Vista - Vista 64: Major problems after hardware upgrade

Ok, I searched and could not find any threads like this, so here goes. I recently upgraded some of the hardware in my system. New mobo, ram, cpu etc. When I got the bios tweaked and windows to load, I noticed several issues. I downloaded and installed SP1 hoping this would resolve my issues. Nope, no luck.

1. Start menu is blank. Regardless if I click and drag, or try "pin to start menu" it remains blank.

2. If I right click anywhere, desktop or in a folder, under the "New" option all I have is (empty).

3. When I try to enable "view hidden files and folders" nothing happens. I have clicked "Apply to all folders" several times.

4. The shortcuts on my taskbar will not remain in their order.

5. I had to redo my windows activation.

I am running an AMD AM2 6400, Asus M2N32-SLI Vista Premium mobo, 4 x 2GB OCZ Gold Edition PC 6400 RAM, Dual PNY 8500GT 512MB Graphics Cards SLI, 2x Samsung HDDs SATA, RAID config (striping). All powered by a thermaltake 750w Power supply. OS: Microsoft Vista Home Premium 64bit with SP1.

are all the components compatiable with 64?

Did you reformat & reinstall windows after you upgraded?

In my experience, a reformat always takes places after a mobo upgrade.