Hi there!

I am a computer reseller, and a Windows power user.  Nonetheless,
there is ONE problem that I have not been able to solve for a long
time now.  Perhaps you can help...!

I define many Control-Alt shortcuts to run various applications and
open folders.  (ie. Control-Alt E = Excel, W = Word, Q = Quicken, and
so forth.)

9 on 10 times these work absolutely fine.

HOWEVER... every so often, I'll hit a control-Alt or Control-Alt-Shift
shortcut key, and nothing will come up.

For a good twenty seconds (and I am on a P4 3.0 Gig machine w/1 gig
RAM!) I can't use the taskbar.

If I hover my mouse pointer over the start button, or on any
application on it, it won't even highlight.  I just appears 'frozen.'

During this time, however, I can still click on icons on my desktop,
Alt-Tab through open applications, and so forth.

It seems like all the clicks on the Task Bar, and all further Shortcut
presses are buffered, and then.. after 10-20 seconds... all my presses
'work'!  (It looks like the computer has gone nuts...!)

I have seen this problem on EVERY single Windows XP machine.

One thing I occasionally do is Explore my Start menu, and move
programs from my user account to All Users, so that other users can
benefit from my well-organized Start Menu.  This may or may not be
part of the problem.

I think it might.

Also, when the shortcut key 'hangs' the comptuer, I cannot minimize
all windows (show/hide desktop - which I have programmed on my
Intellimouse Small button).  Sometimes for kicks, while waiting, I
will hit the small button a dozen times, and then after the 20 second
delay, I'll watch the windows open and close a dozen times!

And like I said, this happens on every machine I use.  It's not hardware.
All service packs and updates are installed.
The computer runs as smooth as can be.  NO other problems whatsoever.

Also, this will NEVER happen when I use icons, the Quick Launch bar,
or even one of the hard buttons on my Microsoft Mulimedia Keyboard.

I can hit one of those buttons 100 times, and 100/100 times my
folder/app will pop up.

If I hit Control-Alt-W to launch word... or control-alt P to access my
P:\ drive, it may work 20 times in a row.. but then........ ARGHH!!

Any help would be appreciated!!

Thanks,

Mike