Vista, all programs freeze in normal mode, works fine in safe mode?

[JaineDough]

When I boot my computer to run normally, if I attempt to open and/or run any program, I get nothing but a partially opened program and a spinning circle next to the mouse pointer. In safe mode programs seem to run fine.

 

[Phillip Corcoran]

You've got a third-party driver conflict or a bad third-party driver. That includes software which installs a virtual driver, such as antivirus, firewall, or CD burning software.

Third-party drivers aren't loaded when you start Windows in safe mode, hence the problem does not occur.

Try to remember what you installed that's driver-related just before the problem started. Uninstall the offending item whilst in safe mode, then restart.

 

[dcman3000]

Phillip makes a good suggestion, but an easier way is to do a restore point to when your pc was working normally. That'll help you figure out what you may have downloaded or installed that causes that issue. Wish you the best!