Weird issue closing programs from taskbar right click > close window.

It started a few days ago, i haven't really changed any system settings.  What happens is programs that I run, like excel, word, photoshop, paint, and a few other programs (not vendor specific), it seems like if they have a history, like if you go to file and go down to recent files, or open recent, somethign like that, If i go to the task bar, right click the program and "close window" to exit the program that way, the program hasn't been closing, the file usually closes (most of the time) and instead, it's been bringing up previous files that I've worked on before and closed out.  Even if I've completely shut the program off, like files I had opened yesterday popup today if I close the program out that way.  So I close a new one out, and another file pops up and so forth.  it's strange.  Has anyone had this happen to them, or know what is going on? 

I have windows 7 64 bit professional.  I don't know if there was a recent windows update, or if it might have been something else, like I recently turned on virtual PC.  If anyone knows, let me know! It's not a big issue, it's just kind of annoying.

thanks!!

~Emily
Answer
Answer

Hello ManaBarbie,

I would suggest to restore your system to a point before this action was happening. That way if it was an Update that is causing it, then we can manually download the updates one at a time to pinpoint the problem update.

To run a system restore in Windows 7:
To choose a System Restore point,

·         From the Desktop click the Pearl (start) button
·         In the Search Field type “System Restore” and hit enter
·         Once System Restore is open, select the option “choose a different restore point” and hit next

Once on the next screen, pick a restore point to go back to when it last worked for you. Once you select the restore point, click next, then select finish, this will start the restore process.

If you don't have a Sytem Retore point, then try a clean boot to see if any 3rd party program or software is causing the problem.

KB 929135 - How to troubleshoot a problem by performing a clean boot in Windows Vista or in Windows 7
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929135

I would like to see if any startup items or third party services could be causing the issue.  This is called a clean boot. You will Disable all startup items and third party services when booting. This method will help us determine if this issue is caused by a loading program or service.

The steps below will place your computer into a “clean boot”, meaning using a minimal set of drivers and startup programs so that we can determine whether a background program is interfering.

·       Click Start on your Desktop
·       Type msconfig in the Start Search box and then press ENTER.
If you are prompted for an administrator password or for a confirmation, type the password, or click Continue.
·       On the General tab, click Selective Startup.
·       Under Selective Startup, click to clear the Load Startup Items check box.
·       Click the Services tab, click to select the Hide All Microsoft Services check box, and then click Disable All.
·       Click OK.
·       When you are prompted, click Restart.

 Once the computer is back to your Desktop, check to see if you are still having the problem.

If the issue is resolved by placing the machine in “clean boot” then we have some sort of third party application and or service running that is possibly interfering. To determine which program(s) and or service(s) that is causing this, we would need to go back into “msconfig” and start to enable programs and services and reboot until we see which one causes the problem.

If placing the computer in “clean boot” does not fix the issue or after the troubleshooting is done, follow the steps above “To return your computer back to normal boot”.

How to set your computer back, to boot normal:
 
1. Click the Start orb on your Desktop
2. In the Start Search box. Type msconfig, and then press ENTER.
If you are prompted for an administrator password or for a confirmation, type the password, or click Continue.
Click the General tab.
3. Click Normal Startup - load all device drivers and services, and then click OK.
4. When you are prompted, click Restart to restart the computer.

The last step would be to try to uninstall any update there were recently applied to your system.

Please reply back and let us know the results of your testing.

Thanks,


Marilyn
Microsoft Answers Support Engineer
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Last updated February 18, 2024 Views 3,834 Applies to: