Taskbar problem

[unrulylittleupstart]

I am on XP.

There is a problem with my taskbar. It seems to only half load i.e. it has gone black and only three little blue bars are visible. I cannot see the time or the start icon. My winds shortcut key does not work.

I don`t even know how to shut down properly without accessing the start menu :-( nor can I figure out how to run a virus scan.

I can only access what is on my desktop really.

Please help if you can. As you can tell I am a novice and I hope I haven`t cluttered your forum but I am stuck.

Thanks,
Unrulylittleupstart

 

[micker377]

Until you fix it, you can use the special "Windows" keys on your keyboard. For instance, the "Flying Windows" key is the same as the "Start" icon.

 

[unrulylittleupstart]

Thanks man, but that button doesn`t bring up the start menu anymore :-(

Does anyone know how to shut the comp down safely without accessing the start menu?

 

[Bazcor]

Does ctrl-alt-del bring up the task manager? If so you can close down from there.

 

[WillShakespeare]

If you want to try and trouble-shoot, you can reset the Task bar/desktop this way:
Hit CTRL-ALT-DEL, and then click on the Task Man button. On the processes tab look for "explorer.exe" and End the process. This will close the desktop and task bar (Closes the main Windows Explorer). Then, on the Applications tab, hit New Process... and type "explorer" (minus the quotes) and hit OK.
If you still get only half a task bar, then you should boot to a virus disk and see if it catches anything.
Finally, if this comes up naught, then you might have to do a repair/install of XP. You'll have to re-install drivers and Service Packs after, but all your apps and data will stay put.
To do this boot to the XP CD, and when asked if you want to Repair XP, click the other option, otherwise you'll get the Recovery Command Line. This won't help repair windows, just boot options, and funky system files etc.
Just act like you are going to install a new XP and select the same partition you already have XP on, but DON'T Ref-format. It takes a while, but I have done this a few times, and it has worked each time. Even after Virus attacks have been cleaned up.

Good luck,

Will

 

[WillShakespeare]

Incidentally, the Rfresh I mentioned above is outlined with useful screen shots here:
Refresh Windows XP Installation

Will

 

[micker377]

ALT+F4 will shut down any Windows program.

 

[WillShakespeare]

LOL! I'd like to see you use ALT+F4 to close the Taskbar, or windows itself! You might want to alter "any", and also include that a Windows programmer can "turn off" the ability of using ALT+F4, should they wish to.

 

[micker377]

WillShakespeare:

I use ALT+F4 all the time, especially when I've disabled certain things from Device Manager. I also use it when I have a "No Mouse Found" error. As for purposely disabling it, that's a comepletely differently story.

 

[TekTippy4U]

CTRL+ESC brings up the start menu

TT4U

Notification:
These are just my thoughts....and should be carefully measured against other opinions.
Backup All Important Data/Docs

 

[unrulylittleupstart]

Thanks for the advice o wise ones

I managed to get the problem?sorted out but holding the windows button and L. Then I was able to shut the thing down. When I booted up again my taskbar was there and continues to stick around.

Phew.

Thanks a lot for taking the time to respond.

I will be recommending this site!!!(if that is ok)

 

[WillShakespeare]

No problem! If logging off sorted it out, then you could have "refreshed" it quicker by simply restarting explorer like I outlined above. It's a useful way of getting things back up and going. We often get Taskbar problems, such as funky Toolbars suddenly appearing, and Language bars that weren't installed... not sure why, but ending the explorer process and reloading it via New Task works every time.
You should give it a go, so you can see what it does for next time (This is Windows... there WILL be a next time!) LOL!

micker: I use Alt-F4 to close windows all the time too. In fact there is one of our chaps here who opens like 20 Excel Spreadsheets daily, and it gets to a point where lack of resources causes his desktop to flicker and stop responding... Although pressing the Windows Key or Alt-Esc seems do something, because the screen is messed up, you can't do anything with the Start Menu, or the Task bar. You can't even access Task Manager via CTRL-ALT-DEL. However, I soon found that because all he has open are Excel windows, if you Alt-F4 a few times, you eventually close enough windows to bring normalcy back, and he then closes all the rest and starts again... only to do the same thing again and ask, "Why doe sthis keep happening?" After explaining 100 times, you just want to scream!

Will


Merry Christmas all!

 

[Waidesworld]

Hey all,
MY taskbar is not coming up. When I move the cursor there I see the mouse change from the pointer to the "expand" but it won't bring it up. I get nothing from restarting explorer from the task bar, but it does come up with various memory usages anything from 16,000 to 24,000.
I first noticed last night when I tried live update (NAV) and it failed. I tried uninstalling Live Update and it wouldn't let me.
I now bought NAV 2005 (had 2003) and am trying various things. I will keep you informed.


Always learning and always forgetting, but the brain must be expanding cause there isn't as much hair cover as there used to be.

 

[WillShakespeare]

NAV? Sorry. I mean sorry you actually bought NAV in the first place. As a virus detector it is FANTASTIC. As an eater of processes, and screwer upper of Windows, it is laso FANTASTIC. As a persistent bugger that can't be installed... you guessed it, FANTASTIC.
Problem written all over it... Anti-Virus by making your machine useless... LOL

If you ever reinstall Windows, get GRISoft AVG absolutely FREE AV, which catches all the latest viruses, and has kept my home network clean since 2003, when i used to have NAV, and Live Update failed, and I caught a virus...

http://www.grisoft.com

No I don't work for them, or anything... just a satisfied customer!

Will

 

[WillShakespeare]

OOps, typo:

I meant to say

"as a persistent bugger that can't be UN-installed"

Will