My Windows XP Home Edition desktop will not finish loading. My desktop picture loads but nothing else, no shortcuts, no start button, bar or system tray. Zilch. It is exactly the same for all four accounts on my PC. Windows is booting and I can select any one account, but after that, just a desktop picture. I'm stuck. Any ideas? Thanks.

So can you boot into Safe Mode? on any account??

(To get to Safe Mode continuously tap the F8 key as the PC boots)

Oh dear, sadly not. I have tried the usual route to Safe Mode but cannot open that (or anything else it seems apart from the BIOS settings, Boot Order screen and desktop (picture only).

when you say just a desktop picture do you mean the background picture that has always loaded ? if so load the pc right click on the desktop and select view and make sure that show desktop items has a tick in it ,, for your taskbar it may be set to "hide" put your cursor over the area where it should be and see if it appears

What happens if you logon

Then press Ctrl + Alt + Del

Then click

File > New Task (run)...

Type in explorer

Click OK

Also try File > New Task (Run)...

cmd

Then in the box that hopefully pops up type in

sfc /scannow

You will require an XP CD to use the sfc command.

bigbadjohn, I mean my personal account desktop background picture. The only command I know that I can get to work here is ctrl+alt+del which does open the Task Manager so I can shutdown/restart. The mouse does not work at all when hovering over my bare desktop picture. Incidentally, what is shown under the Task Manager tabs appears to me to be normal.

Thanks Amtec, I will have supper and then enjoy following your instruction.

Amtech,

I typed in 'explorer' and got a warning window, 'Windows cannot find 'explorer'...'

I typed in 'cmd' and the c:\windows\system\system32\cmd.exe window opened. I typed in sfc /scannow and a Windows File Protection Window opened and Windows file verification started. I am writing as it runs (it's taking forever)...

Standing by...

Amtech,

I typed in 'explorer' and got a warning window, 'Windows cannot find 'explorer'...'

I typed in 'cmd' and the c:\windows\system\system32\cmd.exe window opened. I typed in sfc /scannow and a Windows File Protection Window opened and Windows file verification started. I am writing as it runs (it's taking forever)...

Standing by...
Incidentally, during the process of tearing my hair out (I should have contacted the PC Help Forum at the start) I removed the single hard drive, popped it into another machine as a slave and ran malwarebytes over it. It found a number of infections, trojans and two worms among others, all of which I removed. A number of the finds referred to 'sys' files.

OK, Windows file verification ran its course and its Windows File Protection window simply closed when the progress bar reached the end. I removed the CD, shut down and restarted several times but still have no shortcuts, bars or start orbs on my or any other account holders' desktop. I have discovered that if I open Task Manager>File>New Task (Run...) and then browse for say, an MS Word document, I can open it within the corresponding program. However, I would very much like my old desktop back (browsing as above shows me its still in there somewhere).
Any more excellent ideas?

Its not looking good. I tried booting into Safe Mode via msconfig but only got a blank screen. I have tried booting into the Recovery Consule to repair the OS but the first blank screen with a single blinking cursor freezes. I tried a secondhand Windows XP disk but that froze on the licence page (I have a licence for my broken OS). The only way I can get into the hard drive is via the Task Manager or when the drive is a slave. Anyone any thoughts on how I might repair my desktop?