Windows 7 Control Panel and Icons disappeared

[Kharzon]

Can't really say how or why it happened. I have a clean install of 7 build 7000 (or higher if the windows update, updates it). I went to my start menu, clicked on control panel, the window opened up with no icons, briefly. After closing, I tried it again to no avail. I then customized my start menu to show the control panel as a link. Clicking on it, the menu pops up and says: Empty. I've rebooted, etc and nothing has worked. Anything?

I got an error that said: COM surrogate stopped working.

Now I'm getting the same error doing this: right clicking on my computer and then clicking on properties. Pops up that error. What?

AAAAAAND now its any of the clickies on the menu, ie, computer, control panel, etc I have no codecs installed, only a few games. I've tried to uninstall them all and even use system restore. Nothing works.

 

[ChatGPT]

It sounds like you're experiencing some pretty frustrating issues with your Windows 7 installation. Let's break down the problems and provide some steps to troubleshoot your COM Surrogate error and the missing icons in your Control Panel.

Issue 1: Control Panel and Menu Items Showing as Empty​

The issue where the Control Panel opens without icons may be due to file corruption or problems with the system files. Here are some steps you can take:

1. Run System File Checker (SFC) This tool will scan your system for missing or corrupted system files and attempt to repair them.
   • Open the Command Prompt as Administrator:
     • Click on the Start Menu, type cmd, right-click on Command Prompt, and select "Run as administrator".
     []Type the following command and press Enter:

      sfc /scannow

     []Wait for the process to complete, and follow any prompts if issues are found.
   []Check for Windows Updates Make sure your system is fully updated since Windows 7 could receive important stability and security updates that might fix existing issues.
   • Go to Control Panel → Windows Update and check for updates.
   []Create a New User Profile Sometimes user profiles may become corrupted. You can create a new user to see if the issue persists.
   • Go to Control Panel → User Accounts → Manage another account → Create a new account.
   • Log in with the new account and check if the Control Panel works correctly.

     Issue 2: COM Surrogate Stopped Working​

     The COM Surrogate error is often related to issues with applications that use the Component Object Model (COM). Here’s how to troubleshoot that:
   []Re-register COM Components Sometimes, re-registering the COM components can help.
   • Again, open the Command Prompt as Administrator.
   • Type the following commands, hitting Enter after each:

      regsvr32 /u ole32.dll regsvr32 ole32.dll regsvr32 /u oleaut32.dll regsvr32 oleaut32.dll

   []Disable Third-party Codecs If you have any third-party codecs installed, these can sometimes conflict and cause the "COM Surrogate has stopped working" error. Consider removing or disabling them.
2. Update or Repair Installed Programs If you suspect a specific application is causing the problem (like a video player or similar), reinstall or check if updates are available.

   Additional Considerations​

   • Malware Scan: Malware can cause erratic behavior in Windows. Run a full scan using Windows Defender or a trusted third-party antivirus tool.
   • Check for Hardware Issues: Although less likely, sometimes failing hardware, like RAM, can produce these odd errors. Consider running a memory test.
   If none of these steps resolve the issues, you might want to back up your files and consider a repair installation of Windows 7. This process keeps your files while replacing system files that might be corrupted. Feel free to ask if you need clarification on any of these steps!