Help! All software missing upon startup!

Question

When I started up my Dell Desktop tonight, a message popped up before my user screen it was in a dialouge box with a click okay at the bottom of it.  I couldn't cancel it, so I hit okay.  Everything was normal on startup, except that now all of the icons on my software programs on my desktop are gone.  They have been replaced with generic windows icons.  If I click on anyone of them, it says the software cannot be found.  It asks to find the program on the internet or manually find it.  If I choose the internet option, it always comes up software not found.  Ironically, the internet is the only thing now working on my computer.  If anyone can tell me how this happened and what I can do to fix it, I would greatly appreciate it : )

PudgyOne · Answer

Did you try going to System Restore? Go back to a day before this happened.   Click on start/programs/accessories/system tools/system restore

bananamae27 · Answer

Yes, I just tried that.  Even that say 'Windows cannot open this file: System Restrore.Ink   To open this file, Windows needs to know what program created it.  Windows can go online to look it up automatically, or you can manually select from a list of programs on your computer.'  Then it gives me the option of using the web or selecting the program from a list.  It does this with every since program on my computer, except the internet. I may know what caused this, my Lava Ad-Watch went crazy the night before this happened.  It started telling me there was a treat to the registry and asked me to accept or block all these items.  I'm had a big problem with viruses and hackers in the past, so I blocked everything.  It was a lot of programs, but I thought I was blocking hackers.  After this is when all my programs disappeared.  Is there a way I can fix this?

PudgyOne · Answer

I would consider a Windows Repair.

Insert the Windows Xp disk and restart the computer. Press any key to boot off the cd

Choose install

Do the agreement

Now choose repair. Follow the instructions. You shouldn't lose any files or folders. If you think you will, I burn backup copies of anything you don't want to lose. Doing this periodically doesn't hurt.

After you have everything back, you'll have to go to Windows Updates and get them all again.

Everything should work again.

Windows General

Help! All software missing upon startup!

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