desktop icons and taskbar disappeared

[Guest]

Have a Windows XP desktop on our LAN whose desktop icons, taskbar, and start
button have mysteriously disappeared. When the user logs in, the desktop
wallpaper loads, but nothing else. When I press Ctl + Alt + Del, the System
Task Manager appears, but other than that, there is no way to give commands
to the computer. I'ld like to use System Restore to restore the computer to
an earlier point in time, but without the Start button, I don't know how to
access it.

any suggestions?

 

[George Hester]

Do CNTR-ALT-DEL and in the window that apperas do Task Manager. Then File |
New task (Run)... | explorer | OK. You will get your desktop back or you
will crash again. The shell (Windows Explorer) is stopping. That is why
you are getting a blank desktop. You should see it in the Event Viewer.
Start | Run | eventvwr | OK | Applications.