This is just a hunch, but I know some viruses/trojans can block known programs from running. Maybe Safe Mode went around this?
Try renaming those programs in Normal Mode and then run it. For example, rename Ad-aware.exe to something like Ad-aware1.exe and run it. If that works, then there's definitely something working behind the scenes.
If you have a fast internet connection (broadband), run an online virus scan at TrendMicro http://uk.trendmicro-europe.com/enterprise...call_launch.php. Just follow the instructions on the site to run the online scan. If any viruses/trojans are detected, try to delete or clean them in that site. You may use Panda ActiveScan also at http://www.pandasoftware.com/products/activescan. Otherwise, make sure your antivirus program has the latest definitions and run a full system scan
