PC help needed

[blue jammer]

Having a nightmare, just switched pc on this morning and when it got to the desktop this appeared:



When I closed it, the following happened to the desktop:

http://www.srhallam.com/images/uploads/Image2.gif (left as a link as it's a large image)

I can no longer play movie files:



I have tried system restore, but it won't work, it just says "cannot restore to selected time and date" or some such message.

Anyone know why system restore doesn't work, should I turn off firewall/antivirus software before attempting it, or should that not matter (never had to use system restore before) and I used the 'wizard' which let me pick from many dates on a calender.

The only other thing I can think of is to download new Audigy Drivers and new Creative Applications, as the sound card is actually working fine, no problems at all, really weird?

Poo sticks.

[blue jammer]

I have googled most of my running processes to see if any are dodgy/corrupt.

I stopped this one running:

"C:\Program Files\Creative\Splash Screen\CTEaxSpl.EXE"

Splash Screen for Audigy, and it's got rid of that Windows Media image from center of my screen and the unclickable window in the taskbar went too, so that's good, at least I can get rid of that, until I can sort the problem.

[ilovepiano]

Very strange, could you not shut that window using the task manager?? That usually does the trick.

Is it only movies that won't play and is it all of them? Your codecs might have got screwed up for some reason.

[blue jammer]

No, task manager didn't have any applications running, it's just a process window.

It is weird.

I've just updated both Audigy drivers and programs and rebooted twice after each update, still no change.

I don't think it's the codecs as I can play movie files (.avi) in virtual dub, and checking the codecs list they're all ok.

It's something to do with either the Audigy boot loader, as it no longer makes a sound or shows you the splash screen for it's on-audio test.

Or Windows Media Player has gone fucky.

I'm stumped, so for the time being at least I can shut that window now.

I'm gonna do some audio stuff today to get it out of the way, then I'll spend all day tomorrow backing up everything to DVD and then re-format the fucker.

Typical, a nice weekend where I was going to sort out a Final Scratch set, and I'll end up dicking about with this bastard to install everything again, don't you just hate PC's when they fuck up?!

[ilovepiano]

Originally Posted by blue jammer

Typical, a nice weekend where I was going to sort out a Final Scratch set, and I'll end up dicking about with this bastard to install everything again, don't you just hate PC's when they fuck up?!

Tell me about it, I had to format mine about 4 times in one week last October, coz the combination of upgrading to XP and putting AOL broadband on it was just too much. It just kept spacking out on me for no reason, like I'd boot up, and have no desktop icons or mouse pointer. It was a right laugh I tell ya.

Suppose it wouldn't hurt to d'load the latest Media Player from Microsoft.

Do the videos work in any other programme like Winamp or something?

[blue jammer]

Nah, don't get WMP 9 it's shit, one of my housemates made the mistake of letting it upgrade itself and had to rate every film he watched then, and you couldn't skip through a film either.

I always use the original one 6.4 as it's much better.

None of the other programs (ATI player or DIVX player will play movies either)

Fucky bum boo boo