WinXP SP3 and "Basic Windows Weirdness"

Chit-Chat / Rumor Mill
#1

Quazar and you “other” Mac users will love this little story… :wink:

I normally “Login In” to Windows as a “Power User”, not “Administrator”, and all the following happened as a “Power User”.

So… I am working with the Python Programming Language with Visual Extensions (VPython) .

All of the sudden, it refuses to Run any Python Programs… So I figure it it time to Re-Boot, since I have been up and Running for 5 Days straight…

So I try to Shut-Down, and the System just hangs… So I try to Restart the Windows Explorer (“C:\WINDOWS\explorer.exe”), and get this Error Message:
“The volume for a file has been externally altered so that the opened file is no longer valid.”

IMG01

WHAT, DOES THAT MEAN???

So, keep hitting Cancel Program, and finally I get WinXP Shutdown…

Reboot, and Login In as me “MarkO”, and there is the BackGround Graphic, but no DeskTop… I press CTRL-ALT-DEL, and get the Task Manager, Click File–>New Task (Run…) and select “C:\WINDOWS\explorer.exe”. I get the Same Error Message as before, “The volume for a file has been externally altered so that the opened file is no longer valid.”

So I logout… Log back in as an Administrator, and there is the BackGround Graphic, but no DeskTop… I press CTRL-ALT-DEL, and get the Task Manager, Click File–>New Task (Run…) and select “C:\WINDOWS\explorer.exe”. I get the Same Error Message as before, “The volume for a file has been externally altered so that the opened file is no longer valid.”

So I re-install WinXP Service Pak 3, and reboot… It is “still the same”, “C:\WINDOWS\explorer.exe” won’t start…

So I have NO DESKTOP, NO TASK BAR, NO QUICK LAUNCH, NO SYSTEM TRAY.

Everything else seems to work Great!!! In fact the whole system seems more responsive and I think it is more stable… I will know after a few more days of UpTime…

#2

Maybe it’s time to reformat?

#3

It is unfortunate, but yes, I think it is time to Re-Format…

I am debating on Installing Win XP Pro again, or I just got as a Student, Windows 7 Pro. I really hate the Windows 7 Interface… Too Foofy… Even the Classic View looks Awkward, it obvously was an after thought…

#4

I’d go with XP, more reliable, less issues and no annoying security “features”.

I just downloaded and installed Windows 7 Enterprise (The free ninety day trial from Microsoft). I like it sooooo much better than Vista. I would go with XP, but I don’t have a copy.

#5

Yeah, but you have to pay $50 just to upgrade from Vista to XP. Also, XP takes up less space to save the documents and has Telnet, because Vista wanted to be easy to use and look good. I ended up putting the classic look back on, and I also find it much harder to find stuff with Vista than XP. Ugh, why did my mom have to buy Vista…

#6