# Windows Desktop will not load.



## JayDibs (Jul 22, 2007)

A few days ago, I started my computer and it had this problem. What happens is it loads all the way to the point that I can see my wallpaper, but does not load any of the icons or the start menu. It's completely blank save for the image I have for my wallpaer. I've searched high and low for someone who has had a similar problem and the only one I came across was on this site. It was posted about 8 or 9 months ago. It did not have the information I needed though. 

I canot log in to safe mode either. I tried starting from last known good configuration, and that worked once, for a few minutes, but then all the icons and everything disappeard, leaving only the wallpaper image. I've tried a windows repair but that didn't work. I also tried to use the recovery console, using the instructions given by the microsoft website, but they call for being able to start in safe mode and use windows explorer, which cannot do. 

Please help me, I do not want to lose the things I have on the computer, and I do not have the money to take it in to be professionally repaired.


----------



## XTTX (Mar 10, 2005)

Have you messed with your registry at all? This only happened to me once, but that was after I tried to change my user profile to a different partition; however, it only happened on one profile. Have you tried logging into other users?


----------



## JayDibs (Jul 22, 2007)

Yes I did mess with the registry, I was getting this pop-up henever I logged on that was saying something like 'cannot load program' and then a bunch of squares. I did a little research and deleted something in the registry and that window went away. That was a few weeks ago now, things were working fine after that. I may have done something else to the registry after that, I've been trying to get my computer to stop acting so sluggish, but I can't recall. I did not back up the registry before playing with it.

I only have one profile when I log on the normal way, my regular one, which doesn't work. When I log in on safe mode, I have my normal log in, and the administrator log in, neither of which work. 

From the research I've done, my comp seems to be acting this way because I've foolishly messed with the registry and messed something up pretty bad. But I'm lost at what I can do to fix it.


----------



## JayDibs (Jul 22, 2007)

What about an in-place upgrade? Since I have the XP disk I can use that however needed. Will doing this make me lose my stuff saved on the HD? And will this even have a chance of helping? Please let me know what you think.


----------



## Geekgirl (Jan 1, 2005)

> What about an in-place upgrade?


This is the same as a Repair Install which you stated you already tried. And no you will not lose your saved personal information, you will however need to install Microsoft updates again. 
If you want to try it again following the instructions posted in the link below. 

Perform a Repair Installation




> Before you perform a repair installation of Windows XP, you must uninstall Internet Explorer 7. If you do not uninstall Internet Explorer 7 in this situation, Internet Explorer will no longer work after the repair installation is completed. Specifically, the repair installation does not restore earlier versions of the files in the Program Files\Internet Explorer folder. Therefore, the Internet Explorer 7 files will be incompatible with the Internet Explorer 6 files that are installed in the Windows\System32 folder.


http://support.microsoft.com/kb/917964

Also if SP2 is not incorporated onto your Windows cd then you should slipstream it by following these instructions
Slipstreaming Windows XP Service Pack 2 and Create Bootable CD


----------



## thelinx (Jul 26, 2007)

Seems to me that explorer.exe is not starting.
Try to press Ctrl+Alt+Del, run process "explorer" (Without quotes).
Next, add an shortcut in "*drive*:/Documents and Settings/All users/Start-menu/Programs/Autolaunch" to "*drive*:/WINDOWS/explorer.exe".

Try to reboot you computer, does it work now?


----------

