Menus WITHIN Start Menu randomly stop working

So let me explain what is happening here: I have my Start Menu setup so that when you click the Start menu button the "Computer", "Documents", and "Control Panel" icons are actually menus, so that when I click them or hover over them they expand a menu out to the right (I find doing things this way is a lot easier and faster). Now, sometimes I go to use, say the control panel menu in the Start Menu, it will expand no problem but then for no reason I cannot select any icons in that "Control Panel menu" that pops out. It's like that side menu just turned into a jpg or something, and when I try to click on any icon in that "Control Panel menu" the entire Start Menu just goes away as if I click on the desktop, but the click won't register so if there is anything behind where I clicked, nothing happens. However, the entire rest of the Start Menu works properly, I can select anything else and even right click the Control Panel Icon that "Control Panel menu" pops out of and open the Control Panel window that way.

I hope I explained that well, i'm just trying to make sure to let you guys know that the entire Start Menu does NOT freeze or crash, but that just small part stops working. Now, the only way I found to fix this is to simply restart my computer and it works again, but after a week or so it stops working again. This isn't a great inconvenience and it probably is good I restart my computer every now and then but I was just wondering if anyone here has heard of this or know s how to fix it b/c I have Google'd everything and haven't been able to find anything.

THANK YOU

I knew I forgot something. I'm running Vista Ultimate SP1 w/ all the updates and patches installed. Thanx