[kxhost]

Hi all,

A friend of mine is running Windows XP, however has a bit of a problem on his hands!

The computer boots up fine, you click your account to log into, it takes longer than usual to login, but the desktop doesn't load!

I tried opening task manager (via ctrl + alt + del) and run Explorer, but with no joy! It just opens his "My Documents" directory. All his files etc are still on his computer (thankfully, as he runs his business off it!)

I've tried replacing the explorer.exe file with a working one, just incase his was corrupt, but with no luck

He had been using Bulldog AV/Firewall.

Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated! Feel free to request any other information and i'll try my best to answer!

Kind regards,

Josh

 

[tosh9i]

can you boot up in safemode

 

[kxhost]

Hi thanks for the response!

Yep I can boot in safemode, but even logging on as Administrator I experience the same problem! Only the wallpaper loads!

Regards

Josh

 

[J_S_Y_2005]

rey to rollback to a previous system restore point in safe mode

 

[Tyler21]

i have the same problem, my desktop is gone, been a long time tho to so i cant do a system restore, theres no task bar at the bottom, or start tab thingy hehe. I cant open control panel or other things such things that require the windows explorer, when i do try my task bar and start menu flash breifly on the bottom but dissappear as fast as it comes. How do i fix this? i was told also by a friend to open in safe mode to see if it would auto repair that didnt work either.
i have to do all my opening programs and such through task bar.
Geekgirl save me!! :-D or neone that has had this problem and has fixed it :-d thanks lots !!

 

[tosh9i]

Tyler21, have you tried Ctrl - alt - delete > File > New Task > sfc /scannow

 

[Tyler21]

like i'm suppose to know how to do that so just type sfc or scannow?

 

[Tyler21]

when i put in sfc a black box pops up, and then dissappears nice and fast, and when i type in scannow it says windoes cannotfind 'scannow'/ make sure u typed name in correctly and try again so on so forth

 

[tosh9i]

This "is" how you're supposed to type it, "exactly":

sfc /scannow

make note of the space after sfc

 

[kxhost]

rey to rollback to a previous system restore point in safe mode

How? :1angel: Never had to do that before so havn't a clue how to? Bare in mind in safe mode I also have no taskbar etc!

 

[Tyler21]

its doing a windows file protection and i had to put in my windows disc so this maybe suppose to fix it?

 

[Tyler21]

umm it finished but didnt say nething after wards...going to restart to see if nething happens

 

[Tyler21]

ya nothing happened booo any other suggestions ??

editted: ok so i am running it again, and the first time it kept asking me once and awhile to insert my windows os disc, so i did, and it kept asking for it, and i know my cd rom drive works, maybe its the wrong disc? it says operating ssystems on the top and says windows xp home edition on it and that its a reinstall dic, is this not the right one?

 

[JL_COG]

Try a repair install - boot with CD in and choose repair when the option is available to reinstall system files and keep your installed programs, JL.

 

[kxhost]

Think last time I clicked the repair option on my XP Disk, it started in a dos based environment. How do I repair it from ther!?!

 

[J_S_Y_2005]

Here is a link for instructions on how to do a repair install. Make sure you read it through before you try and do it and make sure to back up any important data you might want first. here is the link and good luck: http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm

 

[Tyler21]

seems to much work for lil ol me to do and to high of a risks to do otherwise :-/ and the fac tthat its all down through going to start menu and that to back stuff up, as we dont have a start menu cuz no explorer, makes it harder :-/

 

[JL_COG]

that's the wrong repair option - there is another just a bit later in the install process. Use it.

 

[J_S_Y_2005]

XP Repair install

Please read carefully and make sure you followed the warning links before initiating the Repair Install. You can print a text version for reference. repair.txt

Boot the computer using the XP CD. You may need to change the boot order in the system BIOS so the CD boots before the hard drive. Check your system documentation for steps to access the BIOS and change the boot order.
When you see the "Welcome To Setup" screen, you will see the options below
This portion of the Setup program prepares Microsoft
Windows XP to run on your computer:

To setup Windows XP now, press ENTER.

To repair a Windows XP installation using Recovery Console, press R.

To quit Setup without installing Windows XP, press F3.

Press Enter to start the Windows Setup. do not choose "To repair a Windows XP installation using the Recovery Console, press R", (you Do Not want to load Recovery Console). I repeat, do not choose "To repair a Windows XP installation using the Recovery Console, press R".
Accept the License Agreement and Windows will search for existing Windows installations.
Select the XP installation you want to repair from the list and press R to start the repair. If Repair is not one of the options, END setup. After the reboot read Warning#2!
Setup will copy the necessary files to the hard drive and reboot. Do not press any key to boot from CD when the message appears. Setup will continue as if it were doing a clean install, but your applications and settings will remain intact.

Warning!! #2
If the Repair Option is not Available
What should I do? Most important do not ignore the information below!

If the option to Repair Install is NOT available and you continue with the install; you will delete your Windows folder and the Documents and Settings folders. All applications installed that place keys in the registry will need to be re-installed and will require the original install media.

You should exit setup if the repair option is not available and consider other options. I have found if the Repair option is not available, you have a few paths I have listed below to try before XP requires a Clean install.

Another option to consider since the cost of 100 gig hard drives has dropped to well under $75 would be to disconnect the current hard drive and install a clean XP from retail disks or restore media to a new hard drive. You can then connect the original hard drive after configuring the jumpers to a slave drive. You can retreive important files. One thing to remember, if a hard drive has not been formatted or written over by reinstalling, the data is accessabile. The less you access a hard drive after a non-boot episode; the better your chances of retreiving your data.

Very important!!

If you still have the ability to access the Windows XP installation, backup all important files not restorable from other sources before attempting any recovery console or other trouble shooting attempts.

 

[kxhost]

Ok excellent, will give that a try tomorrow! Will an XP Pro disk be OK to use on the XP Home PC? Can you confirm that I will not loose any documents!

Thanks!!

Josh