Member Avatar for Westcot

Last night I downloaded a skin for my Windows XP to look like it was running Vista. It worked perfectly fine last night. I restarted it today to find that the skin no longer was working, so I tried reinstalling it. It requested that it needed to replace a file in order for it to run, I thought it was okay, so I said okay. It then told me that my "computer could be at risk" or something, so I cancelled. It wouldn't let me cancel.

So, my computer shut down. Once I restarted it, it booted up the the desktop with no taskbar, start menu, or icons. I can't even access the start menu even from the Windows key on the keyboard. I have done ctrl alt delete and brought up the Task Manager. I've tried pulling up the explorer typing it in as "explorer.exe". It tells me that it doesn't recognize it, and refuses to find it. I also tried browsing the files and deleted the files that caused the problem.

I've restarted with the F8 key to try to use safe mode and every other possible mode. None work, it still does the same thing as it does when it starts up without the F8 command.

Any help would be appreciated! Thank you.

EDIT: I'm using an E-Machines computer running Windows XP service pack 2.

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Problem summary (from ): Windows XP SP2 boots to the desktop but the taskbar, Start menu and icons are missing; Task Manager is available and attempts to run explorer.exe report it as "not recognized". Replies from and correctly point toward either a replaced/corrupt system file or malware, so the next steps should first verify Windows startup settings and the presence of the actual Explorer binary before doing anything more invasive.

From Task Manager (File → New Task) several low‑risk checks are possible without Explorer:

Run from Task Manager -> File -> New Task:
  regedit

Registry key to check:
  HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon

Expected values:
  Shell    = explorer.exe
  Userinit = C:\WINDOWS\system32\userinit.exe,

(Export the key first via File -> Export before making changes.)

To confirm explorer.exe exists:
  File -> New Task -> notepad
  Notepad -> File -> Open -> browse to C:\Windows\explorer.exe

Or:
  File -> New Task -> cmd
  dir C:\Windows\explorer.exe

Try launching with full path:
  File -> New Task -> C:\Windows\explorer.exe

If the Winlogon values are wrong, correcting them (after exporting a backup) will often restore the shell. If explorer.exe is missing or corrupt, System Restore can often undo the change; run rstrui.exe from Task Manager to pick a restore point dated before the skin install. If System Restore fails, sfc /scannow from a command prompt can repair core system files (an original XP CD may be required).

If these safe checks do not fix the desktop, back up personal data (the Mac can mount the drive or a rescue disk can be used) before attempting a repair install or full reinstall. Combining the registry and file checks above with ’s recovery-media approach and ’s malware caution provides a low‑risk recovery path. Avoid reusing an untrusted skin package until the system is fully restored and scanned.

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Member Avatar for Comodore

Try running a chkdsk? It could be that you corrupted or deleted explorer.

If this doesn't work, you will probably need to replace the file.

Replacing it shouldn't be that hard.... What I would try is: Go to another computer with win XP, search for explorer.exe, write down the filepath to it. Copy it over to a flash drive or something and then copy it from the drive to the same location. Obviously, however, you can't access My Computer or anything, since Explorer is the file in need, but there are ways around this. Try some sort of bootable disk. Windows Recovery Console is perfectly viable, its just text driven. You can also try any sort of Linux off a Live CD, or the Ultimate Boot CD (also a "Live CD"). www.ubcd4win.com . This way is the easiest, I think, but you have to create the CD first. Its very easy, and the site explains it well.

Are you framiliar with the Recovery Console? (Boot from your XP CD)

Do you have a Live CD or UBCD?

Post back and I'll help you through it if you need it, but you should be able to find tutorials, etc, on google for all of these.

Whatever method you pick, launch the CD/Recovey Console, navigate to where Explorer.exe should be, and copy the good version from the drive/disk to the location, deleting the bad version if its there.

Good luck! Post back with questions!

All the best,

--The Comodore

Member Avatar for acejames1

just wandering when you were reinstalling the program did the virus checker say that it said the computer could be at risk or was it just a blue screen.

i am wondering this because there are some pretty nasty viruses that can do some pretty mean things and that would be something i would suspect

if it wasnt the virus scanner that said that then i wont be of any help

Member Avatar for Westcot

Try running a chkdsk? It could be that you corrupted or deleted explorer.

If this doesn't work, you will probably need to replace the file.

Replacing it shouldn't be that hard.... What I would try is: Go to another computer with win XP, search for explorer.exe, write down the filepath to it. Copy it over to a flash drive or something and then copy it from the drive to the same location. Obviously, however, you can't access My Computer or anything, since Explorer is the file in need, but there are ways around this. Try some sort of bootable disk. Windows Recovery Console is perfectly viable, its just text driven. You can also try any sort of Linux off a Live CD, or the Ultimate Boot CD (also a "Live CD"). www.ubcd4win.com . This way is the easiest, I think, but you have to create the CD first. Its very easy, and the site explains it well.

Are you framiliar with the Recovery Console? (Boot from your XP CD)

Do you have a Live CD or UBCD?

Post back and I'll help you through it if you need it, but you should be able to find tutorials, etc, on google for all of these.

Whatever method you pick, launch the CD/Recovey Console, navigate to where Explorer.exe should be, and copy the good version from the drive/disk to the location, deleting the bad version if its there.

Good luck! Post back with questions!

All the best,

--The Comodore

Actually, I don't have another computer that I can access Windows on. Most of my computers are Macs, and this is why I have the most trouble with Windows.

Is there any way that I can create that CD on one of my Macs and it would work in Windows format? I have downloaded stuff before on my Mac and transferred it over to my Windows before, and it has been successful.

I have used the recovery CD before, but I'm not sure if it is still here at the house. I'll have to go look for it as that would probably be the best option to solve my problem now that I think about it.

Thank you for your help!

just wandering when you were reinstalling the program did the virus checker say that it said the computer could be at risk or was it just a blue screen.

i am wondering this because there are some pretty nasty viruses that can do some pretty mean things and that would be something i would suspect

if it wasnt the virus scanner that said that then i wont be of any help

No, there wasn't a "blue screen of death", although my computer constantly says it could be at risk because we only use downloaded virus scanners, and not the factory-installed ones.

I've been through a virus before, and I doubt that this is one. I think it's mainly code that was changed that affecting it.

Thank you for your help, though!

Member Avatar for caperjack

No, there wasn't a "blue screen of death", although my computer constantly says it could be at risk because we only use downloaded virus scanners, and not the factory-installed ones.

not all downloaded virus scanners are good and work ,some tell lies ,and usually the lie is that you are infected ,and the skin for vista most likely came with a malware/Trojan .For a good malware/spyware/trojan scanner I suggest malwarebytes scanner its free and good .
http://www.malwarebytes.org/

Member Avatar for caperjack

and a good free virus scanner is AVG 8 or Avast .get either one at www.filehippo.com

Member Avatar for Westcot

^ I do have AVG. I'm just having trouble believing that it was a virus, because I downloaded it from a good site that had reviews and good comments on it. It could have been, though.

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