Sudden onset of issues

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  1. Posts : 10
    Windows 7 Ultimate x64
       #1

    Sudden onset of issues


    I've had Windows 7 installed since the RTM has been available and I've had no issues until last night. While browsing the internet last night windows explorer crashed and recovered about 3 times, then I'd see random copies of windows open and quickly close on the taskbar. Shortly after, bluescreen. When I rebooted I went to play some Left 4 Dead and roughly every 5 clicks I'd see my desktop flash up. After that I noticed some other things, if I try and click on a drop down box the entire program will appear to open and close (it vanishes for a moment and reappears on the taskbar) and if I drag a window slowly across the screen the entire screen goes white along with the taskbar apart from a few programs.(screencapped this)
    For troubleshooting I've tried the following:
    Switching from Aero to classic
    Running Windows update
    Updating graphics drivers
    Reseating graphics card
    Creating a new user account (All problems gone on this user account, so I'm sure there's something wrong with my user account itself.)
    So, can anyone think what's going on here?
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Sudden onset of issues-desktop.jpg  
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 1,011
    Windows 7 Ultimate x64 (Retail)
       #2

    Maybe scan for malware with your AV and Malwarebytes . . . but perhaps not if only affecting one account.

    Also, another instance where system restore might provide a quick and easy fix if you have a recent restore point available from before this problem started occurring.
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 10
    Windows 7 Ultimate x64
    Thread Starter
       #3

    I'll download Malwarebytes now and give it a try..
    Not sure I have a recent restore point.
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 1,011
    Windows 7 Ultimate x64 (Retail)
       #4

    Well it's easy to check your restore points. Just start system restore up from start, all programs, accessories, system tools, system restore and click next when system restore starts and you'll see a list of your available restore points with date and time.

    And if you don't have system restore enabled for your system partition, it would be a good idea, imo, (although there are some that dis it), to enable it. You can control how much disk space it is allowed to use. 3 GB is probably sufficient, although I think I allocate about 10GB, but I have a fairly large HD (for a laptop). But this is the kind of thing that system restore is frequently (but not always, of course) great at fixing in a couple of minutes, without having to go to the trouble of restoring a backup or swapping in a clone, or doing a lot of trouble shooting.

    P.S. Don't forget to update MB's definitions before running a scan.
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 10
    Windows 7 Ultimate x64
    Thread Starter
       #5

    Heh yeah, I meant I'd never checked them, I just did and well I only have one that was created just now when I started it :/
    Running Malwarebytes now, will probably take a while though.
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 10
    Windows 7 Ultimate x64
    Thread Starter
       #6

    Yeah I updated it, this scan will take a long while, I'll report back when it's done. Thanks for the help so far! repped.
      My Computer


  7. Posts : 1,011
    Windows 7 Ultimate x64 (Retail)
       #7

    Thanks, much appreciated. Hope it helps.

    Anyway, at least you have System Restore on for the future and it's a good idea to have the free version of MB on your system for doing on demand scans every now and then. MB is better than most AV apps at cleaning malware. I have successfully deloused several infested computers (not mine) with it.
      My Computer


  8. Posts : 10
    Windows 7 Ultimate x64
    Thread Starter
       #8

    Okay scan is done and there were no infections detected (aside from a false detection)
    Problem still persists
      My Computer


  9. Posts : 1,011
    Windows 7 Ultimate x64 (Retail)
       #9

    Maybe try running the system file checker: From an administrative command prompt type: "sfc /scannow" without the quotes (note there is a space between sfc and /scannow) and let that process complete which takes a few minutes. When it's done it will tell you if it found and repaired any corrupt system files.

    Another thing you could try would be to create a new user account and from within the new account, copy over your entire old account (all the folders below your user name) to the new account. Of course, that might just result in importing your current issue to the new account, but you never know. If it doesn't work, you can just delete the new account. If it does result in a fix, then once you are sure all your data etc is in the new account, you could delete the account with the problems.

    Finally, you could try doing a repair install of Win 7. This leaves your programs, settings and data intact. But if the problem is being caused by one of your applications, then none of these suggestions are likely to resolve the issue. You would need to start troubleshooting to determine which application or driver might be causing the trouble.

    If when creating a new user account, the new account really functions normally, I suppose another approach would be to create a new account and start installing your apps one by one and copying over your data and just setting everything up again. If problems start suddenly again after installing something, then that last installation is probably the culprit.
      My Computer


  10. Posts : 10
    Windows 7 Ultimate x64
    Thread Starter
       #10

    SFC found no issues, I'll try creating a new account later, running low on space currently to be able to do that :) Thanks again.
      My Computer


 
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