No explorer at login

[Famous J]

When I log in I get the "My Computer" window and nothing else. No
background, no start menu or task bar or anything. I can get all that
started by typing "Explorer" in the location line for the "My Computer"
window, but it's very annoying. Any idea what to do about that?

 

[Malke]

When I log in I get the "My Computer" window and nothing else. No
background, no start menu or task bar or anything. I can get all that
started by typing "Explorer" in the location line for the "My Computer"
window, but it's very annoying. Any idea what to do about that?

This is often caused by malware infection so you should be smart and ensure
that your computer is clean:

http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Removing_Malware

If you know the machine is virus/malware-free, then you can try this fix
from MVP Rick Rogers:

Click start, type 'regedit' and hit <enter> to open the registry editor.
Expand the keys at left to reach:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon

Click on this key, then locate the 'shell' string in the right pane.
Double-click it, replace the contents with just:

explorer.exe

Click ok, then close the registry editor and reboot.


Malke