I have been having a problem lately trying to run some applications. When i start some programs, they hang before any graphical window is shown. I have noticed that these programs will run properly without explorer running when they are first executed. Also I tried downloading an alternative shell to run instead of explorer. I made sure that the explorer process was not running and I started the programs with no luck. A trend in the programs that wont start is that they all have splash screens and I'm wondering if the problem has to do with registering a taskbar icon with the shell. I am fairly computer-savvy but this one is just stumping me. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you.

A list of the known programs that hang:

FL Studio 2006
Jasc Paintshop Pro 9
Adobe Audition 2.0

A few suggestions:

A while ago I had a problem with Adobe Premiere hanging on startup, and I figured out that it was trying to use a bad codec, causing it to hang. Since all the programs you listed are media programs, maybe you also have a bad codec.

But then again, you said they work without explorer running. That means it's probably not a codec.

You might have a corrupted copy of explorer, or some other system file. Try bringing up a command prompt, and typing in "sfc /scannow" without the quotes. You'll need your windows CD for that to work.

That's all I can think of now.

When did this start happening, by the way?

I am not sure exactly when this started but I believe the problem has something to do with WindowBlinds. I have since uninstalled the software but if it was in fact WinBlinds then the damage is already done and has to be fixed by means other than uninstalling it.

The problem has been present for about a month. I can think of no other software or major changes installed/made to my computer.

I am running the scan now.

I am not sure exactly when this started but I believe the problem has something to do with WindowBlinds.When I had WindowBlinds, I had problems with items not showing up in my system tray. When I uninstalled it, the problem didn't go away immediately. It took one or two weeks, but it's all back to normal now. That was weird.

My guess is that WindowBlinds patched some dll file used by explorer, and then when you uninstalled it, the file wasn't reverted back to its original stable state. Maybe if you read the WindowBlinds documentation it will say what file that might be, so you can get a fresh copy. The scan may or may not detect it.

When I had WindowBlinds, I had problems with items not showing up in my system tray. When I uninstalled it, the problem didn't go away immediately. It took one or two weeks, but it's all back to normal now. That was weird.

I had the same problem. I don't know about it taking weeks to revert though. I never uninstalled it, just didn't reinstall on my latest reformat.

Would be nice if Windows made it easier to modify your desktop with themes. Hopefully Vista will be better at this.