# Solved: Windows 98 desktop icons won't open



## katjod2000 (Mar 31, 2005)

This is a past solved problem, but it keeps happening and I am wondering what I can do to permanently fix it:



katjod2000 said:


> Windows 98 desktop icons won't open when I double click
> on them or when I right click and select open.
> 
> Most things in the start up menu will not open either - I am able to get into most programs only by executing them in run. How can I fix this?
> ...


This was the fix...


lycos5 said:


> no it should be fine. If it happens again just do scandisk again. You probably had some corrupted files and scandisk fixed them.


But I have to run this scandisk everytime I start up this machine after it has been shut down.

Which is fine, but I would like to just be able to turn it on regular...

System:
*Win98 2nd Edition Pentium III
compaq 224.0 RAM*


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## lycos5 (Mar 10, 2006)

does scandisk fix the problem ?

did you have to install anything when hooking up pc to internet ? 

by reinstalling mouse do you mean the drivers ?

do you have an antivirus program on win98 ?

go to start/run and type in msconfig and then startup and see if have any programs that shouldn't be there or looks suspicious

boot up in safe mode, go to device manager and check to see if have any yellow ! 
or any device showing up twice (like the mouse)

If I remember you didn't have this problem in safe mode, then it's probably a driver or a virus

you can also try running scanreg /fix if you can remember the last time it worked properly


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## lycos5 (Mar 10, 2006)

download PowerToys/TweakUI

http://www.annoyances.org/exec/show/tweakui

also available on win98 cd

http://www.windowsnetworking.com/j_helmig/w98pwrty.htm

first link is a more up to date version

in TweakUI there's an option to repair icons

I remember having a similar problem where all the icons associations where messed up

One on the many bugs in win98


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## katjod2000 (Mar 31, 2005)

Hi Lycos...

Yes scan disk fix's the problem. In fact it fixes it right after a "thorough" scan starts. Meaning, I can select start - wait about a minute - everything works. I have played with it a bit to see what would happen, and found that I can stop it and everything still works fine, or I can let it run all the way thru. But it does immediately fix the problem as soon as the scan disk starts.

Yes, on my xp i hook up to the dsl thru the ethernet, on this I had to have my internet provider walk me thru on the tele because that wasn't working, had to hook this one up to a USB port and the drivers had to be installed. And this problem occurred before actual connection, so they had to help me with command prompts.

Yes, I had to reinstall the driver (wouldn't you think that would be in here, its the exact same mouse that was on it before I moved the pc?).

I didn't add any extra virus protection thinking this one would only be on a couple days. The comp came with McAfee VShield....but it hadn't been updated. Now I am in the process of adding stuff, because there is a problem - my hijack this log is posted in security and I got a response - so that should fix my other issues.

in msconfig - there are actually a lot of things under start up - I would list them but one thing stands out and maybe I should the steps first in my hijack this post (see what that fixes first) the one thing I see is UnSpyPC - I didn't download anything when getting this pc on the internet and noone else here will admit downloading an anti spyware - but it showed up and ever since it showed up is when we have had the problems talked about in my hijack this post (main prob is when googling something I get hijacked and rerouted to different sites)

I will check the safe mode after dealing with the hijack....but when I did that the first time talked about this problem, I did have 2 mice listed and 2 monitors....I will check it again when thru

memory correct - no prob in safe mode

gonna come back to this after I take care of other issue....thanks


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## katjod2000 (Mar 31, 2005)

Guess it was a virus....I have been correcting things thru the security forum, and haven't quite fixed my question there, but it solved this. I have had to turn this PC off and on so many times today and my icons now work without doing the scandisk in run. Will mark it solved, but hope to see you and your friendly advice in my other post. Thanks again!!!


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