when i boot my pc up now, i dont get the start bar or and desktop icons - all i get is a pop up about some crap - thats how i can still get on the internet!!
i have ran norton system works and theres nothing there also ran norton anti virus with updated virus definitions and theres no virus there so whats up with it?
when i go to shut the pc down by pressing ctrl alt and delete the start bar and desktop icons appear just before the pc shuts down?!?!?
i can navigate through the pc using internet explorer but nowt else really

any ideas guys?

thanx in advance

right click on the screen-->active desktop-->show icons. To retreive start bar, take your mouse to the bottom of the screen and see if you can pull it up by dragging it. Sounds stupid but a co-worker had the same problem and thats what I did.

when i right click on the screen nothing happens - the start bar isnt hidden either :-(
is there a hot key to "show desktop"?

Have you tried going into safe mode? Does it give you your desktop there?

how do i get safe mode on win xp?

During the boot process hit F8, and it should give the option to choose safe mode.

Originally posted by poorlittlesparrow
how do i get safe mode on win xp?

Restart the computer and repeatedly press the F8 key until you see the Advanced menu (black screen) Next select the option for Safe Mode. When you get to the Desktop go to Start->Programs->Accessories->System Tools->System Restore and use it to revert back to a date when the computer was working correctly. Do not go too far back.

You should install and run Spybot S&D to see if you have encountered some parasite that has caused this problem. Make sure you update Spybot S&D before you run it though http://www.safer-networking.org/index.php?l·
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