Desktop icons have disappeared, what should I do? Four ways to restore desktop shortcuts

The desktop has disappeared: shortcuts and the taskbar from the Start menu do not appear.

What to do if shortcuts and the taskbar from the “START” menu disappeared from the desktop...

The article is applicable for Windows 2000/XP/Vista/7.

Requirements.
To perform the actions specified in this article, you must have local administrator rights on the computer. The article is applicable for Windows 2000/XP/Vista/7.

Information.
If the desktop does not appear when the computer boots, i.e. instead of the usual shortcuts and taskbar, only the background image is displayed on the screen, then most likely your computer has been attacked by viruses (unless, of course, you have broken something yourself).

Desktop recovery.

Attention!

Before performing the steps listed in this article, scan your computer for viruses. Otherwise, you will correct errors, and after a reboot the viruses will again do everything as they need.

Method No. 1.
Let's start with the simplest. You need to check the option that disables the display of icons on the desktop:

Windows 2000.

2. In the menu that opens, select \”Active Desktop”\;

Windows XP.
1. Right-click on the desktop;
2. In the menu that opens, select the item \"Arrange icons"\;
3. In the expanded submenu, next to the item \"Display desktop icons\" there should be a checkmark. If there is no checkmark, then click on this item.

Windows Vista.
1. Right-click on the desktop;
2. In the menu that opens, select \”View”\;
3. In the expanded submenu, next to the item \"Display desktop icons\" there should be a checkmark. If there is no checkmark, then click on this item.

Note. The result will not appear immediately, but with a delay of 3 - 10 seconds, it all depends on the performance of the computer and its clutter.

Method No. 2.
If method No. 1 did not help, then we try to start the explorer.exe process manually. One of its tasks is to display the desktop:
1. On the keyboard, press and hold the \"Ctrl" \and \"Alt"\ buttons, and then press the \"Delete\" button;
2. In the \"Windows Task Manager\" window, go to the \"Applications\" tab;
3. On this tab, click the \"New task"\ button;
4. In the \"Create a new task"\ window\ in the \"Open"\ field, type the command explorer.exe and click \"OK"\;
5. Restart your computer;

Method No. 3 - For Windows XP/Vista only.
If in method No. 2 an error appears that the explorer.exe file was not found or the problem remains after a reboot, then you should try to perform a system restore:
1. In the \"Start"\ menu, open sequentially:
\"Programs"\ » \"Standard"\ » \"Service"\

2. In the \"Service"\ menu, click on the item \"System Restore"\;

Note. If there is no such item, then follow these steps:
- From the \"Start"\ menu, select \"Run"\;
- In the open field, type the command %SystemRoot%\\system32\\restore\\rstrui.exe
- click the \"OK"\ button;

3. In the \"System Restore"\ window on the right side of the window, select \"Restoring the computer to an earlier state"\ and press the button \"Next"\;
4. In the calendar, select the day in which there is a checkpoint, such days are highlighted in bold;

Note. Choose a day on which your computer worked normally, i.e. if you remember that three days ago the computer started normally, then select a point that was three days ago. If there are no control points, then most likely you have disabled the option to create control points and you will have to proceed to method No. 4.
At the same time, read the article \"Enabling and disabling system recovery in Windows XP"\.

Method No. 4.
If system restore does not help, then you will have to go into the system registry:
1. On the keyboard, press and hold the buttons \"Ctrl"\ And \"Alt"\ and then click the button \"Delete"\;
2. In the \"Windows Task Manager\" window, go to the tab \"Applications"\;
3. On this tab, click the button \"New task..."\;
4. In the \"Create a new task\" window in the \"Open"\ field, enter the command regedit and press the button \"OK"\;
5. In the \"Registry Editor\" window on the left side, sequentially expand the registry keys to the section \"Image File Execution Options"\:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SOFTWARE/Microsoft/WindowsNT/CurrentVersion/Image File Execution Options/

6. Expand the \"Image File Execution Options\" section and look for the \"explorer.exe"\ and \"iexplorer.exe"\ subsections;

If any of the subsections are found, then it must be deleted.

7. Right-click on the subsection and in the menu that opens, select the item \"Delete"\;
8. When asked to confirm deletion, press the button \"Yes"\;
9. Now let’s check the launch parameters explorer.exe, to do this, expand the registry keys to the section \"Winlogon"\:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SOFTWARE/Microsoft/WindowsNT/CurrentVersion/Winlogon/

10. Left-click on the section \"Winlogon"\ and in the right part of the registry editor window we find the parameter \"Shell"\;
11. Right-click on this parameter and select the menu item \"Change"\;
12. In the \"Change string parameter"\ window, the value should be written explorer.exe and nothing more, if it is not so, then correct it;
13. Press the button \"OK"\, close all windows and restart your computer;

Article taken from open sources: http://www.pc-problems.ru/index.php?s=4&idk=17&idpk=23&ida=128

Greetings to all readers of my blog and this is Denis Trishkin again.

Some computer users may encounter a situation where they turned on the device and saw that the icons from the Windows 7 desktop had disappeared. If you have this situation, do not immediately panic and immediately reinstall the operating system. There are many reasons why this could happen. So, for example, in the office it often becomes just a joke on the part of employees. Or this is the result of a virus. In any case, the situation is fixable, so don’t immediately panic and think about buying new equipment.

Solution( )

There are many options to help cope with this problem. What to do depends on the causes of the malfunction. Next, I will try to talk about all possible solutions.

So, how can you get your icons back on your desktop without much effort? To begin with, you can simply restart the system. After all, no matter how reliable it is, processes can still occur that affect the performance of the computer and programs as a whole.

If this does not help, right-click on an empty space on the monitor and select “ View", and then the line "". Everything should return to its place. To be sure, you can pin the icons. Then they will be located in the right order and place.

If this does not lead to success, we install an antivirus (if there is none), update the database and check the system. Often it is malware that causes chaos.

But sometimes all of the above may lead to nothing. In this option, you will have to do more complex manipulations:

Thus, we return the active desktop. These types of errors occur due to equipment overload. This method also helps when the pictures disappear, but the inscriptions remain.

If this does not help, perhaps you should think about whether a serious error has occurred. To fix it, you should resort to work " System Restore" To do this:

After some time, everything should return to its place.

You can read more about system recovery in

If the desktop icons still haven’t appeared, it’s time to fix the registry, as problems could arise due to errors in it. We make several movements:

Additional information( )

In addition to restoring icons, sometimes there is a need to simply change icons, because they may not fit the overall theme or are simply boring. To do this, go to “”, where we select “”. On the left side of the menu you can find the line you need.

By the way, sometimes some users (again as a prank) simply change the icons to transparent ones. Because of this, the signature remains, but the picture itself does not. Therefore, you should first try to restore everything in a simple way, and only then resort to complex ones.

Windows itself has a limited number of files with the extension " *.ico" This situation can be corrected by simply downloading icons from trusted resources. This will help you customize your shell in as much detail as possible so that each element looks harmonious.

Such drawings are created in special programs. In fact, they are simple graphic editors. Today it is considered the most popular program for icons. It provides well-known effects that allow you to create the pictures that are right for you.

It is important to note that when creating, the artist works with large icons - full-fledged pictures. And only after everything is done, the large drawing turns into a small icon. In this case, the icon size usually does not exceed 32*32 pixels. It's important to remember this when you're working on your own drawing. After all, not everyone will look equally good in large and small sizes.enlarge

Well, as you can see, there are many reasons for icons disappearing from the desktop - from practical jokes to serious problems with the system. Despite this, there are many ways to cope with any troubles.

In addition, you can improve the appearance of your operating system by changing the desired small pictures. Special tools and programs are provided for this.

I hope my article helped you. Subscribe to always know useful information about your computer.

Sometimes a situation happens that after the next boot of Windows (98, XP, vista, 7) there are no shortcuts, icons, or even the start menu or taskbar on the desktop.

The process is responsible for the external display of the system in Windowsexplorer.exe, and if you press ctrl+alt+del, or ctrl+shift+esc thereby launchingtask manager, then you won’t find it there in the “processes” tab. This could happen due to the action of viruses. If, when you try to start the task manager, there is no reaction, boot the computer in safe mode (F8 key when loading Windows) and try again.

To fix the problem, first of all you need to determine whether the file remains on the system at allexplorer.exeso that it can be launched. This can be done without Explorer, using the command line.

In the task manager, click “file->new task” and enter “cmd” there; Enter the command there

C:\Windows\explorer.exe

if your OS is installed on another drive, then instead of C:\ enter the drive on which you have the system installed).

If you don’t know what drive the system is installed on, then enter the following into the command line:

%windir%\explorer.exe

In this case, the system itself will substitute the required disk on which it is installed.

If the result is everything desktop icons and the taskbar will appear, then the explorer.exe file has not been deleted from the computer and most likely you will only need to correct a few registry files.

If you see an error message that such a file does not exist, then you will need to copy the explorer.exe file to the Windows system folder yourself. If explorer.exe itself generated the error, then delete it:

DEL C:\Windows\explorer.exe

Solution:

1. The file explorer.exe is on the computer.

To launch the registry editor again, click “file->new task” in the task manager and enter the “regedit” command. Next you need to do the following:
a) In the Registry Editor, select: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon. Then look at the right panel. The Shell parameter value must be Explorer.exe. If it is not, change it to Explorer.exe.
b) We are trying to find: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Image File Execution Options. If there is a subsection explorer.exe or iexplorer.exe, delete it (right-click -> Delete).
After this, restart your computer. If this still does not help, then perhaps explorer.exe is damaged and should still be replaced.

2. The file explorer.exe was not found on the computer.

If you have an installation disk for your Windows, then you can find the explorer.ex_ file right there in the i386 folder, rename it explorer.exe and use it. You can rename it in any file manager, or you can go to the control panel, select folder properties -> view, and uncheck the box next to “hide file extensions”. If not, then you will have to find a computer with the same Windows as yours and copy the file from there from the Windows folder.

We copy the resulting file, for example, to the root directory of your flash drive and paste it into the broken computer. Run the command line on it again cmd. We consider what kind of media the inserted flash drive is (this will be the last available disk). There we enter the command “E:”, or “F:”, or another... (depending on what kind of disk the flash drive is). Next, if explorer.exe is in the root folder, enter the command:

copy explorer.exe C:\Windows

copy explorer.exe %WINDIR%

As a result, it should be written that 1 file was successfully copied.

Restart your computer and everything should work.

These are the most basic simple ways to solve this problem. If that doesn’t work, you can also try to restore the system, but the most effective way is of course reinstall Windows.

Shortcuts– this is the thing that every user encounters when working on a computer, smartphone or tablet. They serve to ensure that the user has quick access to the necessary programs, documents or folders. Most often, users launch various applications using shortcuts and don’t even realize it.

But recently, I had a problem. After starting the computer, I discovered that on the desktop, on absolutely all shortcuts, icons were not displayed; instead, an image of a Windows window appeared. The first thought that came to my mind was that there was a virus on my computer due to which all the icons on the shortcuts disappeared.

Without thinking for a long time, I, with the help of . After waiting for about half an hour, a result appeared saying that the computer was clean and no virus programs were found on it. Of course, I knew that checking with an antivirus would not return the missing icons from the shortcuts, but I did this in order to prevent a similar situation from reoccurring in the future.

So, since the antivirus didn’t detect anything, I started working on icons. Personally, I have a lot of different shortcuts for launching programs on my desktop, as well as a considerable number of folders to which I needed express access. Therefore, the prospect of creating icons again using the “Send to Desktop” menu did not make me very happy. So, I started searching for an alternative solution to this problem.

And as it turns out, there is a solution to this problem, and a very simple one. It was thanks to him that, having written several commands, I returned the shortcut icons that were not displayed, all at once, spending a few minutes on it. And since this method helped me, I hasten to share it with you.

Bringing back missing shortcut icons

As I mentioned earlier, to return the missing icons we need to write several commands. I think you already guessed that this will need to be done in “ Command line" So, by opening " Start"We go into all programs in which we look for the standard folder. In it we find the item “ Command line", on which by right-clicking, select " Run as administrator».

So, in the launched utility, let’s draw each command in the order in which I indicate below, and after typing the required line, click “ Enter»

Temporarily remove the running Explorer process (required to perform further actions) by typing the following line: taskkill /im explorer.exe /f;
Next we write: cd %userprofile%\appdata\local;
attrib -h IconCache.db;
Delete the cache of icons and icons: del IconCache.db
Now, let’s run the explorer back: explorer;
We check and rejoice at the successful result;

After all these actions, the missing icons appeared back, and the shortcuts began to look the same as before. It may be that in some cases, after executing the commands, you will need to restart the computer, so if your icons have not been restored or the explorer has not started, then be sure to do this.

Oh yes, if you want to stay updated on various bug fixes, then join us on social media. networks or subscribe to updates, so you definitely won’t miss anything.

Shortcut icons disappeared on the desktop in Windows 7

7 or 8, all shortcuts, icons, even the start menu and taskbar disappeared on the desktop. This can also happen due to viruses, or accidental deletion of system files or registry data. In this article, we have collected the main ways to solve the problem of restoring the display of shortcuts on the desktop.

Solution:

The file explorer.exe is missing

The fact is that the explorer.exe process is responsible for external display in Windows, and if you press CTRL+ALT+DEL, or CTRL+SHIFT+ESC to launch the task manager, it is missing in the “processes” tab. This could happen due to the action of viruses. If you try to launch the task manager, but no response occurs, try restarting the computer in safe mode (F8 key while Windows is loading) and try again.

To solve the problem, the first step is to determine whether the explorer.exe file remains on the system at all so that it can be launched. This can be done without Explorer, using the command line.

In the task manager, click “File - New task” and enter “cmd” there; Enter the command there:

C:\Windows\explorer.exe

if your OS is installed on another drive, then instead of C:\ enter the drive on which you installed the system).

If you don’t know what drive the system is installed on, then enter the following into the command line:

in this case, the system itself will substitute the required disk on which it is installed.

If, as a result, all desktop icons and the taskbar appear, then the explorer.exe file has not been deleted from the computer and most likely you will only need to correct a few registry files.

DEL C:\Windows\explorer.exe

Check icon display function

Let's start with the simplest. You need to check the option that disables the display of icons on the desktop:

For Windows 2000

In the menu that opens, select “Active Desktop”;

For Windows XP

Right-click on the desktop;
In the menu that opens, select “Arrange icons”;
In the expanded submenu, next to the item “Display desktop icons” there should be a checkmark. If there is no checkmark, then click on this item.

For Windows Vista and 7

Right-click on the desktop;
In the menu that opens, select “View”;
In the expanded submenu, next to the item “Display desktop icons” there should be a checkmark. If there is no checkmark, then click on this item.

There is an explorer.exe file on the computer

To launch the Registry Editor, click “file->new task” again in the task manager and enter the “regedit” command. Next you need to do the following:

In the Registry Editor, select: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon. Then look at the right panel. The Shell parameter value must be Explorer.exe. If it is not, change it to Explorer.exe.
We are trying to find: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Image File Execution Options. If there is a subsection explorer.exe or iexplorer.exe, delete it (right-click -> Delete).

After this, restart your computer. If this still does not help, then perhaps explorer.exe is damaged and should still be replaced.

The file explorer.exe was not found on the computer

We copy the resulting file, for example, to the root directory of your flash drive and paste it into the broken computer. Run the cmd command line on it again. We consider what kind of media the inserted flash drive is (this will be the last available disk). There we enter the command “E:”, or “F:”, or another... (depending on what kind of disk the flash drive is). Next, if explorer.exe is in the root folder, enter the command:

copy explorer.exe C:\Windows

copy explorer.exe %WINDIR%

As a result, it should be written that 1 file was successfully copied.

Restart your computer and everything should work.

These are the most basic simple ways to solve this problem. If that doesn’t work, you can also try to restore the system, but the most effective way is, of course, to reinstall Windows.

5. System Restore

If in method No. 2 an error appears that the explorer.exe file was not found or the problem remains after a reboot, then you should try to perform a system restore:

In the “Start” menu, open sequentially: “Programs” - “Accessories” - “System Tools”
In the "Utilities" menu, click on "System Restore". Note. If there is no such item, then follow these steps: in the “Start” menu, select “Run”. In the open field, type the command %SystemRoot%\system32\restore\rstrui.exe and click “OK”;
In the “System Restore” window, on the right side of the window, select “Restore your computer to an earlier state” and click the “Next” button;
In the calendar, select the day that has a checkpoint, such days are highlighted in bold. Choose a day on which your computer worked normally, i.e. if you remember that three days ago the computer started normally, then select a point that was three days ago. If there are no control points, then most likely you have disabled the option to create control points and you will have to proceed to method No. 4.
Having selected the day, click the “Next” button;
We listen to the advice written in the window (written in red) and click the “Next” button;
We are waiting for the process to complete;

6. Registry fix

If system restore does not help, then you will have to go into the system registry:

On your keyboard, press and hold the Ctrl+Alt+Delete buttons;
In the Windows Task Manager window, go to the Applications tab;
On this tab, click the “New task...” button;
In the “Create a new task” window, in the “Open” field, type the regedit command and click “OK”;
In the “Registry Editor” window on the left side, sequentially expand the registry keys to the “Image File Execution Options” section: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SOFTWARE/Microsoft/WindowsNT/CurrentVersion/Image File Execution Options/
Expand the “Image File Execution Options” section and look for the “explorer.exe” and “iexplorer.exe” subsections. If any of the subsections are found, then it must be deleted.
Right-click on the subsection and in the menu that opens, select “Delete”;
When asked to confirm deletion, click the “Yes” button;
Now let’s check the launch parameters of explorer.exe; to do this, expand the registry keys to the “Winlogon” section: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SOFTWARE/Microsoft/WindowsNT/CurrentVersion/Winlogon/
Left-click on the “Winlogon” section and in the right part of the Registry Editor window we find the “Shell” parameter;
Right-click on this parameter and select the “Change” menu item;
In the “Change string parameter” window, the value field should say explorer.exe and nothing else, if this is not the case, then correct it;
Click OK, close all windows and restart your computer

7. Recovering hidden shortcuts on the desktop

The “hidden” attribute may have been set on all folders and files on the desktop. To check whether this is true or not, go to “Start -> Control Panel -> Folder Options”, open the “View” tab, go to the end of the list of options and set the “Hidden files and folders” switch to the “Show hidden files and folders” position .

If after this the contents of the desktop begin to be displayed, then to restore the display of your shortcuts, files and folders, you need to remove the “hidden” attribute from them. This can be done as follows:

We go to “Start -> Run”, write “cmd” there and click “Ok” - the command line should start.

Remove the “hidden” attribute from all files and folders on a shared desktop with this command (you may need administrator rights for this):

attrib /D /S -h “%ALLUSERSPROFILE%/Desktop/*”

Now make all files and folders on your desktop unhidden with this command:

attrib /D /S -h “%USERPROFILE%/Desktop/*”

Just in case, click on an empty space on the desktop and press F5 to refresh the desktop.

If previously missing icons, files and folders from the desktop are no longer faded in color, then they are no longer hidden and you can set “Do not show hidden files and folders” in the “Folder Options” window.