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I was trying to "clean" up an old emachine. It has Windows ME. I was deleting stuff and obviously went too far.
It shut down. When I start up again it gives me the desktop with my regular background and picture, but nothing else.
Is there a way to type in a command or prompts or anything, to get to the "restore" menu.
I have pushed every key and combination of keys I can think of. I've been searching the internet for solutions.
I do not want to use the system restore CD and start over!
Thanks

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Short diagnostic and plan (since suggested Safe Mode and tried it with no change): the wallpaper is up but Start/taskbar/icons are gone because the Windows shell (explorer.exe) either isn’t running, is crashing, or has been replaced/removed. Try the quick fixes below in order; each one is non-destructive and can often recover the desktop without a full reinstall. (flylib.com)

Try a quick restart of the shell (if you can get Task Manager): open Task Manager (Ctrl+Alt+Del or Ctrl+Shift+Esc) → File → Run new task → type explorer.exe and press Enter. If the taskbar and icons return, run msconfig (or Autoruns) to find what’s preventing Explorer from starting and scan for malware. (learn.microsoft.com)

If Explorer won’t start or crashes repeatedly, restore the Windows 9x/Me registry snapshot (this often undoes accidental deletions or bad startup changes). Boot to a DOS/command prompt (Safe Mode — Command Prompt Only, or use the WinME startup disk) and run:

cd \windows\command
scanreg /restore

Pick the most recent good date. This runs outside the GUI and can repair registry settings that stop Explorer from loading. (support.microsoft.com)

If the registry restore doesn’t help, you can force Program Manager or System Restore to run by editing C:\Windows\SYSTEM.INI from DOS. Change the [boot] shell line temporarily to shell=progman.exe (to get a Program Manager GUI) or to the System Restore path shell=C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\RESTORE\RSTRUI.EXE to launch restore directly, then reboot and run System Restore to roll back to a working checkpoint. Back up SYSTEM.INI before editing. (helpwithwindows.com)

If files were actually deleted (you said you were “cleaning” the machine), replace a broken/missing explorer.exe from your original Windows CD with the EXTRACT command from a boot floppy/CD:

EXTRACT /A <CD-drive>:\<cab-file> explorer.exe /L c:\windows

(Adjust the CAB path to match your CD layout.) After replacing files, retry the registry/restore steps and scan for malware. (experts-exchange.com)

Cautions: always copy SYSTEM.INI and any registry exports before editing, avoid random downloads, and run a full antivirus scan once you regain the desktop. If none of the above works, a repair/recovery from the OEM restore media may be the safest path.

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Member Avatar for caperjack

hit f8 on startup and go to safe mode to try system restore

Member Avatar for yoursup

Thanks Caperjack, but I've tried safe mode.
Get the same thing, no tray, no icons, nothing to click, no way to do anything.
Guess I'll give up and use the restore CD and start over.

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