Windows 7 multiple problems - no right click, icons gone .....

[perplex2]

Hi. I have Windows 7 Premium 64bit SP1 on my PC.
A few days ago there were a few times when using right click caused a rapid Windows Explorer shut down & restart.
Now it is much worse.

Hardly any right click function at all. So no way to use scannow, for eg, & many solutions cannot be used.
No Command Prompt As Administrator (prevents many solutions etc).

Many icons missing, not linked to .exe files. So cannot use many programs.
Cannot use Windows Live Mail - it cannot open. So I cannot export emails or contacts to another email app.
Windows Live Mail Contacts file is missing, or I cannot find it.

Administator Events log shows repeated errors today, mostly schannel 3887, Error 70.
Also Disk Event ID 11. The driver detected a controller error on \Device\Harddisk2\DRT

And warnings such as Kernel-pNp 219 (212), driver WUDFRd failed to load for device \ROOT\PARAGONBLOCKDEVICE\0000; nfts 57; and a WLAN-autoconfig problem.
Plus more.

Tried to use the Windows 7 boot disk - this not working, just shows a screen shot of a languages menu & has no mouse function at all.

I am stuck, fenced in by the lack of right click and Administrator Command Prompt.
I don't know how to get to Shell something where new windows extensions lurk, that might be causing issues.

I think the Windows Updater tried and failed part way on an update, and it messed things up. Drivers missing, more problems.

Searching for my original Windows 7 CD.
Should I use System Restore to time travel back to 2020, then reinstall lots of software and drivers.
OR should I cut my losses and upgrade to windows 11, via 10? (some software won't work properly...)

Or is there another way to fix Windows 7 64bit?

Suggestions welcomed!

 

[Mike8615]

I'm having similar problems and its probably registry rot. I'm a die hard Win 7 user and even with current Win 7 updates I see software developers are quietly telling me our software doesn't work on Win 7 anymore so we'll turn your registry into mush. It looks like I'll be migrating everything to Win 10 next month which is already installed on another partition. I'm going to miss Win 7.

 

[perplex2]

After sessions with MS Support trying to sort it out, failed attempts to install from their Windows7 media installer, and messed up attempts to update to Windows 10 (too late to do it for free) - finally got a new Windows 10 OEM installed.
But I can no longer use my Adobe Photoshop CS4, or my excellent Epson scanner because this works fine but Windows 10 loses some essential functions if I install it, my Canon printer is only partly working now, and Windows 10 is both so, so touchy (keeps shutting itself down for no known reason), and absolutely vile to use. Is their NO way of stripping out the all pervasive Byng? Was hoping it would be a stepping stone to Windows 11 - but of course the PC needs new and different drivers for that to work.
Am going to try a Linux distro - the Epson scanner has some Linux drivers. Else I will have to buy a second hand laptop with Windows 7 just for using the scanner and Photoshop. This is no way to save the planet from climate change - constantly being told to replace perfectly good devices because some (expletives) people have further over-designed the dominant OS.

 

[torchwood]

Hi

missed the first post...
As far as i know the update is still free,
Upgrade to Windows 10 from Windows 7 for Free | Tutorials

However, lets get back to W7 according to your specs you have a custom install and 1 of the errors you reported was in regard to Paragon..... was this your external back up program??? i suspect this is where the problem lies, the only update currently being released is the antivirus MSRT, which does not require a reboot and is extremely quick to run

Your custom install machine will either be using a System builder or Retail key, If your drive is large enough i suggest you try the dual boot option

Until there are NO 3rd Party AV's and Browsers available to W7 then its still safe to use
Registry corruption notices are GARBAGE and should be completely ignored

 

[Mike8615]

After sessions with MS Support trying to sort it out, failed attempts to install from their Windows7 media installer, and messed up attempts to update to Windows 10 (too late to do it for free) - finally got a new Windows 10 OEM installed.
But I can no longer use my Adobe Photoshop CS4, or my excellent Epson scanner because this works fine but Windows 10 loses some essential functions if I install it, my Canon printer is only partly working now, and Windows 10 is both so, so touchy (keeps shutting itself down for no known reason), and absolutely vile to use. Is their NO way of stripping out the all pervasive Byng? Was hoping it would be a stepping stone to Windows 11 - but of course the PC needs new and different drivers for that to work.
Am going to try a Linux distro - the Epson scanner has some Linux drivers. Else I will have to buy a second hand laptop with Windows 7 just for using the scanner and Photoshop. This is no way to save the planet from climate change - constantly being told to replace perfectly good devices because some (expletives) people have further over-designed the dominant OS.

Thats weird I've never had that problem with Win 10 and its been installed for 3 years. I keep it updated because they will update you to death. I also have an Epson printer and a Canon printer installed until it died

 

[Megahertz07]

After sessions with MS Support trying to sort it out, failed attempts to install from their Windows7 media installer, and messed up attempts to update to Windows 10 (too late to do it for free) - finally got a new Windows 10 OEM installed.
But I can no longer use my Adobe Photoshop CS4, or my excellent Epson scanner because this works fine but Windows 10 loses some essential functions if I install it, my Canon printer is only partly working now, and Windows 10 is both so, so touchy (keeps shutting itself down for no known reason), and absolutely vile to use. Is their NO way of stripping out the all pervasive Byng? Was hoping it would be a stepping stone to Windows 11 - but of course the PC needs new and different drivers for that to work.
Am going to try a Linux distro - the Epson scanner has some Linux drivers. Else I will have to buy a second hand laptop with Windows 7 just for using the scanner and Photoshop. This is no way to save the planet from climate change - constantly being told to replace perfectly good devices because some (expletives) people have further over-designed the dominant OS.

Why don't you reinstall Win 7? Use Single file with all updates - Simplix for the updates.

The self restarting can be due to overheating. Open the side case panel and inspect the CPU heat sink.
If it's clogged with dust, see if it's possible to remove the fan from the heat sink without removing the heat sink from the CPU.
Use a paint brush and a vacuum cleaner (caution with the electrostatic)