Windows Update ate my taskbar!

[Joe Rego]

After running Windows Update and installing a critical
update, I was instructed to restart my computer.

After the computer restarted, I logged on under my user
name, and saw nothing but a blank desktop--no start menu,
no task bar, no system tray. The only way I can run
programs is by pressing Ctl-Alt-Delete and using the task
manager. Most programs seem to run, but with various
glitches. For instance, I can run Internet Explorer, and
access the Windows support site, but when I go to Windows
Update I just see a blank window, so I can't run any more
updates.

I've been searching the knowledge base, but I don't see
anything like this. Any ideas?

My PC is a Systemax Athlon 900 MHz, with 128 MB of RAM,
running Windows XP Home

 

[Ted Harvey]

I have a very similar or the same problem. My taskbar
freezes up and/or portions of it disappear. I usually
end up ending the explorer process in task manager and
restarting explorer. Inevitably the problem returns. I
have this same problem on my desktop and my laptop. Do
you know which update you installed right before it
started to happen?



Dell Precision 340 Workstation P4 2.8 GHz 1 GB Ram

Tohsiba Tecra 9100 Mobile P4 1.7 GHz 768 Ram



Both running Windows XP Pro with all the updates.



Thanks for any information,



Ted

 

[Joe Rego]

Unfortunately, I wasn't really paying attention to which
update was being installed--so much for my blind faith in
Windows Update!

The problem is on my kids' machine, and there were about
9 updates stacked up and waiting to be installed (thanks,
kids). I was installing them one at a time and
restarting between installs even when not told to. I do
know that the specific update was about 2.1MB in size,
and the remaining ones were all small, a few hundred KB
each.

What I do notice is that explorer is no longer listed as
a running process in the task manager. Attempts to start
it manually don't seem to work. Hence I have no desktop
icons as well as no task bar. Luckily, my wireless
network seems to be working, so I can still get online,
but I can't find any info in the MS knowledgebase about
this problem.

 

[Guest]

-----Original Message-----
After running Windows Update and installing a critical
update, I was instructed to restart my computer.

After the computer restarted, I logged on under my user
name, and saw nothing but a blank desktop--no start menu,
no task bar, no system tray. The only way I can run
programs is by pressing Ctl-Alt-Delete and using the task
manager. Most programs seem to run, but with various
glitches. For instance, I can run Internet Explorer, and
access the Windows support site, but when I go to Windows
Update I just see a blank window, so I can't run any more
updates.

I've been searching the knowledge base, but I don't see
anything like this. Any ideas?

My PC is a Systemax Athlon 900 MHz, with 128 MB of RAM,
running Windows XP Home
.

Sounds like you cought a Virus. Try reinstalling the
operating system

 

[**Steven**]

What the heck is all this crap? You don't re-install your OS just because
you got a virus. You can do a repair with your winxp disk and you should get
a good antivirus program like norton. To do the repair, boot from your CD
with the disk in place and go through the steps like you are installing. Do
not use the recovery console. You will get an option to repair and all you
have to do is accept.