I know a clean install can be a pain in the arse but I've never heard anyone
say they had a problem after a fresh start that would have been avoided if
they'd (fill in the blank).

I'm sorry you're having these problems and I'll keep my fingers crossed that
goes well.

--

JoAnn Paules
MVP Microsoft [Publisher]



"John Blaustein" wrote in message
...
JoAnn and others who might be interested,

I spoke on the phone this afternoon with a MS Support person who
specializes in XP. After fully explaining my problem, and telling the guy
that I'd recently replaced my HDD with a new drive, we concluded that
problem is related to unsuccessfully mirroring the old drive onto the new
drive. Apparently, the MBR does not get copied bit for bit, and XP has a
problem with that and the Registry on the new drive. Furthermore, some
hidden XP files don't get copied correctly, or don't get copied at all,
leading to further problems.

The MS tech was able to walk me through restoring System Restore, but he
explained that other apps may still not work and that "only time will
tell."

My next step is a clean install! Ugh. You live and learn. At least no
data has been lost.

John



"John Blaustein" wrote in message
...
JoAnn,

For whatever reason, all my icons are back. Your husband was right.

Yes, everything is backed up.

The plot thickens, however.

When I open System Properties and click on the System Restore tab, it
freezes and I get an error message about rundll32.exe not running and
DrWatson PostMortem Debugger not running. I send both error reports to
MS.

I got a message back from MS support in response to my "call for help."
The suggestion was as follows:

As a Customer Service Representative, I can assist you with the support
options available with your Microsoft product. However, I have taken the
time to look through our self help website and found that the
rundll32.exe file is located in the c:\windows\System32 folder. RunDLL32
is used to run DLL
s as programs. The following steps may resolve your issue:

1. Search for the file in c:\windows\servicepackfile\i386 folder.
2. Copy to c:\windows\system32 folder.
3. Restart your computer.

I followed these instructions, but the problem persists -- clicking the
System Restore tab still causes a "crash" -- the rundll32.exe error
message.

I am really baffled by this whole thing.

Since last posting here, I remembered one key thing -- no doubt
important. A week ago, I got a new HDD and used the Western Digital
utility to transfer my C: drive to the new HD. I've done this in the
past with no problem. I am thinking my current problem may be related.

I have run ScanDisk and the Western Digital error checking utility and no
problems are reported.

JoAnn... perhaps your husband will have some ideas. All idea are
welcome.

John



"JoAnn Paules [MSFT MVP]" wrote in message
...
John -

I was talking to my husband about this. He said it happens to him at
work often. He said just reboot and everything will be fine. He said
it's always the same icons that go first too. Something about something
stepping on the part of the RAM where this info is stored.

I've learned that he's usually right. And yes, I've told him that I say
that. :-)

--

JoAnn Paules
MVP Microsoft [Publisher]



"John Blaustein" wrote in message
...
Hi...

I'm using Office 2000 -- Word and Excel only. Windows XP Home SP2.
All XP and Office updates applied.

For some reason, all the icons for Word and Excel changed today from
the Office icons to the "standard DOS-style icon" -- little white
rectangle with blue bar at the top. When I right click one of these
icons and select Properties, the "Change Icon" button is grayed out.

Not only did all the Word and Excel icons disappear (change to the
DOS-style icon), but the StartAll Programs icons for "New Office
Document," and "Open Office Document" changed to that standard
DOS-style icon. Also, StartAll ProgramsMicrosoft Office Tools -- all
icons are gone, replaced by the generic icon.

I am also using FrontPage 2003, and the same thing happened with that
icon.

I am able to restore the icon by finding the .EXE file for each program
and right-dragging it to the desktop (or Start Menu folder) and
selecting create shortcut here.

Can someone tell me what's going on here? This is very strange
behavior and only just happened.

Thank you.

John