PE8 will no longer start - not responding

Question

I've been using PE8 for a year.  For the last two days it wont start
I get to the usual screen when I click the start icon, but the first time I click the mouse (for instance to select Project) the rotating icon starts and there is no other effect.  If I click again I see the message "Elements 8 is not responding."
I'm running Windows 7 Home Premium 32 bit on a Samsung laptop  NVIDIA GT330M  Intel Core i5 520  4Gb
On some occassions I see  a window "Activating Components" with a progress bar stuck at 40%. But only occassionally
I've tried reinstalling PE8, and restoring a restore point to afew days ag. I've uninstalled two programs which I recently installed (since PE8 worked) - Calibre and Bittorrent. No change
Any suggestions?

Answer 1

This is a CHECKLIST of possible issues. I'd work though all of the points, and also take a look at the various links in it.
When something works one day, but not the next, then something has changed. The task is to figure out WHAT has changed, and address that issue.
It could be as simple as the HDD becoming overly full, as per Steve's question, and with a laptop, this is likely.
It could be that something as simple as an OS update/hot-fix has effectively killed the video (or audio) driver. PrE interfaces more closely with those drivers, than almost any other program on one's system.
It could be malware, or a virus/Trojan, and it's killing PrE. With Bit-Torrent, one is very open to such nefarious programs.
It could be the addition of a program, like an audio-editing program, if it installs VST's. PrE can work with many, can work fine, if some others exist, but some will kill the program. See this ARTICLE.
Good luck, and if none of the above helps, please post the full details of your laptop.See this ARTICLE for some tips.
Hunt