Icons, Start menu and taskbar gone. Only background picture shows.

[16]

When I boot up my grandma's computer ( windows XP..that's all I know), all that shows is the desktop background picture. That's it. I can't right click on it to see if it is being hidden and if I go through control panel (using task manager to open internet explorer then using it to get the desktop), I can't change Taskbar and Start menu options. It is non responsive when I click on it.

I'm not a computer expert, so please try to make any hel as simple as possible, thanks!

[starNthabunch]

Have you tried restarting your computer?

[DeltaSlaya]

Yes they have..


Have you tried booting into safe mode by tapping F8 just before Windows loads? Does that work?

You could also try typing sfc /scannow in a Command Prompt Window.

Any recent hardware / driver / software / updates that may have caused this?

[16]

Have you tried restarting your computer?

Many, Many times. Also when I open task manager, I can't get explorer. exe to run and I also tried making another user but it came up with the same problem. I can't get into Safe Mode so I can't try anything there.

[16]

Yes they have..


Have you tried booting into safe mode by tapping F8 just before Windows loads? Does that work?

You could also try typing sfc /scannow in a Command Prompt Window.

Any recent hardware / driver / software / updates that may have caused this?

As far as I know, the last thing she did was defrag.

[DeltaSlaya]

You said you could get explorer to run? Now you can't? I'm assuming in your previous post you meant explorer, not Internet Explorer.

How did you make a new user? Control Panel? How did you get there if you can't start explorer.exe?

What happens when you try get into safe mode.

To run 'sfc /scannow'. Simply type that into the new task window in task manager..

[16]

You said you could get explorer to run? Now you can't? I'm assuming in your previous post you meant explorer, not Internet Explorer.

How did you make a new user? Control Panel? How did you get there if you can't start explorer.exe?

What happens when you try get into safe mode.

To run 'sfc /scannow'. Simply type that into the new task window in task manager..

'sfc /scannow' didn't work. With explorer, when I type explorer.exe under new task it says: explorer.exe is not a valid Win32 application (someone had suggested that to someone with a similar problem). I made a new user going through msconfig. Sorry if I'm confusing.

[16]

oh, and safe mode just doesn't show up when I press F8 at startup

[DeltaSlaya]

What do you mean it didn't work, what happened?

Well then you're not pressing it at the right time. You have to press it BEFORE Windows starts loading. Just tap it once a second, it will get there.

[16]

I got into safe mode, nothing was different, except instead of my background picture it was just the black safe mode background.

[DeltaSlaya]

Well I can't really help any further, I think you just need to let 'sfc /scannow' take a look.

Can you start cmd.exe from the new task? If so you can type the command in there.