Windows won't start

[Mike F]

My desktop PC with Xp home crashed on 10/17/03.
It gets to the point where the user screen names are on
the screen, I can log in with my user name and password,
the wallpaper for my desktop shows up and then NOTHING!
I can click on Ctrl, Alt Del and bring up task manager
and although no programs are running there are all manner
of processes showing up.
If I click on File, new task, Run, I can see all the
items in a list of the items that belong on my desktop.
I have searched and searched some more for a chance at
system restore without success.
I have started in safe mode, and clicked on, NO which is
supposed to take the PC into system restore but again
NOTHING
I have a lot of data I don't want to lose, any ideas
about what may be wrong
Thanks

 

[Michael Solomon \(MS-MVP Windows Shell/User\)]

You need to treat this as though your user profile is corrupt. Please check
the following Knowledge Base Article:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q318011

Hope you will regularly backup your data in the future.