Missing icons on my Windows 98 desktop
Issue
Missing all icons on my Windows 98 desktop.
Cause
Active desktop is enabled
Solution
If you do not want the Active desktop you can click your desktop with your right mouse button, click on Active Desktop, and uncheck View as a web page. This will not allow you to view your desktop as a web page, however, it will fix your issue.
If you do wish to view your desktop as a Web page, to get your icons back click Start, Settings, Control Panel, double-click on the Display icon, click the effects tab and un-check the option "Hide icons when the desktop is viewed as a web page."