Desktop Icons cannot be selected?

[MrDetail]

Can anyone possibly tell me why almost overnight that any of my desktop icons are now un-selectable?
If I re-boot the PC and let it come back up, I then can select the various icons.
Very weird.

 

[RolandJS]

You mean when you click or double-click on any desktop icon -- nothing happens?
If so, I'm watching this thread - 'cause it happens to me also from time to time.

 

[Slartybart]

There are a few reasons this might happen
1) the system is bogged down and the response is VERY slow
fix=clean startup
2) the Windows crawl is affecting the desktop icons
fix=reduce index and rebuild
3) there might be System File corruption
fix=SFC
4) Malware
fix=Scan/clean, scan/clean, scan/clean by multiple malware pgms .... until healthy scan reported

It sounds bad, but only if Malware is the cause should you be concerned, everything else is relatively easy to check and fix.

I offered my suggested fixes below each list number in case I get distracted - another member can see the direction I was taking.

Clean Startup, see: http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorial...ation-conflicts-performing-clean-startup.html

If the issue is intermittent, it might take a while to determine if that solved it. You know better than anyone on this side of the monitor how frequently this occurs (it might be helpful if you stated that = every hour, every day, every week, once a month....)

There isn't any real need to do any of the other things if a Clean Startup solved it - right?

 

[MrDetail]

Thank you SlartyBart for your detailed response. I run "Malwarebytes' at least once every week. It is clean.
I will try your other suggestion(s) next.

It would seem that it is happening non-stop right now as we do not shut down the Pc at night.
If I re-boot/restart the computer it will allow you to double click on the icon for a short time and then revert back to a dead icon.

 

[Kaktussoft]

Can you right click on theat icon and see the context menu? All those menu entries are working? Which ones aren't working?
If an application have been successfully launched.... you experience no hangs/crash?

Is "start menu" still working then?

 

[Layback Bear]

Have you checked your temps.

Your system could be overheating and throttling down making things work very slow or not at all.

 

[PlatypusKnight]

Do you have fences installed?

 

[Slartybart]

Ok MrDetail - thanks. Take it step by step, paying attention to Detail and posting the results you get from each step. Members need to 'see' what you see.

Kaktussoft asks a good question; Is it only Desktop icon/shortcuts that exhibit this behavior?

Bill
.

 

[MrDetail]

Sorry guys but we had snow falling here in Philly all day yesterday. No time to try any fixes yet due to clean-up outdoors.

Yes, it is only the desktop icons that exhibit this problem. No problem with the :Start Menu". Cannot click, right click or otherwise on any desktop icon. It is as if it is dead.

Have not checked my "Temps". Not sure how to do that and correct anything. No fences installed, whatever they are in a PC.

 

[Layback Bear]

Your not the only one who didn't know what a fence in Windows 7 is.

Fences - Free download and software reviews - CNET Download.com

 

[Kaktussoft]

Sorry guys but we had snow falling here in Philly all day yesterday. No time to try any fixes yet due to clean-up outdoors.

Yes, it is only the desktop icons that exhibit this problem. No problem with the :Start Menu". Cannot click, right click or otherwise on any desktop icon. It is as if it is dead.

Have not checked my "Temps". Not sure how to do that and correct anything. No fences installed, whatever they are in a PC.

It looks like the desktop doesn't react on mouse clicks at all. Is that what you want to say?
"start menu", task bar, system tray... they all work as expected.... correct?

 

[Layback Bear]

I do wonder if creating a New User Account would solve the problem.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/181024-user-account-create.html

 

[MrDetail]

Kaktussoft;
No, the desktop icons that have been created over time do not react when you run the mouse arrow
above them. The "Start" menu and system tray both work fine.

 

[Slartybart]

All day snow cleanup in Philly - we only got a few inches of light fluffy stuff out here in the western suburbs

In Windows Explorer, navigate to

%USERPROFILE%\Desktop

:tip: you can copy the line above and paste it into the address field of explorer

You should see the same items that appear on your desktop minus he Desktop icons added through personalization.

Do those shortcuts work?

Bill
.

 

[PlatypusKnight]

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/49819-icon-cache-rebuild.html

How about trying this? Couldn't hurt. I doubt that's the answer though.

BTW do you use Internet Explorer as your browser of choice?

 

[PlatypusKnight]

Also, what does the mouse icon look like when you click on the desktop and this is happening? Does it turn into the waiting icon, or the loading icon, or is just the normal pointer?

Psychic powers are telling me that this is a "Image Hijack" issue. Image Hijack sounds horrible, but tons of legitimate programs do this. (Like Fences, CLover, MS Word, Pbrush). If this is something new, I would look at the last 5 programs I installed searching for conflicts.