Can't access basic Windows programs

[RangerWickett]

I run Windows XP Home, and my computer otherwise seems to be working fine, but as of a few weeks ago I no longer can use such basic programs as MS Paint, Calculator, or Volume control. I can still adjust my volume with the buttons on my keyboard, but it's stuck perpetually quiet.

I wonder if perhaps this has something to do with the fact that, apparently, I'm not using a valid copies of Windows. The computer was a gift from a friend, so I guess he installed his same copy of Windows on another machine.

It's a little irritating. Does anyone have suggestions on how to fix this?

 

[Sigurd]

What does your event viewer say?

Start>Control Panel
Administrative Tools
Event Viewer.

You should see 3 or 4 categories including "Security" "System" and "Application"

(This is a place where windows stores a lot of information on how your machine is doing) Did any of the failed programs generate a failure report? What does it say?


Sigurd

 

[IronWolf]

I run Windows XP Home, and my computer otherwise seems to be working fine, but as of a few weeks ago I no longer can use such basic programs as MS Paint, Calculator, or Volume control. I can still adjust my volume with the buttons on my keyboard, but it's stuck perpetually quiet.

What happens if you go to Start | Run and type calc.exe and click OK. Nothing happens? Error message? In either case, check the event log as mentioned earlier.

I wonder if perhaps this has something to do with the fact that, apparently, I'm not using a valid copies of Windows. The computer was a gift from a friend, so I guess he installed his same copy of Windows on another machine.

It's a little irritating. Does anyone have suggestions on how to fix this?

If you aren't using a valid copy of Windows you should purchase one.

 

[RangerWickett]

Honestly, I hadn't thought of buying a real copy. I can't afford one now, but I'll work toward it. I have an old Windows 98 disk, but I think installing it and turning my computer into a target to viruses and internet dangers is more morally unpleasant than using unintentionally pirated software for a few months.

And yes, I got an error message with trying to run calc.exe. It says that the computer couldn't find that file.

In event viewer, there are a fair number of errors over the last 6 months or so. What am I looking for? All the 'Application' ones I see say it's either AIM or Internet Explorer having a problem, which usually happens when I turn off either program. They don't close properly for some reason, but I've noticed no problem aside from that, so I haven't worried about it.

The 'System' errors are too dense for me to figure out, but I think they have something to do with some trouble I had connecting to my router a couple of weeks ago.

Oh yeah, I no longer can open Internet Explorer through any sorts of icons. I use Firefox mostly, and if I want to go someplace with IE, I have to start in a windows folder and type a web address in.

 

[IronWolf]

Do you have up to date AV software on the computer?

You can also see if you can find files and search for calc.exe. It should be in c:\windows\system32. If you find it there, does launching it from there work?

 

[RangerWickett]

I have Symantec AntiVirus, which was updated yesterday. And calc.exe is not in system32.

I dunno. Is there a chance I accidentally uninstalled it? I know I cleaned out some old programs a few months ago to try to free up space on my hard drive - things like MSN Messenger that I don't use anymore. Maybe it had a name that looked safe to uninstall?

 

[RangerWickett]

And even though this isn't fixing the problem yet, thank you for offering help.

 

[IronWolf]

I have Symantec AntiVirus, which was updated yesterday. And calc.exe is not in system32.

I dunno. Is there a chance I accidentally uninstalled it? I know I cleaned out some old programs a few months ago to try to free up space on my hard drive - things like MSN Messenger that I don't use anymore. Maybe it had a name that looked safe to uninstall?

You can check Add/Remove Programs and then on the left is a button for Windows Components. Highlight Accessories and Utilities and choose Details. Highlight Accessories and choose Details. See if you have a check next to Calculator. (Paint should have a check next to it as well).

Sounds like something odd happened on your computer though - based on your IE troubles as well. Did you do a full scan with your AV?

 

[HeavenShallBurn]

Calc.exe isn't on the add/remove list(well it's buried in the windows components menu but if you weren't looking for it you wouldn't delete it) so you couldn't have removed it from there.
The volume could be a bad sound driver, but I don't really know your setup.

Do you have the disk he used to load the OS from? If so backup your data, do a destructive repartition, and reload but don't connect it to the internet or run through verification. Instead use a WGA killer to wipe that out, and install Reset 5.02. Since I do a 7 pass DoD disk wipe on all my HDs every few months and reload Microsuck got anal retentive about the verification process. Now I just use Reset 5.02 with that comp, and then I used that same technique to update the old Win95 boxes I use as servers.

 

[IronWolf]

Do you have the disk he used to load the OS from? If so backup your data, do a destructive repartition, and reload but don't connect it to the internet or run through verification. Instead use a WGA killer to wipe that out, and install Reset 5.02. Since I do a 7 pass DoD disk wipe on all my HDs every few months and reload Microsuck got anal retentive about the verification process. Now I just use Reset 5.02 with that comp, and then I used that same technique to update the old Win95 boxes I use as servers.

Just buy Windows and those hassles go away. If you don't like the idea of paying Microsoft their money then choose from one of the numerous free Operating Systems out there today (Fedora, Ubuntu, CentOS, etc). There are alternatives out there for people who choose not to support Microsoft.