Windows 7 Start Menu Empty: Fix

Some users have reported an issue in which the Windows 7 Start Menu or “All Programs” listing is suddenly blank, displaying no icons, nor the names of any programs, shortcuts, etc.
It appears that this problem is due to Windows 7’s inability to handle a large number of listings, in some cases.
Fix
Greg Duncan has posted [...]

Windows Explorer Crashes: Fixes

Under various versions of Windows, Windows Explorer may repeatedly crash either when certain actions are taken (e.g. right-clicking an item), after several minutes of use, or immediately after the system starts up. In some cases, the following error messages are displayed:

“Windows Explorer has encountered a problem and needs to close”

The first thing you need to [...]

Vista SP2: “Windows Explorer Has Stopped Working” Fix

[We have already published two other fixes for this issue: turning off thumbnails and looking for a recently created or saved file that might be causing the problem. If they fail, try the following]
After upgrading to Windows Vista SP2, you may experience an issue in which you receive the error message “Windows Explorer Has Stopped [...]

Adobe Reader Problems with Windows 7: Try an Alternative PDF Program

Users have reported an issue in which Adobe Reader does not function properly under Windows 7. In particular, users report problems with intra-browser viewing of PDFs, noting that they sometimes get a blank pop-up with an Adobe title and an OK or hangs in the browser when attempting to view PDFs. The problem is most [...]

Applications Won’t Install, Run Properly (“Access is denied”) in Windows 7: Fix

Microsoft has identified an issue with the Windows 7 RC1 (7100) build in which the folder that is created as the root folder of the system drive (%SystemDrive%) is missing entries in its security descriptor. The company says that this problem can cause the following to occur: “applications that reference folders under the root may [...]

Sign That You Have Malware: Flashing Windows Keep Popping Up

Determining whether or not malware is to blame for any given troubleshooting issue can be tricky. Some malware-caused issues manifest as simple application instability, slowness or seemingly random freezes. However, there are a few instances in which malware is a more-than-likely culprit. In this series of articles (“Signs That You Have Malware”), we’ll explore some [...]

Blank New Tabs, Crashing in Internet Explorer: Fix

Several users have reported an issue wherein, after opening several tabs and or windows in Internet Explorer, newly spawned tabs or windows come up blank and non-functional, or do not appear at all. In other words, when some number of tabs or windows is reached, the program (for all intents and purposes) stops functioning. Other [...]