Help!

Hi guys, I'm really hoping you can help me. I've been searching for a solution to my problem and have tried a few things but they haven't worked. I am on Vista Home Premium. I will try and give as much information on my problem as possible.

Here are a few of the "symptoms" my computer has been showing (in the order I noticed them):

• In the bottom right corner of the screen where the connection status is shown by an image of two computers and a globe I am only ever seeing the computers with a red "x" over them. Even when I am connected to the internet. Like now
• I have tried to open the network and sharing center, I just get a blank window which I can't close
• I have tried diagnosing and repairing, but it says contact my service provider.
• When I press control alt delete and choose task manager, the icon in the bottom right corner appears, but no window opens.
• I can't shut down my computer, it will stay at the "logging off" stage. I even left it like this overnight in case I was being too hasty. The next morning it was still at the exact same stage.
• I can only shut down if I hold the power button in. Then if I choose to run safe mode after this I will get a black screen where the desktop should be.
• I know I have three updates to install from a day or so ago, but because I can't shut down etc I can't install them
• I have tried running a scan on Windows Defender. It says scanning, but it's not, as there is no start time etc
• I have also tried scanning on Norton 360. Again, no luck. Norton 360 used to open when the problem first began, now I can't even get it open.

All of these problems started after I was viewing a document on adobe and closed my laptop overnight. Since that, my computer has had all these problems. I have tried doing a restore, as I saw this suggested on the forum somewhere, but the restore window didn't open. When I clicked restore again, the computer said it was running, but there is no sign of it.

These problems seem to be getting worse as less and less things seem to be opening. I was thinking it could be something I downloaded, but I haven't downloaded anything in ages, as I say, I just opened that adobe document and left it overnight. (It was from a legit site, (a bus timetable!)) Hopefully some of what I have told you is relevant. I would be overjoyed if anyone could help! My computer is REALLY important for my university work! Thanks!!

A new problem...my sidebar doesn't seem to be working :S

Did all the above faults only appear when you opened the Abobe page?

Hi, I left my computer with the adobe page open and folded my laptop closed. The next day is when all these problems began. I didn't notice anything happen immediately when the adobe document was opened, though I remember the computer was a bit slower than usual and maybe froze when I was trying to open the adobe document.

A further development. I can now open Norton 360. I am running a browser security check and a network address check now. These are the only things that need done according to Norton. I remember trying to do this before though and it didn't complete. Hopefully it works this time round. Will update in a while

well personally i think Norton could be the problem here... if you can try to remove Norton to see if any of the problems disappear.
In failing that what ever you try does not help then take a look at this tutorial on many ways to repair vista
Repair Vista Options - Preferred Sequence

OK, I will give that a shot. A norton virus and spyware scan has just stalled in the same place it did before:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\http\shell\open\command

Could this be anything to do with the problem?

Thanks for your help!

Backup your data to an external drive. Shut down. Unplug the external drive. Reinstall your operating system. First, remove all the partitions and get the drive back to unallocated space and shutdown for 20 minutes. Then, do a clean install and install the service packs and patches.

I can't uninstall Norton. Yet another problem

I don't have an external drive and I'm not sure how to do all the stuff you suggested as well

It looks like I'm going to have to take it to someone to get it sorted out