Tweak Ui will only repair system icons/shortcuts
what happens if you create a new shortcut to an old prog?
(however slow - will it run?)
if you have lots of icons .... read this ... but be careful
http://articles.techrepublic.com.com/5100-1035 _11-5164407.html
a less dangerous method is to create a set of folders (groups) to store your icons in eg
"games", "office", "music" (this is how (and why) your start menu works)
that way the top level only shows a few icons
also ... have you recently installed any
virus protection/firewall software
(when zone alarm is in learning mode ... it freezes progs 'till you OK them - others do the same)
or virus scanner will hold an exe untill it scans it .... older versions of symantec software are notorious for slowing systems down)