BleepingComputer.com: MS Paint (not responding)

This is strange. I can not seem to get my Paint to open. I have tried 4 times. And each time I can hear it trying. For what feels like forever. I then give up and hit Ctrl/Alt/Del. Which says > MS Paint (not responding) So I cancel it.

My O.S. is ME

I will add that the last time I used it was last Monday the 14th. The laptop had been connected to the internet. So my desktop was offline. So to ease my boredom. I opened Paint. And was playing around in it. Everything seemed fine. Business as usual. I closed it when I was done. Then the next day it will not open. And has not ever since.

I ran AVG, AdAware, A² and Spybot S&D. Each finding nothing. I have Tea Timer running. And I also have Spyware Blaster.
I just ran Spybot S&D again and it found:
IBIS TOOLBAR HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\PROTOCOLS\Name- Space \Handler\res
Would this have anything to do with my problem?

Did I mess things up by running it while offline. I did not think that it mattered.
What do I do to get it up and running again?

Has anyone else had this occur?
Can I repair it somehow?
Do I need to install it again?

This post has been edited by scarlett: 19 February 2005 - 10:31 AM

Nothing you have done should have caused this kind of problem. Look in Program Files/Accessories/ for paint.exe, and see if you can open Paint by clicking on that; if so, you may want to remake your shortcut.
Else try System Restore.
Regards,
John

Thanks jgweed. I just do not understand what happened. This is so very wierd. Thank God. I thought that it was a pest of some kind. Last summer CWS Googlems got in and my Notepad had to be re-installed. I do not remember if that was what did it excactly. I think so though. I freaked that a windows program was messed with that way. Especially since I did not know much back then.

This post has been edited by scarlett: 20 February 2005 - 07:06 AM

Well I tried to open the .exe file. Same thing it attempts to open, but no go. I hit CTRL/ALT/DEL and as always MS Paint (not responding)

Also tried a system restore. Which is not going to be an option eiether. There is no restore point available before this started happening. ^%$#@$#*

In case there may not have been enough avaliable memory. I cleaned out a bunch of stuff. It still does not open.

Does anyone have any other suggestions?

Why does it not show in Add/Remove programs. Shouldn't it?

Is there a way to repair or re-install?

I guess while I anxiously wait for any helpful replies. I'll check out MSN to see what I may find.

Edit: I can not find a way to install and (or) d/l Paint from MSN. Is it obselete?

This post has been edited by scarlett: 21 February 2005 - 08:07 PM

Try running system file checker and extract paint from your OS CD. Perhaps its become corrupted somehow. Yes it should be in accessories by default. Also look in add/remove programs/windows setup under accessories to see if it is checked off there. That would be another way to reinstall it, by removing the check mark, oking your way out and going back in and rechecking it.

Leurgy, on Feb 21 2005, 08:59 PM, said:

Thanks for the reply Leurgy. Oh my why must it be so complicated.

What excactly do you mean by "System file checker"?
Extract Paint from my OS CD?
Lol I would not know how to even begin to do that.

It is not in accessories. But Accessories as a whole is checked. Is that what you mean?

In case this helps. Please keep in mind that I run Win. ME.

Sorry about that scarlett, if I had pressed ctrl+alt+del it would have shown Brain (not responding) last night when I posted that. I don't have much experience with ME but did a little checking around and found this:

Windows ME does not include the SFC utility as Windows 98 does. Windows ME uses the System Configuration Utility (msconfig) and then click "Extract File". It won't search your disk for missing or altered files, though.

So you would run the extract utility and replace paint.exe.

If accessories as a whole is checked then you would click details to bring up your list of acceessory programs.

Quote

No, it won't show there as its part of Windows Setup, like defrag and scandisk, its loaded with Windows. I would be very leery about downloading that anywhere.

HTH

This post has been edited by Leurgy: 22 February 2005 - 08:29 AM

Hey Lol No problem. With me, CTRL/ALT/DEL often brings up Brain(not responding)

Quote

I tried this and %$#@*& double %^&*#@ it did not work. I then created a new shortcut. Although when I did the above. One was created then as well. So I manually created one. Nothing. MS Paint (not responding)

Quote

O.K. I am in msconfig. I clicked on extract file. It says.

Specify the system file you would like to restore.

Where do I go from here.

And since I'm no expert by any means. Please put it simply. As there may be some steps I will not understand.

I found this. Under Windows ME it tells step by step instructions. Should I do this?
http://service1.symantec.com/support/tsgen...001011114021106

This post has been edited by scarlett: 22 February 2005 - 10:51 AM

You need your ME CD in the drive to do this The file that you want to extract is Mspaint.exe. Do a find files and folders for Mspaint.exe so you know where it is now. So in the extract box you type Mspaint.exe and the next box that comes up says extract from and extract to. Extract from D: (if thats your CD drive) and extract to (wherever it is now). Extract from and to should allow you to browse to the desired locations. The next box asks if you want to back it up and just go with the default backup location. Note where that is and if this works you can delete it later. Then click ok and it will confirm that the extraction was successful. I don't know why it is gone from accessories, that is unusual.

Hopefully it is just corrupt from overuse.

EDIT:

Just noticed your link. Yes that is the procedure. I didn't know about State Mgr. so follow that but paint may not be in C:\Windows\System so thats why you need to find where it is now.

This post has been edited by Leurgy: 22 February 2005 - 11:16 AM

Thanks! I guess I give it a whirl. A little nervous though.

And just a quick note it was in accessories> details.

I unchecked it and Ok'ed my way out as you put it. Then went back and re-checked it. It did not work. It was worth a try though. I'd always rather try the simple options first.

Try that again but reboot between unchecking and checking. You will still need the ME disc in the CD drive.

What happens when it loads (ME Disk) ? Do I do anything special?
And of course all windows need to be closed. Correct?
Thanks so much for going above and beyond. U R a peach!

This post has been edited by scarlett: 22 February 2005 - 11:29 AM

No problem scarlett

If you mean that your ME disk has autorun and starts up by itself just hold down the shift key briefly when you put it in and it won't run. Or let it run and exit or cancel at the first screen. Yes you can close all windows but in this case when you are just extracting one file it doesn't really matter.

O.K. Before I try Leurgy's wonderful advice. I am still wondering if there is any other way to correct my problem. You see I work 6 days a week. And seem to be coming down w/ the flu. So I ask not because I do not trust Leurgy's advice or because I am lazy.

I came across this download for Paint. Just wondering if it would be considered safe to install? If so what excactly would I need to do?

Scroll down a ways to find it. It is listed under > Programs

http://www.computerhope.com/download/window95.htm

This post has been edited by scarlett: 24 February 2005 - 01:04 PM

The version in that download is 5.00.1523.1 and the one on my 98SE machine is 5.00.1740.1. However it opened and seems ok.



Open paint.exe and it will create a bunch of files used for an Office 97 patch. Delete everything except paint.exe and mspaint.exe. Put mspaint.exe in C:\Program Files\Accessories and put paint.exe somewhere as a backup. Move your current mspaint.exe somewhere else too so you don't overwrite it.

This post has been edited by Leurgy: 24 February 2005 - 01:28 PM