A clean system is good, I guess, tho' it would have been "nice" if things had been that easy, huh?
Is a System Restore a viable option? Is this a x86 or x64 system?
Assuming you log on as an Administrator, if you haven't already, try turning off UAC (User Account Control) in
Control Panel> User Accounts> Change user account settings and move the slider down to
Never Notify. Reboot. Does Task Manager behave now?
If not, however logged on, try to run SFC as Administrator, like this?:
Start> All Programs> Accessories; right-click
Command Prompt and click
Run as Administrator. Type
sfc /scannow and then press
Enter.
Running the
System Update Readiness Tool can also fix certain SXS issues. Run it by right-clicking the executable and clicking
Run as Administrator. Find the right version here:
Windows 7 32bit:
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=181491
Windows 7 64bit:
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=181492
This tool takes a while and shows no progress bar. So, be patient.
Googling around reveals "autoelevate" issues to be particularly difficult. If the above does not resolve your issue, then uninstalling and reinstalling
all VC++ components is recommended next, and in this order:
1. Microsoft Visual C++ 2005 Redistributable Package (x64)
2. Microsoft Visual C++ 2005 SP1 Redistributable Package (x64)
3. Microsoft Visual C++ 2008 Redistributable Package (x64)
4. Microsoft Visual C++ 2008 SP1 Redistributable Package (x64)
5. Microsoft Visual C++ 2010 Redistributable Package (x64)
Followed by uninstalling and reinstalling all
.NET Framework:
1. Microsoft .NET Framework 1.0 Service Pack 3
2. Microsoft .NET Framework 1.1 Service Pack 1
3. Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 Service Pack 1 (x86)
4. Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 Service Pack 1
5. Microsoft .NET Framework 4 (Standalone Installer)
6. Windows Installer 4.5 Redistributable
BTW: A great tool for verifying .NET integrity can be found here:
http://blogs.msdn.com/astebner/attachment/8999004.ashx
BBTW: Windows 7 has a nice
System Diagnostics feature that allows you to diagnose your system in real-time and on-the-fly. In the Start Menu's search box, type
perfmon /report and then hit
Enter. Before doing so, however, be prepared to start Task Manager and any other problem apps, as the Tool starts immediately and records only 60-seconds of activity. You can then look at the Diagnostics section and see what issues have been detected, possibly with a direct link to a fix.
Please advise any progress.
Good luck.