Member Avatar for kristen72888

I start up my mother in laws computer and she has not start menu no icons nothing. I can acess task manager and commpand prompt. She thinks she has gotten a virus where it has hidden everything as when you click create a new task under file you can see the file names. However if you click any of them it says "This file does not have a program associated with it for performing this action. Create an association in the Folder Options control panel." However I do not know how to access the control panel. If anyone has any suggestions on how to fix it please let me know as I am at lost for words. She also has Windows XP do not know if that matters or not.

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Quick, safe checklist that follows ’s report and ’s registry check: back up important files first, then confirm whether the shell/shortcut associations are normal, try a restore (safe mode) and run offline malware scans if anything looks infected. Do edits only after exporting the registry; that preserves a recovery point. (learn.microsoft.com)

If copying user data to a USB or another drive is possible from the command prompt, do that before making registry or system repairs. A reliable copy method from cmd is xcopy (use the /E /H switches to include subfolders and hidden/system files). Example (edit paths for the PC you’re fixing): 

xcopy "C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\My Documents" "E:\Backup\My Documents" /E /H /C /I

Microsoft documents xcopy and its switches. (learn.microsoft.com)

Next, confirm the logon shell and the file‑type associations (these are common causes when the Start/menu/shortcuts disappear). Export the Winlogon branch before you change it. Use the command prompt to inspect .lnk and file-type mappings: 

assoc .lnk
ftype lnkfile

assoc and ftype let you view (and, carefully, set) associations; Microsoft’s docs explain usage. The blank‑desktop/start‑menu symptom is covered in Microsoft troubleshooting for Winlogon/shell problems. (learn.microsoft.com)

If the registry and associations look correct but things are still broken, run System Restore from Safe Mode (from cmd run the restore UI) or use a bootable rescue scanner to check the disk offline. Bootable rescue ISOs (for example, Kaspersky Rescue Disk) let you scan without Windows running, which helps when malware hides or blocks tools. (learn.microsoft.com)

If system files look missing or corrupted, consider System File Checker (sfc /scannow) or, if that fails, a repair/ reinstall. Always export keys before editing the registry and keep a copy of user data. Microsoft’s SFC guidance explains limitations and when installation media is required. (support.microsoft.com)

Notes and cautions: do not edit registry values unless a backup exists; avoid deleting user profiles until data is saved; if malware is suspected, prefer offline rescue media or a second-opinion scanner before major repairs. If logs or command output are available, paste those so helpers can give exact next steps.

Member Avatar for gerbil

Hi, Kristen, just as a quick test start explorer.exe from Task Manager [File, New Task... explorer.exe] or from the cmd prompt [TM again, File, Ctrl-click New Task.. explorer.exe]. That should give the desktop back.
If that is the case, then please show me the content of this registry key by pasting this as one line into your cmd window:

reg query "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon" /v shell > C:\shell_reply.txt & start C:\shell_reply.txt

Post the content of the notepad that pops.

Edited by gerbil
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