Windows 7: Windows 7 Taskbar Corruption

Occasionally my Windows 7 taskbar gets corrupted with a cascading like effect (see attachment). Happens every 2-3 weeks and usually after resuming from standby, although once it happened after a reboot.



• Logging off or rebooting with fix the problem
• A screenshot (using print screen) does not show the corruption (the attached picture was from taking a picture of the screen with a camera)
• No 3rd party programs have been used to modify the taskbar
• Graphics drivers have been updated several times to the latest release, but still no change

Specs:
Windows 7 Pro x64
ATI Sapphire HD 4670
Intel i5 750
Gigabyte GA-P55M-UD4
Corsair XMS3 PC3-12800 (4 x 2GB)


Any thoughts? Thanks for your help.

-Todd

Welcome

Run your antivirus

and download and run malwarebytes.
http://www.malwarebytes.org/mbam.php

I do not think this is the issue, but with any unexpected change this is always an important precaution.

If that is negative try this
SFC /SCANNOW Command - System File Checker[2]=Performance Maintenance

Does not work try this
Repair Install

If that does not work try a system restore from before the problem.
System Restore

Thanks richc46.

I should also add that this has been occurring since I originally installed Windows 7 back in December, so there really wasn't a time before the problem that it could be restored to. I've also been unable to consistently reproduce the error, making it difficult to pinpoint it on a specific program or series of events.

I'm also quite confident my computer is spiffy clean in regards to malware, so don't think it's that.

Reinstalling a fresh copy on an another partition and rebuilding definitely isn't out of the question, but without understand what's causing this, there's guarantee a reinstall's going to fix it. And I was kind of hoping to find a simpler solution.

Try the SFC and get back to me.

Do you have a slide show as your desktop?

Could be a video driver problem as well. The aero UI uses a lot more of the video cards features than XP ever did. So maybe try updating your drivers from the manufacturers site and see if that fixes it.

richc46,

I'll try the SFC later today. And yes, I do have a slideshow as my desktop.




fseal,

Since a screenshot doesn't show the problem, it could very well be the drivers. (Or maybe an error in the hardware itself, but this is the only graphics corruption I've ever seen.)

When I did the initial install in December, I was using Catalyst 9.11, and then have incrementally updated the drivers with each release. (Currently running 10.5.) . I also see Catalyst 10.6 was released yesterday, so I'll update to that later today.

But since I've also been unable to consistently reproduce the error, even if a driver update was to fix it, I have no way of knowing either way unless it was to pop up again days or weeks down the road.


-Todd

Thats it. The task bar is tranparent. You paid for that feature. You are seeing your desktop. I have the Amalfi coast on mine (just got back from Italy) and I can see the homes in my taskbar.

I don't think that's it richc46. Yes the taskbar is transparent, but the cascading error isn’t something showing though. Check the image I posted in the first post again. (Come to think of it, that shot was taken when I was experimenting and had the slideshow turned off, you can see the default wallpaper showing through.)

-Todd

OK Todd, you are probably right. But turn off the slide show. Lets see it that is instrumental in any way.

Ack, I'm sorry I missed the part about the screen shot not showing the problem.

At that point it can really only be either in the output stage on the video card or in the monitor itself... I'd try hooking another monitor up for a while if possible and see if it goes away. But it's seems sort of ike it may be a hardware problem

Since it ususaly happens out of sleep it may be a hardware sync problem in