XP Desktop - Lost Icons and Start buttons

Using Windows XP Home on a Gateway pc (not laptop).

Power on, select user, desktop only shows background for each user, no icons, no start button, no time, nothing. I "alt - ctl - del" and it gives me the task manager where I can get the "Run" and Browse buttons to open programs. Everything runs fine, but nothing on the desktop. Right click does not work.

I came up in Safe mode, re-set the pc to July 1, 2005, still nothing.

I am hoping someone can assist, or point me to someone that can.

The pc is running Norton (all has been current), Zone Alarm firewall, and I run Spy Bot. My typical use is Yahoo, MS Office etc. relatively simple stuff. No music trading, not even ITunes.

Anyway, hope the description helps, my email is removed or I will check these posts.

New to the community, thanks for the help.

Houli

 

Welcome to the forum Houli. We keep all posts about a problem on the forum so that more folks can contribute ideas and so that someone later with the same problem can read and benefit. If you subscribe to the thread you will receive email notification when anyone posts to it.

Meanwhile

- have you tried doing a system restore to a point before the problem started?

- does this happen with more than one user account? If you only have one, it would be worth booting to safe mode so you can log on as Administrator and if that account is normal, creating a new user account to try.

 

Newt,

I did do a restore to dates in May, no go. It happens with all users on XP.

I talked to another person, who suggested it was a Windows Explorer issue and that I would have to reinstall everything... It sounded like a drastic solution, but it may be my final resort.

I think I will be able to back up most files to current, especially things we use daily...

Any ideas? Anyone?

Houli

 

http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm
try number 195 "Restore Desktop Icons and Taskbar "

Not sure if you can run this (referring to the above vbs fix) from safemode. If not, another possible way may be to copy this to floppy and run it using the taskmanager which you indicated you can still get to by key combo of cntrl+alt+del. Speaking of which, while looking at task managers processes, is explorer listed as running? If not, run it. If it is running end task on it and run it again by browsing to it, located in *:\windows folder. (I am suggesting the browse method rather than the runline method in case a virus is running a phony explorer.exe from some other folder). Furthermore, what processes are listed as running? Perhaps you have a problematic startup process or something viral in nature. Anything funny looking running as a process, end task on it, experimentily.

You did not specifically say, or it is not clear to me, whether the desktop icons and taskbar show up while in safemode?

The following was also not specifically said. I know some members get confused between the two. This is why I ask the following.
Since I consider and know to be true that the "Administrator account" is special and separate from "user accounts with admin privillage ", I have to ask rather than assume... Do you get the blank desktop/no taskbar, even when you log in as "Administrator "?

No startbutton access even if you press the winkey {key with flag icon on it} on the keyboard?

Safemode virus scan? This can be a possible viral infection. One that overwrites or replaces its self as userinit or something similar.

Look at your event viewer to see if you have something logged recently as problematic? Using taskmanager's File>run new task copy and paste the following runline %SystemRoot%\system32\compmgmt.msc /s
This will allow you to check several things such as your services as well as event viewer. I'm not sure how accurate this will be though since you've restored to a past restore point but it's worth a shot. You can also run "msconfig" in this manner and have a look at the startups. Perhaps something fishy or known to be problematic will show up here and can be disabled. Suspecting a startup application and checking for this possibility, should be done.

What did you install or uninstall recently? What did you do or think that may have been done that could be related to or caused this issue? Any recent past problems?

Before trying other, more risky, procedures perhaps you better take those steps needed to backup the info, you previously mentioned that you do not wish to risk losing. It's always better to be safe than sorry. Windows loves throwing surprises at you and any bootup is a risk, particularly since yours seems to be throwing fits at the moment.

 

Hello houli,
It's been a few days since you posted this problem. How are coming along on it? Any progress?

 

I have been traveling for work, back tonight will try on Saturday, appreciate the options.

Houli

 

Also, the blank situation occurs with all users on the XP, Admin included.

Recent installs were the Windows update, possibly the ESPN tool bar / update bar, but it ran for a couple of weeks prior...

I will run the above cammands in the morning. I really appreciate you all providing me the feedback, that is truly what people are about.

I will keep you posted... should remain in town for a week or so now.

Thanks again.

Houli

 

I have run the above Explorer.exe, both before and after updating the Kellys Korner link: http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm
try number 195 "Restore Desktop Icons and Taskbar" - Nothing.

Restarting the whole pc: Nothing.

Went into the Administrator / Owner choice of XP, and it went to a Security / Windows update window directly, so I did the Windows Update, and it restarted the pc.

I suspect it is the win exe as it has also been identified when I described this to others. Their direction has been to re-install all of windows...

Backing up all files now...

Thanks.

Houli

 

!!! Do you mean, literally, the file named win.exe? !!!

As in, one of the many known to be viral, win.exe's:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=win.exe+&btnG=Google+Search

Do you have and are you familiar with spybot and hijackthis? What is your current virus software and have you ran that?

 

I had the EXACT same problem, all the icons and the taskbar vanished from the desktop. This is what i did and it reappeared:

Step 1: First i pressed Alt+Ctrl+Del, and in New Task, i typed "explorer" without the quotes. Nothing happened.

Step 2: Then i downloaded this:
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/taskbarplus!.htm

and ran the cases for:

Restore to XP Default
Taskbar is Missing

Nothing happened.

Step 3: Then i repeated step 1 again

And all the icons and the taskbar reappeared. Try it and let us know if this works for you.