The icons are bigger because you are using the default screen driver in safe mode and it probably 640x480 or even 320x240 depending on the basic graphics capabilities of your pc graphics chip.

How to Defraggle your motherdisc!

How to Deffraggle your Motherdisc :o)

MB Thanks for that -Brilliant!!

I actually tried that procedure last month. Unfortunately I didn't get past step 9 as my wife claimed the discs for use as glass mats. Iwonder if white wine is as good a protective agent.

Can't believe barely two months after I got my desktop repaired, I'm facing problems again. The PC has started randomly freezing. No BSODs though. I've been careful not to install anything more than the bare essential stuff I need on the PC. Just my charting stuff and Office and security software. When the pc freezes, the display stays as it is - absolutely frozen. I have to reboot and pray. On booting up, it will run fine for about 15-20 mins and freeze. Sometimes, it won't even boot up fully into Windows.

The strange thing is I tried running a disk checking utility (Spinrite). It comes with its own bootable OS on a floppy. That too freezes during the scan! That probably suggests there could be a hardware problem. Video card? Memory? PSU? Any suggestions? I've had some valuable help here in the past. Grateful for any help.

Is there any chance of over heating on the motherboard or graphics card? It is a common cause of freezing.

There is a utility that you can install (not sure of the name). I put it on my kids' PC and it shows the temp of the processor and the graphics card. They were getting a lot of freezing. we ended up removing the side panel of trhe PC and pointing a normal domestic fan towards the motherboard.

Haystack, you probably mean Motherboard Monitor. Yes, I do have that. Temperature is not an issue as the machine is running fairly cool. All fans are working too. I'm going to try re-seating the RAM sticks and the graphics card and see if that helps.

Even the data cabling to the hard disk may be loose. My kids PC kept losing a secondary disk because the data cable had loosened. The SATA type cables are often pretty loose at the motherboard end. It could also be a power cable problem, so it might be a good idea to make sure that all cables are properly seated.

Thanks Haystack. Will check everything that can go loose. Fingers crossed! Forced to go back to my son's laptop....and the looks I've got!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8388253.stm

Microsoft investigates Windows 7 'screen of death'

Microsoft has confirmed that it is investigating a problem described as the "black screen of death", which affects its latest operating system.

The error means that users of Windows 7 see a totally black screen after logging on to the system.

The firm said it was looking into reports that suggest its latest security update was the cause the problem.

Reports suggest the flaw also affects Vista, XP and other systems.

Software firm Prevx, which has issued a fix for the problem, says "millions" of people may be affected.

"Users have resorted to reloading Windows as a last ditch effort to fix the problem," the firm's David Kennerley wrote in a blog post.

"We hope we can help a good many of you avoid the need to reload."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8388253.stm

Malware has been blamed for a problem with the Windows 7 operating system, dubbed the 'Black Screen of Death'.

Some Windows users are confronted by a totally black screen after they log on to their system.

Malware suspected of 'Black Screen' issue

Initially it was thought that Microsoft's own security update could have caused the problem but that has now been ruled out.

The software firm that suggested the security update was the problem has apologised for its claims.

Reports suggest the problem also affects Windows Vista and XP.

I'm running Win 7 on four machines and have not had this problem.

I'm using Windows XP, screensaver has stopped working on two separate computers, anybody else had this?

OK, seems to have righted itself.

Opti

Other than say, a pill of some sort, what protection do you use?

And you too, Plateman?

Let's compare.

Exec, my problem was not related to the black screen issue but for the record I use AVG9, I hope that this is what you meant, the "pill" bit puzzled me.

Doc

I use Windows Defender + Microsoft Securuty Essentials on what are my less critical computers and Windows Defender + Panda AV on the others. The latter costs a few s a year for a three user licence and seems to work very well.

It's only problem is that it is resource hungry during the daily update.

What are the values (if any) of using Spybot and SpywareBlaster or are they a waste of time and space?

Are you a "Casanova's Rubber Sock" man then Doc?

What do you do with it, Hil, slip it over the mouse?

No Hils.

Have you ever tried a Velcro Fastener?

:-)