Member Avatar for Nate117

I'm running XP. Yesterday my computer froze and I had to pull the plug. Now it runs really slow and I'm not able to change my wallpaper. At one point I did have the Active Desktop Recovery screen pop up. I believe I fixed this problem by uninstalling IE7. Now I'm back to my original problems. I'm not sure what else to do. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Nate117

  • 2 Contributors
  • 3 Replies
  • 104 Views
  • 2 Days Discussion Span
  • Latest Post Latest Post by The Dude

Dani AI

Generated

For : when XP hangs and the desktop or wallpaper behaves oddly it usually means one of three things — software/registry damage, a shell/Internet Explorer rendering problem, or underlying hardware/disk errors. ’s recovery-minded suggestion is a sensible first step; after recovery the goal is to verify system integrity and remove any lingering causes so the problem does not return.

Practical next checks to run (in roughly this order):

  • Back up important files to external media before doing repairs.
  • Inspect Event Viewer (Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Event Viewer). Look in Application and System logs for errors at the time of the crash and note the source/event ID.
  • Repair system files with sfc /scannow (may prompt for your XP CD).
  • Run a memory test from a bootable tool such as memtest86+ for at least one full pass.
  • Check disk health with the drive maker’s diagnostic utility or a SMART-aware tool to catch early drive failure.
  • Create a new local user account to see whether wallpaper/desktop issues are limited to the original profile.
  • Remove any Active Desktop/web items via Display Properties > Desktop > Customize Desktop > Web, and disable unnecessary startup items with msconfig.
  • Scan thoroughly for malware with an up-to-date anti-malware tool (Malwarebytes plus an AV).

If diagnostics show hardware problems, stop using the drive and restore data from backups; repeated forced shutdowns can make disk corruption worse. Once stable, install critical updates, keep an up-to-date backup image, and create a restore point so recovery is faster if this recurs.

Recommended Answers

All 3 Replies

Member Avatar for The Dude

Welcome to Daniweb :)

Try doing a system restore to 2 days ago and see if it fixes the issue (Then run a scan disk)

Good luck :)

Member Avatar for Nate117

"Dude"

Thanks a lot. The system restore worked. I really appreciate the help!

Nate

Member Avatar for The Dude

Xcellent :)

Glad to be of some assistance!

I love helping people.

Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.