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I am running Windows XP SP2. My computer boots up perfectly until it gets to the desktop. Only the wallpaper is showing. No Icons or task bar. Pressing the windows key does nothing. I can't right click on the desktop either. However task manager works fine, and I can run programs from that and all of them work fine. Just no icons and no taskbar.

I had this exact same problem a couple of weeks ago, and I eventually was directed to the Microsoft website and I downloaded the file WindowsXP-KB938828-X86-ENU. Two weeks ago, I installed and ran that program and it worked. Today, I did the exact same thing and it didn't work. I don't get any error messages at all.

The only thing remotely suspicious that's happened in the last two weeks is when I click the shutdown, restart, or standby buttons from the taskbar (when it was there), nothing would happen. This seems to have started when I tried to download and install Windows XP SP3, which completely f'd everything up and I had to use a system restore point.

This is mildly aggravating, any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance.

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by uniquestar

Dani AI

Generated

As pointed out, a desktop that shows only wallpaper while Task Manager still runs usually means the Windows shell process (explorer.exe) is not running. The quickest, safe recovery and a few targeted follow-ups are below.

To restore the desktop right now:

Ctrl+Alt+Del → Task Manager → File → New Task (Run...)
Type: explorer.exe
(or C:\Windows\explorer.exe) and press Enter

If that brings back the taskbar and Start menu but the problem returns after reboot, check these next items to make the fix persistent and to find the root cause:

  • Verify Winlogon shell and userinit (open Registry Editor the same way: File → New Task → regedit). Export the key before editing. Navigate to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon

Confirm Shell is explorer.exe and Userinit is C:\Windows\system32\userinit.exe, (note the trailing comma). If values are wrong or missing, restore them and reboot.

  • Run system checks and logs:

    Start → Run: sfc /scannow   (may request the XP installation CD)
Start → Run: eventvwr      (check Application and System for explorer/userinit errors)
Start → Run: msconfig      (disable suspicious startup items)

  • Scan for malware with an up-to-date anti-malware tool (run full scans in Safe Mode if needed). If the issue is user-specific, create a temporary account to test whether the profile is corrupted (Control Panel → User Accounts or net user TestUser Pass /add).

If manual restart of explorer fixes things only briefly, focus on the registry shell/userinit values and suspicious startup entries or malware. Always export keys before editing the registry and back up important files before any repair install. , these steps should make the fix permanent or at least reveal whether the problem is a corrupt user profile, a bad startup item, or malware.

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Member Avatar for PurpleGiant

So I turn my computer on today, and it starts up OK and goes straight to the desktop with everything loaded correctly. Apparently that file did work. Maybe this will help someone else.

Member Avatar for uniquestar

To help further, this just means that explorer.exe hasn't loaded. If you can run programs from Task Manager, run explorer.exe and it'll load up the desktop & taskbar for you.

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