Breaks in the Space-Time Continuum - Disappearing Solitaire

[BobH]

More of the continuing saga of the mind-numbing recent computer problems . . .

For reasons I cannot begin to fathom, solitaire has been un-installing itself. When I look at All Programs/Games there are none. If I re-install the program appears there until some unknown event causes its disappearance.

One begins to understand a bit of what Alice must have felt after falling through the looking glass.

[HansV]

Has this problem been solved after your recent reinstall?

[DaveA]

Is this machine one of them that you use the Registry Cleaner on a regular time?
If so the cleaner may be removing entries needed for these games.

[HansV]

Is this machine one of them that you use the Registry Cleaner on a regular time?
If so the cleaner may be removing entries needed for these games.

That's certainly worth investigating, but in another recent thread Bob mentioned using CCleaner. I think it's extremely unlikely that CCleaner would cause this, unless the installation of Solitaire was already irrepairably damaged. CCleaner takes a very conservative approach to registry cleaning - it's probably not the most "efficient" one, but definitely a "safe" one.

[Jezza]

Bob

The Solitaire executable (sol.exe) resides in C:\WINDOWS\system32\sol.exe folder. Try to create a short cut to it an see it it still runs. This is just to check nothing is effecting your Start Menu and not the application itself.

As this is one of the most common files in Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows 2003 it can sometimes be the target for malware attacks but before we panic and go down that route try the shortcut idea and see what you get.

[viking33]

Bob

The Solitaire executable (sol.exe) resides in C:\WINDOWS\system32\sol.exe folder. Try to create a short cut to it an see it it still runs. This is just to check nothing is effecting your Start Menu and not the application itself.

As this is one of the most common files in Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows 2003 it can sometimes be the target for malware attacks but before we panic and go down that route try the shortcut idea and see what you get.

Jerry beat me to it with this suggestion of a shortcut directly to the executable file, sol.exe
( great minds work in similar ways, or something like that? )

[BobH]

Creating the shortcut seems to have done the trick.

Thank you, all, for the help. Sorry to be so late in replying.