The problem came out of nowhere, I noticed my computer didn't animate when minimizing, opening, or closing a window. The "animate windows when minimizing and maximizing" option is enabled. When I restart my computer, it will still show that it is enabled when I bring up that window but it won't...
I tried to use StarDock's Bootskin Vista, but it removed the default windows loading animation and failed to replace it with the new one. It then failed to restore the default. I uninstalled it with no luck - the files have been changed. I then tried running various restore programs found...
For the rest of the story (and the intro), see: Link Removed and its linked topic... I thought the title wasn't appropriate to the content so I'm starting yet another topic on the matter.
So, today my laptop has entered a new realm of instability. The "infection" (NOT literal... figurative) is...
boot issues
bsod
device manager
driver issues
error messages
fixes
hardware changes
instability
last known good
plug and play
power state
ram
recovery
startup
system lockup
temporary solutions
troubleshooting
usb
windowsanimation