explorer problem (no icons/start menu)

country32 · January 06, 2011, 09:11:30 PM

My computer boots up to only my wallpaper, no computer icons/start menu. However, when I ctrl, alt, delete I can access my task manager, I can start new task and browse.. and all my computer files/ programs are there. Basically, it's like my whole computer is fine there is just one thing preventing the icons/use.

I have tried various things like searching for and removing explorer.exe in regedit, in places where it shouldn't be, however I don't have that problem.

I tried (I believe it's SVf-Scannow) but it kept telling me to install XP cd and continue, it would not read the disk.

My drives don't seem to work, as I was going to try an XP Repair.

Any ideas, suggestions?

Thanks,

Rick

GR@PH;<'S · January 06, 2011, 10:35:57 PM

country32,
Have you tried setting up a new account called say Family PC" and giving it admin rights.
if it not work you can all ways delete the account.

Also go in to your device manager (Click start / right click My Computer / click properties then click on Device Manager)
There you can see if there are missing drivers and so on such as your DVD-RW driver.

GR@PH;<'S :Hammys pint:

Aaron Hulett · January 06, 2011, 10:41:45 PM

What happens if you try to run explorer.exe via Task Manager, do the icons and such come up?

(Wondering if the Shell is not set properly in the registry, perhaps HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon...)

//A

Temmu · January 07, 2011, 02:06:49 AM

r click anywhere on the screen where there are no icons / windows / dialogs etc.
click refresh

country32 · January 07, 2011, 09:12:05 PM

@ Temmu. I cannot right click. Well, I can, but nothing comes up. I don't have this function

@Aaron. When I try to run explorer.exe via task manager I get error saying cannot find file (or something similar) File does not exist, or something like that.. However, I have gone in registry and checked Shell, and everything seemed to be OK.

@GR@Ph. I have not tried setting up a new account. also, is there another way to check devices? I have no start menu.

Since my CDROM wouldn't run (As I was going to try a repair XP) I tried installing a different one.. Now, when I turn on my computer it says cannot find Drive 1 or Drive 3. In BIOS under drives, I looked at various drives. first is diskette, then drive 0. which appears to be my hard drive (80GB) Disk 1, which under info is unknown. Drive 2. which appears to be my DVD-Rom, and Drive 3. which appears to be my CDROM (i've but original back in)..

However, now.. when I try to boot in safe mode, or regular, It's just blank screen.

Could removing CD drive and then putting it back completely mess up the computer?

Until an hour ago when I changed drive... Things were fine, it was like my whole computer was there, I just couldn't access due to explorer problems..

Any thoughts, advice?

Aaron Hulett · January 07, 2011, 10:03:26 PM

The earlier issue probably wasn't with the Shell value, but more often it's the Userinit value. Or, either userinit.exe or explorer.exe were missing. Userinit is called first, which then calls the shell. When malware (or anything else for that matter) starts messing with those items, one can experience what you *were* experiencing.

With what you're *now* experiencing, you're making it to where it asks for either safe mode or not, so you're talking to the hard drive, but this "tried installing a different one" followed by "It's just blank screen" suggests you trashed the OS on your system, especially if you attempted to repair the current install or did an in-place upgrade.

Provided my assumptions on what actions you took are valid, my personal recommendation: either format or not beforehand, but at a minimum, do a fresh install and go from there. The current install now appears corrupt beyond salvation.

//A

country32 · January 08, 2011, 11:11:17 PM

I appreciate your input.

The real long story short. I had Antivirus GT a couple months ago. I used this forum to help me get rid of that! Then other issues started. (Blue screen/ black screen error due to no ispnp.sys file missing. expanded that in recovery console) played with ram which allowed me to start booting. To the wallpaper only desktop.

Looking back, I don't think it was the virus, of course it could have been. But as part of getting rid of that from this forum I was directed to a website that tells a system what they are missing for updates. I did this, and found my computer needed to run 22 updates.

A short time after that I remember a black box come up from a reputed company "I think either Sun micro, or Trends Micro) then the screen went blue. with code mentioning new hardware installed, etc

As I was hopeful, since all my files/programs were there, I could get to them through task manager. I guess popping out the CDROM drive and trying DVD-Compact Disk one has sealed my own fate. Now, if I boot the screen is simply black.. if I try safe-mode It stops again on the ispnp.sys file

should I even try the recovery console expand ispnp.sys file again?

Do you start a fresh install from F8 options? I'm just curious if my drives are not working, how I can do an install from disk.

I guess I need to either try a fresh install, or take it to computer shop.

Thanks,

Rick

country32 · January 09, 2011, 07:57:17 PM

Well... I had a good feeling before (when I could see all my files/programs through task manager)

Now when I boot it does nothing. just a black screen.

If I boot in safe mode it stops after the ispnp.sys file.. I tried expanding that (which it did) but still stops there.

I cannot boot from disk, my CdRom drive is listed first in BIOS, but I don't have any prompt when booting that asks if I want to boot from CD. It just boots normally.

How can I do a install- format in my current condition?

Thanks.

Rick

Aaron Hulett · January 10, 2011, 11:45:07 PM

Look in the BIOS for a boot order option, ensure the CD-ROM is near the top, save that, then boot from your recovery/install CD and follow the steps. We don't know if you have a retail Windows XP installation CD, or a CD that came with your computer from the manufacturer - what do you have and where did it come from (manufacturer, store, elsewhere)?

techie · January 16, 2011, 04:34:58 AM

Quote from: country32 on January 07, 2011, 09:12:05 PM

Since my CDROM wouldn't run (As I was going to try a repair XP) I tried installing a different one.. Now, when I turn on my computer it says cannot find Drive 1 or Drive 3. In BIOS under drives, I looked at various drives. first is diskette, then drive 0. which appears to be my hard drive (80GB) Disk 1, which under info is unknown. Drive 2. which appears to be my DVD-Rom, and Drive 3. which appears to be my CDROM (i've but original back in)..

However, now.. when I try to boot in safe mode, or regular, It's just blank screen.

Could removing CD drive and then putting it back completely mess up the computer?

Until an hour ago when I changed drive... Things were fine, it was like my whole computer was there, I just couldn't access due to explorer problems..

Any thoughts, advice?

If you changed the CD or DVD drive and did not set the pin out correctly to master, slave or cable select, your bios cannot see the drive configuration properly.

A general Eide setup would be a hard drive as master, then if it sharing the same cable with a cd or dvd, it must be set a slave drive. If the DVD was setup as a master, and the hard drive was setup as master then the bios cannot identify two master drives, on the the same cable and Eide port. You would need to change the drive jumper to the proper configuration on the DVD drive, to a slave.

If the CD/DVD was setup using it own Eide cable, it should be set as a master.

http://www.onlinecomputertips.com/hardware/hd_jumpers.html

Most Motherboards that use Eide have two ports and each port supports up to two drives.

An example of the cabling.

http://en.kioskea.net/contents/pc/ide-ata.php3

A Sata hard drive configuration would not need this, but may require the correct configuration setup in the bios.