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Black/Empty Desktop


MtK

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So you can start the machine and log on without a problem, the task bar & start menu are presented, but no wallpaper and no desktop icons (not even Recycle Bin) appear?

If you right-click on the blank desktop, what options are presented on the context menu?

If you click the Start button then click your user name, does it open an Explorer window with the various folders in your profile, one of which should be "Desktop"?

If so, if you drill down into Desktop do you see your icons in there?

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Ummm, lots of files repaired. Is it now running OK?

no :)

Your tiny HD explains the fast CHKDSK. What is the other 90 Gb, is that Drive D? If so, you should run

CHKDSK D: /R/F

CHKDSK found nothing to repair fo both D: and E:...

Looming will be a full re-install. I hope your data is backed up.

system is on C, while important data is on a different partition (D & E).

Do you have the OS disk to run a repair install from there?

I have the disk, but after the installer loads, I can see the installer background with the mouse pointer - that's it...

So you can start the machine and log on without a problem, the task bar & start menu are presented, but no wallpaper and no desktop icons (not even Recycle Bin) appear?

exactly.

the WIN keyboard button doesn't work, but with the mouse I can open the menu.

If you right-click on the blank desktop, what options are presented on the context menu?

no context-menu on the desktop...

If you click the Start button then click your user name, does it open an Explorer window with the various folders in your profile, one of which should be "Desktop"?

If so, if you drill down into Desktop do you see your icons in there?

I have no Windows Explorer.

no matter how I try to open it, it hangs for a few seconds and closed by itself.

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Check to see what HAL you are using. Also did you make any changes to the BIOS? This could cause the Power Management error with the CPU. Also check your Suspend State in the BIOS too.

no changes were made...

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It sounds like one or more of the many shell DLLs has a problem, or maybe some shell extension - did you do any kind of "takeown" under %systemroot%, or clean up of the WinSxS folder at some point in the past?

Was the installation vLite'd?

Or was there some custom/unattended installation used? I see a fair bit of file recovery being done in your Component Based Servicing log...

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It sounds like one or more of the many shell DLLs has a problem, or maybe some shell extension - did you do any kind of "takeown" under %systemroot%, or clean up of the WinSxS folder at some point in the past?

Was the installation vLite'd?

Or was there some custom/unattended installation used? I see a fair bit of file recovery being done in your Component Based Servicing log...

nothing.

once upon a time this was a clean installation of Vista...

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Can you create a new user account and log on as that user to verify if they have the same problem?

Also, did I read correctly that if you boot from the Vista DVD you get nothing but the blue-ish background and a mouse pointer, you don't even get any menu at all?

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Can you create a new user account and log on as that user to verify if they have the same problem?

I already tried that when I activated the Administrator account - it took a few minutes to create the desktop, but it was still the same.

but now I've tried again, with a new test user, the Explorer is back!!!!

Also, did I read correctly that if you boot from the Vista DVD you get nothing but the blue-ish background and a mouse pointer, you don't even get any menu at all?

yes, but after a few tries the installation continued properly (lucky me)...

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I already tried that when I activated the Administrator account - it took a few minutes to create the desktop, but it was still the same.

but now I've tried again, with a new test user, the Explorer is back!!!!

Creating a new user account is always a useful test, as the Administrator account is already present, only disabled.

Having a new, never-logged-on-before and non-well-known-GUID user account log on is a useful method of determining between a user profile and a system issue.

So is the desktop back for all users, or just when you log on as this new test user?

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but now I've tried again, with a new test user, the Explorer is back!!!!

let me rephrase that: explorer is back, but I cannot enter any of my drives... :(

(though I can now see the drive's properties)

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Creating a new user account is always a useful test, as the Administrator account is already present, only disabled.

Having a new, never-logged-on-before and non-well-known-GUID user account log on is a useful method of determining between a user profile and a system issue.

The Administrator account was never used - the desktop for that user was just created.

So is the desktop back for all users, or just when you log on as this new test user?

nothing is fixed, but the fact that the Explorer can no be open - but just that...

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let me rephrase that: explorer is back, but I cannot enter any of my drives... :(

(though I can now see the drive's properties)

By "explorer" do you mean the desktop & icons, or you can now successfully start an explorer.exe process and get a window up, or you can click on your user name from the Start menu and actually get a window up in which you can navigate between folders?

And when you say you cannot enter any of your drives but can see the properties (through the right-click context menu?), do you get any error when you double-click on a drive letter, or does nothing happen, or does the window process hang?

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By "explorer" do you mean the desktop & icons, or you can now successfully start an explorer.exe process and get a window up, or you can click on your user name from the Start menu and actually get a window up in which you can navigate between folders?

by explorer I mean Windows Wxplorer (file browser) - the explorer.exe process is running...

And when you say you cannot enter any of your drives but can see the properties (through the right-click context menu?), do you get any error when you double-click on a drive letter, or does nothing happen, or does the window process hang?

yes, now I'm able to open the File Browser, see the drivers (C, D, E) and right-click + properties...

(but that's it, I cannot see any of the drive's content)

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How about the Windows key, does that now bring up the Start menu?

If you enter C: in the Start/Search (or Start/Run) fields, does a window open up with the contents of that volume?

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How about the Windows key, does that now bring up the Start menu?

If you enter C: in the Start/Search (or Start/Run) fields, does a window open up with the contents of that volume?

window key, still doesn't bring the menu, but I can use the Win+R combination to command/run window.

when I write C:, the window explorer opens, and after about a sec closes (without showing anything)...

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