So basically im running windows 7 on a bitchin HP laptop. my browser of choice is firefox but sometimes, and only sometimes after i put my computer into sleep mode and wake it back up, the icon for firefox just doesnt work, neither does the taskbar icon. I can click the icons but when I do, nothing happens. I know the fix for the problem but its only a temporary fix and its quite annoying (usually just a simple log off/log on). but this morning it got completely and utterly terrible, NONE of the icons work! i basically sat here with a desktop full of programs and which none of them could be opened. i had to do a system restore and im thinking about just reformatting my HD. like i said, i know how to fix said problem, but im just curious as to what causes it (ie. virus/file corruption/registry errors), and maybe some way to prevent it from happening again. . Any help is greatly appreciated, sorry for the wall of text
Sounds like a virus to me. I'm not aware of any other normal operational things that would cause icons to work. Next time it happens: right click on the icon and select properties. I suspect that it's changing the target on the icon so that you're actually triggering something else. The box labelled target should be pointing somewhere like C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\Firefox.exe
Don't think it is a virus, I know with Vista there was a problem with it, After awhile of putting it to sleep, It would start to have memory problems. I had one came in to work when I worked at Office Depot. I would first quit doing that. either shut it off or just shut the screen off and let the hard drive run.
Yeah, doesn't sound really like a virus... almost actually sounds like an ANTIvirus problem. Having it only happen when you come out of standby is a huge push in that direction. All the suggestions here are good so far... check if your shortcuts are getting hijacked (just for safe keeping), but if that's not the case, what AV apps do you have installed? Maybe not what you're using, but what do you have on it, & what'd it come with? Just not using standby/sleep is hardly a solution... what if he has to take it somewhere? Moving a laptop with a running hard drive is a horrible thing for it, great way to destroy the HDD. I use sleep on mine countless times a day, can't live without it
I would have thought that he was smart enough to shut it off. But that is what I get for thinking people use common sense. ... Sorry I can across as an ass. I know with vista that was a problem and it took me forever to get her system running again. Now that I think about it. What AV do you have?? I know that Macfee and Norton will not run together, if you try it really starts to mess with windows. but that happens if you have two of just about any AV program.