icons, start menu, taskbar missing after running Spybot...can access w/control-alt delete

HJey Dixie,

If you can access Spybot S&D, you can try using the Recovery feature.  Launch Spybot and click the Recovery button in the main window.  Select everything  listed (you can get rid of the bad stuff again later), then click "Recover selected items".  Click "Yes" in the confirmation screen, then OK.  There's an illustrated tutorial for configuring and using Spybot Here:  http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/index.php?showtutorial=43

If that doesn't work, you can try doing a system restore to a date before Spybot was used.

Hope this helps

George

found these instructions....but i don't know what they mean?

goto:  HKLM>software>microsoft>windowsxp>currentversion>winlogon>shell, edit the contents of the shell, tag to the explorer.exe.  reboot.   

Thanks,

Dixie

To do a "System Restore"

"Start | All Programs | Accessories | System Tools | System Restore".

Mike.

PS: Substiute 'left click' for each "|".

I had already tried the SPYBOT recovery with no luck.

I don't know how to do a system restore....I will try to do a search on instructions.

Thanks,

Dixie

Nothing happens when I rightclick.   I had already tried to access that thru CONTROL-ALT-DELETE....and found that viewing the icons was checked.

Thanks,

p.s.  I have found the problem on other forums.   Some folks have fixed it by unplugging everything, power & perephials....I tried that....but on a laptop how do you unplug the monitor???

I can find program files thru the task manger.   But I don;t see accessories.

how do I get to start without a start button?   I have to do it through control-alt delete.

Thanks.

Okay,  I did a system restore in safemode....with no luck....but the icons do show in safe mode!!!!  Just not in normal mode.

dixie precision,

Ok. When you reinstall your operating system it's IMPERITIVE that your not connected to the internet in any way, especially via a broadband connection! You need to, after powering down the computer, unplug the internet connection, then power back up, install the operating system, turn on ICF, or if you've got the SP2 diskette, install it, and use it's firewall. Then, install any anti-virus/trojan program(s) you have, power back down, plug the internet connection back in, then boot back up. Some people have been re-infected as soon as the NIC drivers are loaded and the networking setup up - long before windows is finished reloading.

First, when reinstalling XPHome, make sure you do a 'clean' install of windows. It's possible to put two copies of windows on the same harddrive. When you boot into "Safe Mode" does it show two difference occurances of Windows XP? To choose from?

If you have two copies of XPHome loaded onto the harddrive, your documents are still in the previous partitions; do you show multiple harddrive devices like c: d: e: ? If so, check in those. If you've actually done a 'clean' install, then your documents for all practical purposes are gone.

To rule out any hacker or software problems, we need to make sure, that we do a proper 'clean' reinstall of XPHome, after we backup any documents that you might have in a second windows partition (if it's there).

Second, we can use Dell's diagnostic utility to check your hardware out. If you've re-installed XPHome, this partition is gone, so we'll have to download it from Dell's website.

Something you can try now, if you can get to a "command line" on your computer is "CHKDSK". Let's see if it's turns something up. This program will scan your system drive (by default) WITHOUT fixing anything. If it turns something up, post back and we'll run it again using "CHKDSK /f".

Mike.