OS> Desktop Icons - Start Menu and Toolbar are missing

[Decibel]

Hello Novatech Community,
I need your wisdom and support. My Icons start Menu and toolbar are mssing when i load window.I see only my wallpaper. I was watching a video from my files and a blue screen of doom appeared twice. Now i can only load window from safe mode.
I tried to fix it with my utitlities (spybot, antimalaware, and combofix) no results so far. Now you are my only hope, to avoid rebooting my system from scratch. Please can you help me? Also thinking that explore was compromised by a virus, i wrote explore.exe using task mgr, still no joy. Please i hope you can advise what to do next..Thank you very much for taking time to help.
Cheers D

[randommagik6]

Reinstall would be the only option if a virus has got to it that badly...

But wait, If you was watching a video and you got bsod, It could be your GPU that's faulty

[Decibel]

Reinstall would be the only option if a virus has got to it that badly...

But wait, If you was watching a video and you got bsod, It could be your GPU that's faultyThanks random.
Well it was a file from my old hdd, also installed on my PC, i know it was that, cuz it happened twice, at the same time..So should i get new graphic card then or what?

[randommagik6]

Thanks random.
Well it was a file from my old hdd, i have also installed on my PC, i know it was that, cuz it happened twice, at the same time..So should i get new graphic card then or what?

What's your current one and how old is it?

and how old is your HDD?

[Decibel]

What's your current one and how old is it?

and how old is your HDD?well it is a Sapphire HD4550 512 MB DDR3...Also you must know that when i am in safe mode, there is a msg popping up saying:No hardware-accelerated Direct3D devices were found. The screensaver will now exit. cheers mate.

[system7]

You can try a repair install which is offered at about the 4th screen of Windows XP install.

This reinstalls the OS around your files. You then need reinstall all the drivers.

What will be saved here is hard to say, but My Documents Folder usually.

Set CD to boot before HD in bios, and off you go. Don't do a format at this stage. That wipes everything.

But really, if explorer.exe has gone awol and caused the blankish windows display, the OS is severely messed up and a fresh install would be my preference. Then scan the old HD for viruses before using anything off it. You don't have a hardware issue in all probability, but overheating and weak power supplies do cause havoc. :)

[LiamJ]

Yep, a repair install fixed my previous issues with explorer.exe.

Simply insert your Windows disk and select the repair option. Almost all files are recoverable on Windows 7, as they are placed in a Windows.old folder on your main HDD.

[Decibel]

Thanks guys..I used also window repair console installed by combofix but nothing...So do i proceed like i would reinstall window? And then choosing the 4th screen of window install?...What if i don't have this repair on the disk? I am quite nervous.I don't have window 7 but Xp, plus i don't understand much about software and OS.

PS: Please can you tell me how to install sound in safe mode i cannot play anything i am so depressed..

[system7]

We're talking about a full XP Windows disk here. :)

You want SP2 to be on the safe side since it includes an active firewall. Otherwise install something like Zonealarm before connecting to the net.

Repair install is offered after Recovery Console restore, which you will have ignored:
http://img607.imageshack.us/img607/9147/repairinstallxp.jpg (http://img607.imageshack.us/i/repairinstallxp.jpg/)

http://www.webtree.ca/windowsxp/repair_xp.htm#How%20to%20Repair%20Windows%20XP%20b y%20Installing%20Over%20top%20of%20Existing%20Setu p:

You then install chipset and ethernet drivers, let windows update, then install the rest of the drivers. This avoids some issues with drivers and old service packs like SP1.

[Decibel]

Thanx so much Steve. I have SP3 installed, do i need to remove it, before starting the repair? Sorry for so many questions, but as you can imgine i am in open water here, and i don't know which direction to swim. I appreciate your guidance, i would have been in big sxxtxxx. I love pc hardware, but i am such a dummy for software, i learn but then i forget...Cheers mate

[system7]

*Sighs*... what you need before any reinstall of XP is your 25 digit license Windows COA number written on a piece of paper, and the XP drivers disk that came with the motherboard. :)

If you mess up, you lose ALL your data, and you just try again and LEARN A HEAP. :D

Give it a go. What have you got to lose? It's just software which is easily reinstalled. :cool:

[Dano]

Give it a go. What have you got to lose? It's just software which is easily reinstalled. :cool:

Hair when it does go wrong and you start tearing it out :D

[Decibel]

*Sighs*... what you need before any reinstall of XP is your 25 digit license Windows COA number written on a piece of paper, and the XP drivers disk that came with the motherboard. :)

If you mess up, you lose ALL your data, and you just try again and LEARN A HEAP. :D

Give it a go. What have you got to lose? It's just software which is easily reinstalled. :cool:Well i built my baby from scratch, i bought XP disc separate from the mobo, but my disk broke, so i just have a copy of the original disk.. But i think i found a way around the bushes, i bought a new HDD i am gonna install the Xp there and then connect the other one, passing all my files on this new one...I am not really lucky with not loosing data. And i am too nervous. Anyway i really want to thank you alot, all of you guys, for support.
Regards D

PS: I am sure i am gonna have some other bad luck struck so i will have to ask for your wisdom again..

[Decibel]

Hair when it does go wrong and you start tearing it out :DOnly hair? What about loosing our mind...

[Musthaveittoday]

Try this first, boot into safe mode, then see if the windows updates page is available, if it is download and install the updates and reboot.

I recently had the same cry of help from someone with the same issue, I nipped round and did a restore which failed, then a repair which failed, and then on the 3rd boot I said leave it alone for a while, and sure enough a few hours later it had fixed itself, I'm almost certain all it was was something got stopped before it wanted to, and on the next boot it gradually managed to complete.

[BurningFeetMan]

Also thinking that explore was compromised by a virus, i wrote explore.exe using task mgr, still no joy.

Perhaps this is the problem, although maybe a typo?

The command is explorer.exe, not explore.

Hope it's as simple as this :D

BFM

[Decibel]

Thx guys. I will try over the weekend. I will just plug in that with the "virus". I let you know..
KInd Regards
D