Member Avatar for nandran

Hi there! Basically I had bittorent, emule, a virus check going and I was browsing the internet and all was well! Then i opened an additional tab in my browser and the desktop disappeared along with the task bar! I rebooted and the only thing to pop up was msn! Hence im writing this on my 'broken' computer because everything seems to work there is just no taskbar or desktop icons [desktop image still can be seen] and no right click functions on the desktop! I was wondering if anyone had an idea or a suggestion! I tried some fixs such as gettin shellfix.reg and downloading desktop fix which was in another thread! Also pretty sure no a virus, and the computer works fine so not a hardware issue!

Any suggestions out there cause im at a lose!

Thanks,
Nick

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Dani AI

Generated

Symptoms like a visible wallpaper but no taskbar, icons or desktop right‑click usually point to the Windows shell not initializing, a corrupted profile, or interference from startup software or malware. already tried a couple of registry/cleanup approaches; that can help, but those fixes (and especially untrusted “registry cleaners” or cracked software) can also make things worse. First priority: don’t make more changes until important personal files are backed up.

Practical triage (in order)

  • Boot to Safe Mode and see if the desktop and taskbar appear. If they do, the cause is likely a startup program or driver.
  • Create a new administrator account and log in; if the new account is normal, the original user profile is likely damaged and data should be copied to the new profile.
  • If Safe Mode and a new account don’t help, try System Restore to a point before the problem started.

Checks and low‑risk repairs

  • Run a full scan with a reputable antimalware tool (for example, Malwarebytes or Microsoft Defender Offline). Avoid unknown/“cracked” cleaners.
  • From an elevated command prompt run:
    sfc /scannow

    to verify and repair system files. Use msconfig or Autoruns (Sysinternals) to perform a clean boot and disable non‑Microsoft startup items to find the culprit. If comfortable with the registry, verify the Winlogon values (Shell and Userinit) under
    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon — export keys before changing anything.

If those steps don’t restore the UI, consider an in‑place repair/repair install or backing up data and performing a clean install. Take screenshots or notes of any error messages and avoid repeating fixes that required cracked software; when in doubt, restore data from backups and get help from a trusted technician.

Member Avatar for nandran

I think its solved but doing an online virus check just to be sure!

If explore.exe doesnt work [for me it flickered] go to regedit.exe and follow the pathway

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer
\StuckRects

delete StuckRects then reboot and hopefully problem solved

Member Avatar for nandran

I think its solved but doing an online virus check just to be sure!

If explore.exe doesnt work [for me it flickered] go to regedit.exe and follow the pathway

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer
\StuckRects

delete StuckRects then reboot and hopefully problem solved

Ok everyone this didnt work! I did a combination of things to sort this as i have seen this problem has plagued a lot of people! Oh this SHOULD work then after make a restore point, just like i have!

Press control alt delete select run and enter explorer.exe! The tricky party is double clicking internet explorer to open it. Once this is done google RegistryFix and get the latest version, and get a crack along with it. Let it does its job and it will fix all ur registry problems! Also just to make it safe do a virus check immediately after and i used Advanced WindowsCare V2 Pro to fix any additional bugs then restart! hey presto it should work!!!

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