OK, here is what we have:

Turn on the power
Boots to the screen where you choose your login
Login to Windows and the taskbar comes up normal and the desktop kinda goes from the "Recover active desktop" error back to just having the wallpaper.
Then there are no icons and no taskbar/start menu/anything
I just see my wallpaper.
I can open up programs via ctrl,alt,delete and using the Task Manager.. they are unstable though.

My processes... let me show you them:


Please help. I've tried a system restore, but the damn thing would only restore back to ~2 minutes prior when this shit was still going on.

[Edited on October 22, 2007 at 10:29 PM. Reason : safe mode seems useless]

10/22/2007 10:17:55 PM

well i know why you dont have a taskbar

explorer.exe isnt running

10/22/2007 10:29:55 PM

haha I honestly just saw that, I had looked at it before when the taskbar flashes up for a second and explorer.exe was running..

then it terminates apparently

How do I fix it?

10/22/2007 10:37:26 PM

i'd look into it more but i have no time

so i'll leave you with this:

http://www.google.com/search?q=explorer.exe+will+not+start&sourceid=navclient-ff&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1B3GGGL_enUS239US239

gl

10/22/2007 10:42:31 PM

I'm reading through those... some say update the registry... no clue how to do that.


Where can I find explorer.exe? Like what folders should I go through?

I'm gonna try to dig around..I'm assuming something like C:program files/windows/shit/explorer.exe?


**NEVERMIND** Windows/explorer.exe

[Edited on October 22, 2007 at 10:47 PM. Reason : we'll see if it works from now on]

10/22/2007 10:46:28 PM

run explorer.exe

10/22/2007 10:49:23 PM

hmmm....i might try this when i get home on my POS desktop...

10/22/2007 10:52:40 PM

Ok, got explorer.exe running. However my taskbar was not right. It was not showing the standard startup programs on the bottom right.

I restarted and I got the Active Desktop recover flashing off on and on, and I'm stuck with a taskbar that does not work. I just get an hourglass when I mouse over it, I cannot do anything. There are a ton more processes though. See the pictures (They are the same processes, just one is scrolled down so you can see the bottom few processes - note the wallpaper changed from the pic to the error):





[Edited on October 22, 2007 at 11:07 PM. Reason : sadder panda]

10/22/2007 11:06:25 PM

Does it do this same thing in safe mode? Sounds like you have some sort of virus.

10/22/2007 11:14:59 PM

I think Safe Mode is actually worse. Last time I tried it I just got a completely black screen that was outlined with the "Safe Mode" border. I'll try it again though....

Do any of the processes seem suspect?

[Edited on October 22, 2007 at 11:19 PM. Reason : and I tried Ad-aware... I suck at this crap though. I may have deleted something I need.]

10/22/2007 11:19:04 PM

try this:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&safe=active&rlz=1B3GGGL_enUS239US239&q=how+to+clean+msconfig+xp&btnG=Search

10/22/2007 11:36:10 PM

Safe mode is no better. Instead of a wallpaper I just have a black screen. Explorer.exe does not boot and when I run it - it just terminates a few seconds later.

10/22/2007 11:36:17 PM

I've tried some shit with msconfig... no good.

This sucks.

10/23/2007 12:15:44 AM

You could try to put the XP cd in and repair your OS

10/23/2007 7:16:11 AM

i would just do a repair of your OS with an XP cd.

10/23/2007 9:26:47 AM

sounds like explorer is corrupted. might need a re-install

10/23/2007 9:30:26 AM

^ & ^^

put in the CD (make sure your optical drive is set to boot before hard drive), run the CD when prompted, let xp setup go through its driver transfer bit, don't repair through recovery console - rather, find the installation and tell it to repair that...takes about as long as any other windows install, but all of your stuff/settings will be there when it's all said and done

then install AVG or NAV, spybot, and adaware

10/23/2007 9:39:46 AM

Of course I have no clue where those CD's are... but I can find some I'm sure. That will work, I did not know I could do that without losing all of my personal files. Thanks!

10/23/2007 9:49:16 AM