Windows freezing on desktop upon startup - any help appreciated

Hello,

This is my first post here and please forgive me if it is the wrong location. I have done a fair bit of searching and reading up on possible solutions with no luck.

Basically Windows freezes on the desktop at startup and I have to force shut down the laptop. I am running Ultimate x64.

I have a strong feeling it is iTunes causing this trouble so I go into Safe Mode, but I cannot uninstall it through either the control panel standard way or with Revo uninstaller which I installed an hour or so ago. The standard method of uninstall tells me the following when I click on iTunes, right click and Uninstall:

"The Windows Installer Service could not be accessed. This can occur if the Windows
Installer is not correctly installed. Contact your support personnel for assistance."

In Revo uninstaller, iTunes isn't even listed. Please note, I could be wrong by assuming iTunes is the culprit, but all of this started with iTunes freezing my laptop and I had to force shutdown multiple times.

If anyone can shed any light on this mess, I would really appreciate it.

Thank you,

Paul

Jacee said:

Type msconfig in the start search box, click on the icon, if it's listed in the startup tab, uncheck it. Reboot and see if you're still having the same problem.

See "clean startup" troubleshooting Troubleshoot Application Conflicts by Performing a Clean Startup

Hi Jacee, thanks for the reply. I tried that by disabling the apple stuff from startup and it didn't freeze on the desktop after the restart - but I noticed I had turned off my WiFi in Safe Mode so when I tried enabling it again in normal mode (on the desktop still) it froze again. As in completely frozen, nothing clickable.

Would you have any other suggestions? I looked into system restore, but it tells me there are no restore points created. It sounds like a mess, I know!

Thanks and look forward to any suggestions

Hi guys does anyone have any further suggestions to help?

Hi Jacee would you have any other ideas here?

Is my only option to do a clean wipe of Windows and start fresh?

If you have wifi crapware starting with Windows then you most likely don't have a clean install. You should be able to disable all startups except AV as shown in Troubleshooting Steps for Windows 7.

Is this preinstalled Win7 which is smothered by factory bloatware and useless duplicate utiltiies that conflict and have much better versions built into Win7?

If so I'd copy out my files and do the vastly superior Clean Reinstall - Factory OEM Windows 7.

Otherwise run a full scan with Malwarebytes in Safe Mode with Networking if necessary. Then run SFC /SCANNOW Command or if necesasry SFC /SCANNOW Run in Command Prompt at Boot from the Win7 DVD or System Repair Disk.

If Win7 is too unstable to troubleshoot using the steps in the links I've given you above, then work in boot mode following the steps for Troubleshooting Windows 7 Failure to Start. These steps include everything possible to get Win7 booting and stable, leading up to if necessary file rescue to do the reinstall.

gregrocker said:

If you have wifi crapware starting with Windows then you most likely don't have a clean install. You should be able to disable all startups except AV as shown in Troubleshooting Steps for Windows 7.

Is this preinstalled Win7 which is smothered by factory bloatware and useless duplicate utiltiies that conflict and have much better versions built into Win7?

If so I'd copy out my files and do the vastly superior Clean Reinstall - Factory OEM Windows 7.

Otherwise run a full scan with Malwarebytes in Safe Mode with Networking if necessary. Then run SFC /SCANNOW Command or if necesasry SFC /SCANNOW Run in Command Prompt at Boot from the Win7 DVD or System Repair Disk.

If Win7 is too unstable to troubleshoot using the steps in the links I've given you above, then work in boot mode following the steps for Troubleshooting Windows 7 Failure to Start. These steps include everything possible to get Win7 booting and stable, leading up to if necessary file rescue to do the reinstall.

Thanks a mill for the reply gregrocker , but I have it all sorted now - and it WAS iTunes that was the culprit.

I disabled it along with other Apple components from startup (In Safe Mode), disabled my WiFi, then went back into normal mode.

Here I had no freezing, so I was able to completely get rid of iTunes and the other Apple components, did a restart, enabled my WiFi, then all was back to normal again. Thank the Lord because this was driving me insane.

So the lesson I learned was that iTunes can seriously mess up your laptop.

Paul

So you don't still have factory preinstalled Win7?

ITunes should not cause those sort of problems. It's player can go, though.

No my current Windows 7 Ultimate was one I had bought. But when I got my laptop, it did have a preinstalled Windows 7, think it was Home Premium.

Believe me, iTunes does cause them problems. All of this mess started as a result of iTunes freezing my whole laptop, bringing it to a complete standstill while copying my backup music back into it. This could have been corrupt music files, I am not 100% sure.

But I lay the blame on iTunes for the laptop freezing on desktop upon startup. Now iTunes is gone, it is working like a dream.

So now my decision is whether to stick with iTunes, or go with an alternate method to get the music on the new IPOD.

Paul

May I ask which of the extra expensive Ultimate features you need? Home Premium is the exact same OS minus a few extra expensive features which most consumers don't need. You still own a $100+ OS which belongs to the PC for its life. I hate wasting money.

The only problems I've seen with Itunes are caused by the player which can go. I would also keep a Clean Boot at all times so nothing is running that can interfere: Troubleshooting Steps for Windows 7