Windows Forum

Ask something
Discussion Locked

Win98 Start Menu Problem

0 helpful
15 replies

by guy west

Closed to new repliesThis discussion is closed. It stays readable, but it takes no new replies.
I support a Packard Bell P120 w/48MB RAM running Win98. I can't get navigate anywhere by going to the start menu. All the menus pop up but nothing happens when you click on any of them. Nothing has changed on the system, and I've scanned it for viruses with up to date definitions. The user said the problem began all of a sudden in the middle of the day and he had done nothing out of the ordinary. The icons on the desktop all work, one of which is Windows Explorer. I can get to all the programs through Windows Explorer. Except for not being able to access anything through the start menus everything else is working O.K. Ideas, anyone?

15 replies

by thechas

My first thought is that the file association for .lnk files is corrupt or gone.

Of course, the .lnk extension does not show up in the file types. It can only be checked and corrected in the registry.
A quick look through the registry, shows itall over the place.
The critical locations are under
hkey_local_machine/software/clases
and hkey_classes_root

I would also check the revision of rundll32.exe file.
Mine is still the original W98SE 4.10.1998

Chas

by thechas

Just remembered seeing a tip for the favorites or desktop folder behaving like a normal folder.
There is a Microsoft Knowledge Base article on this. I will see if I can find it.

Chas

by guy west

Well, I've had this question open for a month now and still havent solved it. I guess I'll have to try the reinstall when I find the time. I've tried all other suggesions here, and learned some new things in the process. If I end up solving it I'll post again. Thanks for all the help.

by mdelyea

You can always rebuild the links manually by right clicking on the start button and then explore. Browse to the .exes and make shortcuts then drag them into the programs area.

by guy west

Well, I've had this question open for a month now and still havent solved it. I guess I'll have to try the reinstall when I find the time. I've tried all other suggesions here, and learned some new things in the process. If I end up solving it I'll post again. Thanks for all the help.

by guy west

I've tried both all of the suggestions in the answers below and checked out those KB articles to no avail. One thing I just realized was that I upgraded IE 4 to IE 5.01 two days before the user notice this problem. Anyone think that might have something to do with my problem?

by timthetoolman

Hi,

A couple of other things to try maybe...

Navigate to one of the broken links off the start menu, right click it and check its properties look correct.

Then rightclick drag-copy it to the desktop and see if it works there. If it does, then there is probably a problem with the start menu mechanics rather than the links themselves.

To verify this, transfer a working link from the desktop back into the start menu and see if it no longer works.

Check to see if the links work through the windows explorer in the documents and settings area of the users profile. That will further narrow the problem down to the actual mechanics of clicking within the start menu system rather than a corrupted link within it.

If its only the start menu that fails to start stuff, then let us know.. and we'll go looking for reasons and fixes (other than the obvious re-install)

Cheers,
Tim.

by guy west

Well, I've had this question open for a month now and still havent solved it. I guess I'll have to try the reinstall when I find the time. I've tried all other suggesions here, and learned some new things in the process. If I end up solving it I'll post again. Thanks for all the help.

by phil.hall

If upgrading to IE 5.01 "broke" something, perhaps upgrading to IE 5.5sp2 or IE 6 will "fix" it. Try that.

Also, open a DOS window, and CD to C:\Windows\System and run SFC.EXE. See if there are any files it claims are corrupt, if so replace themfrom the original Windows 98 CAB files.

by guy west

Well, I've had this question open for a month now and still havent solved it. I guess I'll have to try the reinstall when I find the time. I've tried all other suggesions here, and learned some new things in the process. If I end up solving it I'll post again. Thanks for all the help.

by guy west

Tryed all of tim's suggestions with no luck. The settings submenu works, as does the run and find buttons. The documents, favorites and program submenus of the start menu do not work. As for a reinstall or upgrading to IE 5.5 or 6, well, the HD on this PC only has 134 MB of space left. I ran SFC (it turned up nothing) and MS's regclean. I plan to ghost this to a larger HD when my company wants to spend the $'s (which is doesn't at this time), and anyway I'd like to get this problem fixed first anyway.

This discussion is closed to new replies.