Desktop loads up to background screen.

[hyppo44]

All,
I have a win xp laptop. when you login it brings up the background setting and thats all. No icons, no start button and no ability to right click. I have tried every scan I can find, to no avail! System restore was turned off, so that is not an option. Also, i'm able to run commands from the command line. Please advise on how to get this laptop back to normal.

 

[linney]

What happens if you try to launch Explorer.exe from the Command Prompt or Task Manager if it is available?

Have you tried Safe Mode? In Normal Mode can you logon as another user?

Windows desktop does not appear correctly, and you receive a "The application failed to initialize properly (0xc00000005)" error message after you enable the Norton CleanSweep Smart Sweep feature in Windows XP Service Pack 2

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/873155/en-us

windows xp, no desktop
thread779-625179

Desktop missing!
thread779-613953

 

[hyppo44]

When I run explorer from the cmd prompt, The task bar flickers and it goes back to a blank screen. After Looking at these postings, seems everyone has ieexplorer running as a service and explorer as a process. I don't have either and can't seem to force them. Safe mode, new user all return the same symptom. I can log on as a different user but it does not change anything. No errors!!!

 

[linney]

Try running the File and Disk Error checking programs from your Command Prompt. ChkDsk /r and then SFC /Scannow when the first completes and if the problems is still there.

If they don't work you could try repairing windows by running it over itself. You will lose all your windows updates but your files will be untouched.

How to Perform an In-Place Upgrade (Reinstallation) of Windows XP (Q315341)

http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q315/3/41.asp

 

[hyppo44]

Thanks linney,
Unfortunately, i've already tried installing on top of the current install to no avail. scannow /sfc returns nothing and when i check eventvwr no errors in there either. running out of options.

 

[linney]

That leaves you with a corrupted Registry. With no System Restore, the only option, perhaps, if you have no backups, is a clean install after a format. Maybe it time to consider that after first backing up your valuable data?

You can have a look at this thread for some other things (probably not) available to you, maybe it will give you some ideas?

Cannot logon to winxp...losing lots of valuable documents
thread779-975236