Member Avatar for buraine

i have an HP zx5000 and i'm trying to reboot my computer using the operating system disc but everytime i restart and then hit the space bar immediately it doesn't give me any option to reinstall windows.
i basically can start my computer and then there's no desktop icons or toolbar only the wallpaper. what can i do? i've already ran norton 360 and it claims my computer is clean and safe from any viruses or threats.

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As described, a desktop that shows only the wallpaper usually means the Windows shell never started or the user profile/OS failed to finish loading — it isn’t automatically proof of a virus. and pointed toward boot/reinstall and UI settings; those are good starting points. Below are practical next steps that preserve data and narrow the cause before doing a full reinstall.

Try to get the shell back and collect diagnostic info first. Press Ctrl+Alt+Del, open Task Manager, choose File -> New Task (Run) and enter explorer.exe to see if the taskbar and desktop return. If the system will boot but won’t run normally, reboot and press F8 repeatedly to enter Safe Mode or the Recovery Environment. From there run System Restore if available, and use an elevated command prompt to run chkdsk /f and sfc /scannow to repair disk and system files.

If the Windows disc never offers a boot option, the CD/USB prompt may not be registering because the keyboard is inactive at that early stage. Try a different USB port, a wired PS/2 keyboard if the PC has one, or enable USB Legacy Support in the firmware. Many HP systems also include a built-in recovery key (commonly F11 on many models) — try that. To avoid data loss, boot a Linux Live USB or remove the drive and attach it to another PC to copy important files before reinstalling.

If repairs don’t fix it, run an offline rescue scanner and test the drive’s SMART health with the manufacturer’s tool. Only proceed to a reinstall once data is backed up and the correct recovery media for the model/architecture is available.

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Member Avatar for cguan_77

if you want to re-install your OS, configure your CMOS to boot from CD.. then install through that process.

Member Avatar for nav33n

i have an HP zx5000 and i'm trying to reboot my computer using the operating system disc but everytime i restart and then hit the space bar immediately it doesn't give me any option to reinstall windows.
i basically can start my computer and then there's no desktop icons or toolbar only the wallpaper. what can i do? i've already ran norton 360 and it claims my computer is clean and safe from any viruses or threats.

As said, you should configure your bios to boot from the cd instead of hdd. The desktop icons might be hidden. Right click on your desktop, click on arrange icons by and then select "show desktop icons". That will un-hide the icons.

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