Solved Consistent Freezing when Accessing Start Menu

FrozenInferno

Member
Member
Messages
10
Just like the title says. Anytime I try to access the Start Menu, the system hangs for a good 20-30 seconds, sometimes longer. I can push the Windows key and get to the menu just fine, but the same thing happens when I take the cursor to the bottom right to bring up the settings options and things. Included the files from W8 Collector, please help.

Edit: forgot to mention that it only happens after I install my display driver. I have an XFX Radeon HD 6870. I've reformatted 5 times, each time trying something different. I tried the driver from windows update, the Windows 8 driver from AMD, and the latest Windows 7 driver from AMD. All produce the problem.
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Consumer Preview
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom Build
    CPU
    Core i5 2400
    Motherboard
    Asus P8P67 EVO
    Memory
    2x4GB Kingston HyperX DDR3-1600
    Graphics Card(s)
    XFX Radeon HD 6870
Hi and welcome.

You don't have your Intel SM Bus controller driver installed, which is also known as coprocessor driver and is an important component of power management. Download manually (no auto search) from http://downloadcenter.intel.com/default.aspx?lang=eng

Code:
SM Bus Controller    PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_1C22&SUBSYS_844D1043&REV_05\3&11583659&0&FB    The drivers for this device are not installed.

What that also means is that you don't have important chipset drivers installed, including the SATA storage driver. Again, same as above about Intel.com

Code:
Name    Standard SATA AHCI Controller
Manufacturer    Standard SATA AHCI Controller
Status    OK
PNP Device ID    PCI\VEN_1B4B&DEV_9172&SUBSYS_84771043&REV_11\4&16B16BD2&0&00E7
I/O Port    0x0000B040-0x0000B047
I/O Port    0x0000B030-0x0000B033
I/O Port    0x0000B020-0x0000B027
I/O Port    0x0000B010-0x0000B013
I/O Port    0x0000B000-0x0000B00F
Memory Address    0xF7910000-0xF79101FF
IRQ Channel    IRQ 19
Driver    c:\windows\system32\drivers\storahci.sys (6.2.8250.0, 70.30 KB (71,992 bytes), 2/17/2012 8:37 PM)

And you're missing a driver for the Intel Management Interface, which also should be downloaded manually from Intel for your specific motherboard:

Code:
PCI Simple Communications Controller    PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_1C3A&SUBSYS_844D1043&REV_04\3&11583659&0&B0    The drivers for this device are not installed.


You should also install the Realtek HD Audio Codec Driver from Realtek's site. The link is on the right side of their main page:

Code:
Name    High Definition Audio Device
Manufacturer    Microsoft
Status    OK
PNP Device ID    HDAUDIO\FUNC_01&VEN_10EC&DEV_0892&SUBSYS_10438469&REV_1003\4&36802A14&0&0001
Driver    c:\windows\system32\drivers\hdaudio.sys (6.2.8250.0, 330.00 KB (337,920 bytes), 2/17/2012 8:33 PM)

Here's a nice update for your AMD video card:

Code:
Name    AMD Radeon HD 6800 Series
PNP Device ID    PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_6738&SUBSYS_31001682&REV_00\4&80E7924&0&0008
Adapter Type    ATI display adapter (0x6738), Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. compatible
Adapter Description    AMD Radeon HD 6800 Series
Adapter RAM    1.00 GB (1,073,741,824 bytes)
Installed Drivers    aticfx64.dll,aticfx64.dll,aticfx64.dll,aticfx32,aticfx32,aticfx32,atiumd64.dll,atidxx64.dll,atidxx64.dll,atiumdag,atidxx32,atidxx32,atiumdva,atiumd6a.cap,atitmm64.dll
Driver Version    8.930.7.0
INF File    oem5.inf (ati2mtag_NI section)
Color Planes    Not Available
Color Table Entries    Not Available
Resolution    Not Available
Bits/Pixel    Not Available
Memory Address    0xE0000000-0xFEAFFFFF
Memory Address    0xF7E20000-0xF7E3FFFF
I/O Port    0x0000E000-0x0000EFFF
IRQ Channel    IRQ 4294967284
I/O Port    0x000003B0-0x000003BB
I/O Port    0x000003C0-0x000003DF
Memory Address    0xA0000-0xBFFFF
Driver    c:\windows\system32\drivers\atikmpag.sys (8.14.1.6248, 326.50 KB (334,336 bytes), 2/16/2012 7:40 PM)

http://www.eightforums.com/graphic-cards/5921-ati-amd-catalyst-12-4-whql.html

-------

Take care of these things and you should be alright. Use the device manager to install drivers if necessary.

Let me know how it goes or if you need further help. We'll see what we can do. I have a few more thoughts about things if necessary, such as rogue items on the Start menu.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    8250 x86 + 7 SP1 x86 + Ubuntu 12.04 LTS x86
    CPU
    P4 3.4 GHz HT
    Motherboard
    MSI-7211
    Memory
    OCZ 2 GB DDR @ 400 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    HIS AGP HD 3850 Turbo Ice-Q
    Sound Card
    MOTU Traveler firewire interface
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Acer x223w
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    WD Caviar Black 1 TB Sata II, WD 400 GB Sata I, WD 120 GB Sata I
    PSU
    300W generic
    Case
    Cybertron
    Keyboard
    Logitech Classic Keyboard 200, Dell RT7D20
    Mouse
    Logitech M510
    Internet Speed
    2 MByte/sec Down, 250 KByte/sec Up
Thank you. I've updated and installed everything you mentioned, and I no longer have any warnings in device manager. However, now when I boot up, AMD's CCC is telling me no AMD Graphics Driver is installed. I was thinking about using Driver Sweeper to completely clear out my display drivers and install the link you posted first. I've included new W8 collector logs. Thanks again.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Consumer Preview
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom Build
    CPU
    Core i5 2400
    Motherboard
    Asus P8P67 EVO
    Memory
    2x4GB Kingston HyperX DDR3-1600
    Graphics Card(s)
    XFX Radeon HD 6870
You don't have to use Sweeper. You can just install the driver again by normally running the .exe or even better, just use the device manager to point to the driver folder or .inf itself.

If you really feel like using Sweeper, than no harm no foul - good.

How's it going now, after all the above and this post?

You're welcome.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    8250 x86 + 7 SP1 x86 + Ubuntu 12.04 LTS x86
    CPU
    P4 3.4 GHz HT
    Motherboard
    MSI-7211
    Memory
    OCZ 2 GB DDR @ 400 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    HIS AGP HD 3850 Turbo Ice-Q
    Sound Card
    MOTU Traveler firewire interface
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Acer x223w
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    WD Caviar Black 1 TB Sata II, WD 400 GB Sata I, WD 120 GB Sata I
    PSU
    300W generic
    Case
    Cybertron
    Keyboard
    Logitech Classic Keyboard 200, Dell RT7D20
    Mouse
    Logitech M510
    Internet Speed
    2 MByte/sec Down, 250 KByte/sec Up
Well, I removed and deleted the driver from Device Manager and rebooted. Upon startup, it treated the video card as a new device, so I ran the installation of the driver you provided, and rebooted again. Again, it said CCC couldn't find a graphics card, and still the Start Menu locks my system up. The driver works fine, by the way. Just played 5 hours of The Old Republic, no framerate drop from Windows 7. I could hear autofan working and everything. I'm pretty stumped, but I included a new W8 Collector log.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Consumer Preview
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom Build
    CPU
    Core i5 2400
    Motherboard
    Asus P8P67 EVO
    Memory
    2x4GB Kingston HyperX DDR3-1600
    Graphics Card(s)
    XFX Radeon HD 6870
Well, I removed and deleted the driver from Device Manager and rebooted. Upon startup, it treated the video card as a new device, so I ran the installation of the driver you provided, and rebooted again. Again, it said CCC couldn't find a graphics card, and still the Start Menu locks my system up. The driver works fine, by the way. Just played 5 hours of The Old Republic, no framerate drop from Windows 7. I could hear autofan working and everything. I'm pretty stumped, but I included a new W8 Collector log.

Video driver has not been updated:

Code:
Driver    c:\windows\system32\drivers\atikmpag.sys (8.14.1.6243, 325.50 KB (333,312 bytes), 2/17/2012 5:45 PM)

12.4 WHQL driver is from April 5, 2012.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    8250 x86 + 7 SP1 x86 + Ubuntu 12.04 LTS x86
    CPU
    P4 3.4 GHz HT
    Motherboard
    MSI-7211
    Memory
    OCZ 2 GB DDR @ 400 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    HIS AGP HD 3850 Turbo Ice-Q
    Sound Card
    MOTU Traveler firewire interface
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Acer x223w
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    WD Caviar Black 1 TB Sata II, WD 400 GB Sata I, WD 120 GB Sata I
    PSU
    300W generic
    Case
    Cybertron
    Keyboard
    Logitech Classic Keyboard 200, Dell RT7D20
    Mouse
    Logitech M510
    Internet Speed
    2 MByte/sec Down, 250 KByte/sec Up
Weird, I ran the setup. Just now, I tried to update the driver manually from Device Manager, pointing it at the extracted driver files from the setup, and it just told me the driver was already up to date. Is there a different way for me to install it?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Consumer Preview
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom Build
    CPU
    Core i5 2400
    Motherboard
    Asus P8P67 EVO
    Memory
    2x4GB Kingston HyperX DDR3-1600
    Graphics Card(s)
    XFX Radeon HD 6870
Right click the card in device manager. Choose Update driver software. Browse my computer...Let me pick...Have disk...Browse.

Now navigate to the extracted driver folder inside C:\AMD (Display folder - W7A if inside there) and double click on the top most .inf.

Click on ok then next and it will install. Make sure you've downloaded the 64 bit version of the driver to match your Windows.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    8250 x86 + 7 SP1 x86 + Ubuntu 12.04 LTS x86
    CPU
    P4 3.4 GHz HT
    Motherboard
    MSI-7211
    Memory
    OCZ 2 GB DDR @ 400 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    HIS AGP HD 3850 Turbo Ice-Q
    Sound Card
    MOTU Traveler firewire interface
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Acer x223w
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    WD Caviar Black 1 TB Sata II, WD 400 GB Sata I, WD 120 GB Sata I
    PSU
    300W generic
    Case
    Cybertron
    Keyboard
    Logitech Classic Keyboard 200, Dell RT7D20
    Mouse
    Logitech M510
    Internet Speed
    2 MByte/sec Down, 250 KByte/sec Up
Success! I actually started trying this a few minutes before you posted, as I had completely forgotten about this method. A few issues, though. On reboot, it got stuck at the spinning fish for a solid 5 minutes, so I hard reset. It happened again, so I hit F8 at boot, Advanced Options, and muddled my way through to Safe Mode. Restarted into Safe Mode with Networking, it checked my C: drive, rebooted into normal mode, and started up just fine, all on it's own. CCC sees my graphics card, and the driver is reporting a date of April 5, 2012 in the Device Manager.

However! This issue of the start menu locking up my system is still present! It's so persistent that I kind of just want to laugh, haha. I guess I'm partly relieved that my graphics driver is working properly, so this start menu issue isn't a big deal. I mean, I just hit the Windows key for it. And I hit Ctrl+Alt+Del for my power options, so it's not a necessity. Would be nice though, and as such I've again attached W8 Collector logs.

I really do appreciate your help, just the graphics driver issue alone is a big relief to me.
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Consumer Preview
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom Build
    CPU
    Core i5 2400
    Motherboard
    Asus P8P67 EVO
    Memory
    2x4GB Kingston HyperX DDR3-1600
    Graphics Card(s)
    XFX Radeon HD 6870
Awesome. Looks good now.

Now to Start menu issue: You can take a screenshot of all the contents of C:\Users\{YourUserNameHere}\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs

Maybe seeing that, we can make educated guesses at which item may be causing troubles.

Before doing that however, I would uninstall Auslogics Boostspeed as a troubleshooting step. Same for Truecrypt. And if even that doesn't help, try removing the Razer device from the machine and use something else temporarily, to test.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    8250 x86 + 7 SP1 x86 + Ubuntu 12.04 LTS x86
    CPU
    P4 3.4 GHz HT
    Motherboard
    MSI-7211
    Memory
    OCZ 2 GB DDR @ 400 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    HIS AGP HD 3850 Turbo Ice-Q
    Sound Card
    MOTU Traveler firewire interface
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Acer x223w
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    WD Caviar Black 1 TB Sata II, WD 400 GB Sata I, WD 120 GB Sata I
    PSU
    300W generic
    Case
    Cybertron
    Keyboard
    Logitech Classic Keyboard 200, Dell RT7D20
    Mouse
    Logitech M510
    Internet Speed
    2 MByte/sec Down, 250 KByte/sec Up
I've attached screenshots of my start menu as well as my %appdata%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs folder. I don't understand what it would be, though. Going back to my initial problem, this only started after I (thought) I installed my graphics driver, which was always the first thing I did. So the only thing in the start menu that would have been different at that time would have been Catalyst Control Center. Maybe that's the issue?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Consumer Preview
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom Build
    CPU
    Core i5 2400
    Motherboard
    Asus P8P67 EVO
    Memory
    2x4GB Kingston HyperX DDR3-1600
    Graphics Card(s)
    XFX Radeon HD 6870
Not CCC in any way. See previous post then please let us know of testing results.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    8250 x86 + 7 SP1 x86 + Ubuntu 12.04 LTS x86
    CPU
    P4 3.4 GHz HT
    Motherboard
    MSI-7211
    Memory
    OCZ 2 GB DDR @ 400 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    HIS AGP HD 3850 Turbo Ice-Q
    Sound Card
    MOTU Traveler firewire interface
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Acer x223w
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    WD Caviar Black 1 TB Sata II, WD 400 GB Sata I, WD 120 GB Sata I
    PSU
    300W generic
    Case
    Cybertron
    Keyboard
    Logitech Classic Keyboard 200, Dell RT7D20
    Mouse
    Logitech M510
    Internet Speed
    2 MByte/sec Down, 250 KByte/sec Up
Wow, I guess my eyes just glazed over your entire third paragraph. My mistake. Let me try that and I'll edit this post with the results.

Edit: To uninstall TrueCrypt, I've got to decrypt my system drive. This will take some time, and I've also got a busy weekend ahead of me. I'll update on the issue when I can, though. Thanks again.
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Consumer Preview
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom Build
    CPU
    Core i5 2400
    Motherboard
    Asus P8P67 EVO
    Memory
    2x4GB Kingston HyperX DDR3-1600
    Graphics Card(s)
    XFX Radeon HD 6870
Since the Start Menu works out of explorer.exe - I'd have to wonder if 3rd party shell extensions are causing this.
Try this free tool: ShellExView - Shell Extension Manager For Windows
Disable all 3rd party extensions (non-Microsoft) and see if that stops the problem.

If it does, then work your way through the list in groups of 5 (approximately) until you find one that causes the problem. Then work through each one to isolate the exact cause.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win8.1Pro - Finally!!!
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Samsung/NP780
    CPU
    Came with the laptop (i7 of some sort)
    Motherboard
    Pretty sure that it has one, but haven't checked inside the case!
    Memory
    upgraded to 12 gB from 8 gB
    Graphics Card(s)
    has switchable - Intel/ATI - Used wrong drivers, now ATI card is inop :( Will have to fix it soon!
    Sound Card
    I'm nearly deaf, so this isn't used often
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Touchscreen on laptop/32" Toshiba on HDMI (laid the Sharp TV on a mouse and cracked the screen!)
    Screen Resolution
    800x600
    Hard Drives
    One Samsung 1tB drive - 5400 rpm. Gonna switch to a 7200/10000 rpm or an SSD (if I can find $500 for a 1tB SSD!)
    - Switched to 500 gB Samsung 840 series SSD - WOW!!!
    PSU
    Why do we ask this for laptops?
    Case
    Silver with a neat Samsung logo
    Cooling
    sub-par, gotta get around to working on it soon Worked on it - still sub-par! :(
    Keyboard
    Microsoft Natural - the same one I've used since it orignally came out around 1995
    Mouse
    no Mouse - Trackball!!!!
    Internet Speed
    too slow when I'm waiting for a download to finish
    Browser
    Yes, I use this (Firefox mostly, w/IE next most)
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender and Windows Firewall
    Other Info
    I'm handsome and a snappy dresser :0)
Uninstalled Boostspeed, TrueCrypt, and disabled all third party Shell Extensions. Still freezing up. Thanks for the suggestions though.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Consumer Preview
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom Build
    CPU
    Core i5 2400
    Motherboard
    Asus P8P67 EVO
    Memory
    2x4GB Kingston HyperX DDR3-1600
    Graphics Card(s)
    XFX Radeon HD 6870
Yeah, but what about using a different mouse other than Razer, as said to try?

Power off, disconnect Razer, connect other mouse, start Windows. (Don't just do so with Windows running. Drivers are still in memory then.)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    8250 x86 + 7 SP1 x86 + Ubuntu 12.04 LTS x86
    CPU
    P4 3.4 GHz HT
    Motherboard
    MSI-7211
    Memory
    OCZ 2 GB DDR @ 400 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    HIS AGP HD 3850 Turbo Ice-Q
    Sound Card
    MOTU Traveler firewire interface
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Acer x223w
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    WD Caviar Black 1 TB Sata II, WD 400 GB Sata I, WD 120 GB Sata I
    PSU
    300W generic
    Case
    Cybertron
    Keyboard
    Logitech Classic Keyboard 200, Dell RT7D20
    Mouse
    Logitech M510
    Internet Speed
    2 MByte/sec Down, 250 KByte/sec Up
And the one suggestion I forgot to do is the one that works. With my standard 3 button HP mouse, I'm able to access Start, the Settings pane, and everything else without issue. A huge relief that we've found the problem! However, what can I do to still use my Razer mouse? I don't necessarily need it, but it makes gaming a lot easier. Would uninstalling the software help, or is it purely a driver issue? Thanks again for all your help.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Consumer Preview
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom Build
    CPU
    Core i5 2400
    Motherboard
    Asus P8P67 EVO
    Memory
    2x4GB Kingston HyperX DDR3-1600
    Graphics Card(s)
    XFX Radeon HD 6870
Why did I suggest the Razer? They are notoriously bad with drivers and even resort to lying about updates. (They post very old drivers and claim they are new and now "compatible" with new OS. Going on since Win 7 was in beta.)

You can try installing the latest driver from their site and also the latest firmware too.

If I was unfortunate enough to have a Razer device, I would give it away to someone I didn't like too much lol.

You're welcome and enjoy.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    8250 x86 + 7 SP1 x86 + Ubuntu 12.04 LTS x86
    CPU
    P4 3.4 GHz HT
    Motherboard
    MSI-7211
    Memory
    OCZ 2 GB DDR @ 400 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    HIS AGP HD 3850 Turbo Ice-Q
    Sound Card
    MOTU Traveler firewire interface
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Acer x223w
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    WD Caviar Black 1 TB Sata II, WD 400 GB Sata I, WD 120 GB Sata I
    PSU
    300W generic
    Case
    Cybertron
    Keyboard
    Logitech Classic Keyboard 200, Dell RT7D20
    Mouse
    Logitech M510
    Internet Speed
    2 MByte/sec Down, 250 KByte/sec Up
Wow, I didn't realize they were that bad. I marked the thread as solved since we know what's causing the issue, but I'm going to continue to mess with the mouse software and driver as I would really like it to work. If I can't, no big deal, I know how to fix it now.

Again, you've been a tremendous help. Thanks so much.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Consumer Preview
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom Build
    CPU
    Core i5 2400
    Motherboard
    Asus P8P67 EVO
    Memory
    2x4GB Kingston HyperX DDR3-1600
    Graphics Card(s)
    XFX Radeon HD 6870
Back
Top