[traelough]

I just completed an OS repair on a laptop and when I rebooted it went through the start-up process fine and gets me to the desktop. Only problem is there are no icons, menus, toolbars, or any other way to access the system. My questions are 1) how do I get past the desktop, 2) how do I make sure the OS is repaired? HELP!!

THe computer tells me I need to activate my copy of windows. how do I do that if I cant get to the desktop.

Edited by traelough, 04 June 2011 - 11:13 AM.

[Advertisements]

Try pressing Ctrl+Alt+Del to start Task Manager.
Click on File then New Task (Run).
Type explorer and press Enter.

See if that brings up the desktop icons and Taskbar.

[Ztruker]

Try pressing Ctrl+Alt+Del to start Task Manager.
Click on File then New Task (Run).
Type explorer and press Enter.

See if that brings up the desktop icons and Taskbar.

[traelough]

I tried CTL + ALT + Delete, the Windows Button, enter, escape, everything I could think of and the only thing I see is the desktop background picture. when I boot to safe mode it comes up with just a blank black screen just like it is in regular windows(no Icons, no Start Button, toolbars, anything). I even tried just rebooting and nothing seems to work.

[Ztruker]

How did you do the Repair? Please describe what you did or what directions you were following.

Do you have your data backed up? If so, you could do a Clean Install rather than a Repair Install which should resolve the problem.

[traelough]

To do the OS repair I put in the Win XP pro SP3 install disk. Boot from DVD. press enter for install. press r for repair on C:, let it run, chose English, chose CST, entered product key, and finished running. It got to the Microsoft thinking bar screen and stalled with an hourglass(more that 3 hrs). I powered down and powered up. At the blue xp welcome screen it tells me that my OS needs to be activated before I continue. I press activate now. It goes to the desktop screen and show no icons, taskbars, anything other than the persons personal desktop picture. It doesn't respond to keyboard or mouse inputs at all. Just shows the desktop picture.

[Ztruker]

I would say you're going to have to do a Clean Install then. Back up your data first.

A good tutorial here: How to Reformat and Reinstall your Operating System