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VERY weird problem

Discussion in 'Dell Latitude, Vostro, and Precision' started by LPTP-LVR, May 28, 2009.

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  1. LPTP-LVR

    LPTP-LVR Notebook Deity

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    I already posted this in the Win7 forum but i'm afraid it has less to do with the OS than i expected.

    After i booted into Win7 somehow the icons on my desktop were non-responsive. The taskbar was functioning but if i opened an app or window i couldn't click anything in the window and it would turn non-active when i tried...like i selected another window iso the one i opened.

    I tried restoring a system image i knew to be working a 100%. The issue remained. I booted XP and the same thing there, after closing some processes and closing and restarting explorer a couple of times evertything was functional again. I rebooted and now the prob was back. So i tried closing processes again but now the issue remained.

    Now i restored to Vista64 again and the problem is still here!! In both XP and Vista...closing/restarting explorer works one time but not the next....

    Any ideas?? I'm at a complete loss here.
     
  2. Theros123

    Theros123 Web Designer & Developer

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    Check your hardware? Hard drive or RAM issues?
     
  3. weirdo81622

    weirdo81622 Notebook Evangelist

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    Each time you switch OSes, do you install all of the drivers? I know that it doesn't seem like a driver issue, but you can never be too careful. Even if you do have them, try getting all of the latest ones again from Dell.
     
  4. LPTP-LVR

    LPTP-LVR Notebook Deity

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    No i don't install the drivers. I'm restoring too system images i've made when i had a fully functional system. I have them for both Vista an Win7 and they've been working fine until now.
    The issue is still here but closing/restarting explore does do the trick most of the time....could a faulty RAM stick or something like that really cause this behaviour? Something on a hardware level is what remains because the issue is spread over both OS i have installed, XP + Vista or XP + Win 7
     
  5. weirdo81622

    weirdo81622 Notebook Evangelist

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    I'd go for the drivers first. Then, boot into the Dell Diagnostic Test and check the ram.
     
  6. LPTP-LVR

    LPTP-LVR Notebook Deity

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    Which drivers? I always have all of them up to date. It just started happening all of a sudden, didn't install or update anyhting since days before. I tried taking out one RAM stick at a time but both give the same result.

    Also found out that when restarting explorer fixes the issue it's only temporary. If i leave the comp for a while it comes back somehow, and i haven't set it to go to hibernate or standby after a certain time.

    Still puzzled
     
  7. Theros123

    Theros123 Web Designer & Developer

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    Might as well test everything including the HD and the RAM. Run the Dell diagnostic tests.
     
  8. LPTP-LVR

    LPTP-LVR Notebook Deity

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    I'll do that now...if anyone has other ideas in the meantime...be my guest ;)
     
  9. Christoph.krn

    Christoph.krn Notebook Evangelist

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    I don't think it's a RAM or HDD issue. The problem is too consistent, I have not yet seen a faulty RAM or HDD that didn't cause unpredictable, unconsistent behavior of some kind.
    Indeed, running the diagnostics can't hurt (if you have the time - I don't know how log it takes).
    To me it looks like a combination of some hardware and software interaction not working properly. And because it worked before, some hardware seems to be causing this.
    More unlikely: some software which you have installed on all the images began to break the usual mouse behavior.

    Please answer the following:
    Does Alt-Tab work flawlessly whenever focussing a window with the mouse doesn't work? And what about activating desktop icons using the enter button?
    Did you change anything in your hardware setup recently?
    What input methods do you usually use (trackpoint, trackpad, mouse)?
    Could you list the input devices you have attached?
    What's the exact name of your external mouse, if you use one?
    You still are on BIOS A02, aren't you?
    Some ideas:
    Try unplugging all devices.
    If you use a USB mouse, try plugging it into a different USB port than you usually do.
    If you have another mouse lying around, give it a try.
    Maybe installing any Windows version from a genuine installation disc without installing any drivers brings up some useful information.
     
  10. Theros123

    Theros123 Web Designer & Developer

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    I've had a bad piece of ram for the E6400 that would ONLY crash when open in a certain application and only at a certain point in that application. At no other time would it crash. So that issue was consistent and fixed with a RMA of that piece of RAM.
     
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