Member Avatar for roadrunner09

I've been using WinXP Home Ed for 3 years and just today a white block pops up(left side of desktop) that is 3 inches wide and is as tall as my crt when I turned on pc and desktop came into view. It has, Folder Tasks/Other Places/Details with drop down arrows on each....where'd that come from and how do I get rid of it???thanks

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That left-side column is the Windows Explorer "task pane" (the folder web view that shows tasks, other places and details). On XP the Desktop is actually an Explorer folder, so if the shell/Explorer starts showing folder view on the Desktop you can get that tall white panel. Given has ruled out malware and suggested scanning, this is most likely an Explorer/UI glitch rather than a virus.

Try these steps (save work first — ending Explorer closes the taskbar and desktop temporarily):

  1. Open Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc).
    End the explorer.exe process.
    In Task Manager choose File -> New Task (Run...) and type explorer.exe to restart the shell. This will often clear transient UI issues.

  2. If the panel disappears, disable the task pane permanently: open any folder window -> Tools -> Folder Options -> General. Under Tasks choose the option to use classic folders (or disable "Show common tasks in folders") and click OK.

  3. If Control Panel or Run are unresponsive, launch them from Task Manager: File -> New Task (Run...) -> type control to open Control Panel, or run sfc /scannow from a new task to check system files (XP install CD may be required).

  4. If the problem persists or Explorer keeps acting oddly, boot into Safe Mode (press F8 at startup) and test. Advanced: check the registry value at
    HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\Shell — it should read explorer.exe (back up the registry before changing anything).

Caution: end Explorer only after saving work. Editing the registry or running SFC should be done carefully and with backups. These steps address the common causes of a suddenly visible Explorer task pane on the Desktop without assuming malware.

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Member Avatar for cguan_77

have you tried to scan your PC for any malware or virus? try to download Malware Bytes... and scan your system check if it will help..
or can get a print screen of your desktop post it here..

Member Avatar for roadrunner09

it's not a malware problem...it's a Window problem and it appears that it might be in the Taskbar and Start Menu section. I say that because when I go to Control Panel and try to open it nothing happens and it won't open at all. Print screen doesn't work on the desktop by itself, only when a program is opened does it work. Any other suggestion? thanks

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