all the current critical microsoft patches.
My problems are-
when first loading i get an error report box saying there is a problem with HPWirelessMgr Module. As far as i know i have no HP Wireless products. I googled this with no helpful results.
When i try to click on a link in IE that is supposed to open in a new window then nothing happens. I also can not choose to open a new window. I noticed a thread there with a similar problem and i ran all the regsvr32 things and it acknowledged them all but nothing is fixed.
I also can not drag & drop in windows explorer. I can't highlight multiple files. If i choose to copy and then paste nothing happens.
If i click on the shortcut on my desktop to connect to the internet nothing happens. I have to go into IE and choose to connect from within the browser.
i think that's all!!
Any advice would be appreciated.

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by abbasmj

Dani AI

Generated

This symptom cluster — Explorer losing drag/drop, multi-select and paste, IE refusing to open new windows, plus a startup error referencing an HP module — most often points at one of three things: a corrupted user profile or shell extension, damaged system/COM/clipboard files, or a misbehaving startup/service component. The HPWirelessMgr message suggests a leftover vendor component launching at boot; that can coexist with an unrelated shell problem and make diagnosis confusing.

Try these steps in order to narrow the cause:

  • Boot to Safe Mode (or Safe Mode with Networking) and test Explorer/IE there. If the problem disappears, a third‑party startup item or shell extension is implicated.
  • Create a new local user account and log into it. If drag/drop and paste work in the fresh account, the original profile is corrupted and should be repaired or migrated.
  • Check the Event Viewer (run eventvwr.msc) for the exact error messages tied to HPWirelessMgr or explorer — copy the module name/text; that string is useful for targeted searching.
  • Repair Windows system files by running sfc /scannow from an elevated command prompt (XP will ask for the install CD). This restores corrupted COM/shell DLLs that handle drag/drop and clipboard.
  • Temporarily disable non‑Microsoft shell extensions and startup entries (use tools such as Autoruns or ShellExView) and specifically prevent the HPWirelessMgr item from starting to see whether the startup error and Explorer behavior clear up.
  • If malware/rootkit is suspected despite earlier scans, perform an offline rescue scan from a reputable AV rescue CD/USB before doing major repairs.

If none of the above isolates it, back up user data and consider System Restore to a date before the problem or an in‑place Repair install of XP. This advice builds on points made by , and but focuses on focused diagnostics (Safe Mode, new account, Event Viewer, SFC, disabling startup/shellext) so the root cause can be identified before reinstalling.

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Member Avatar for Cup of Squirrel

Woah sounds like your laptop is messing up bad..

Ok, for your opening a link in a new window: I always use the ctrl+shift method, where you hold ctrl+shift and click the link you want to open in a new window

As for your HP wireless prob, check you have no floppys/cds/dvds/wireless cards in your laptop when you startup. Then check your installed programs list by going to start-->control panel--> add or remove programs.

As for the rest of your problems, I dont know how to help you there :/

Member Avatar for qt 3.14159

Timic,

Is it possible that Service Pack 2 was installed through automatic updates and this could be causing your problems? I've heard of some weird errors when SP2 was installed on existing systems (i.e. not a fresh install or close to it).

-Erin

Member Avatar for timic

thanks for the help, I'll check those things out. Sometimes computers just make me sooo angry! I wish i could figure them out!

Member Avatar for abbasmj

Seems like a SPYWARE problem. Download and run either Adaware or Spybot and see whether you still get the same error messages or not.

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