A friend has a computer problem

[Ariabella]

Just hoping someone here has ideas on what she can try. I'll copy and paste her problem below.

I have a sick computer again.  Bear has been so kind to try and help me with this problem.  I don't know if anyone else will be able to help but maybe you know someone that can.  The problem is that all my desktop icons are gone, my task bar is gone, an my start up menu is gone.
I have tried unplugging the computer and plugging it back in, systerm restore don't work, updating didn't help either.  I don't know what else to try.  I am using Windows Task Manager to get around.

Thanks all.

[HairyHeretic]

I did a quick bit of googling, and several of the hits I got mentioned that sounding like a virus.

Does your friend have up to date anti virus software? If not, that might be something to look at.

http://www.computerhope.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?num=1133772430 might also provide some useful info.

[Vekseid]

A temporary fix is to use Task Manager to kill explorer.exe (if it's running, which it usually isn't in cases like these) then file -> New Task -> explorer.exe

That will get your icons and such back.

Doe syour friend have the Windows install CD, by any chance?

[Ariabella]

That was my first thought as well. One lady advised her to right click on desktop to see if show icons was checked, but she said she's tried that and nothing happens. I've sent her the link, hopefully something on there will help her.

[Ariabella]

A temporary fix is to use Task Manager to kill explorer.exe (if it's running, which it usually isn't in cases like these) then file -> New Task -> explorer.exe

That will get your icons and such back.

Doe syour friend have the Windows install CD, by any chance?

That I don't know. Think she might have to reinstall?

[Vekseid]

That I don't know. Think she might have to reinstall?

Not entirely, but she should do a disk check first anyway.  Right-click on her C drive, select PRoperties -> Tools -> Error Checking -> Check now, click both options and keep an eye on it.  Naturally she'll want to follow my first bit of advice to get to that point.

If she has the original Windows install disks, there are more and better options, either using SFC or a repair install (which won't delete anything but fixes most problems if the disk is okay).

[Ariabella]

Thanks! I let her know!

[Keiro]

Sounds more like she has spyware and such.

I would suggest you go to http://techguy.org and check around.

Sorry, Vekseid, if I seem like as if I'm advertising, but am not.

I'm a member there, so I know lots more people who can help you via that site.

[Keiro]

Then again...if your friend isn't willing to register at TechGuy...well, here's what I'd like her to do...

If she has any antivirus software, have her update them, if she can get to them and run scans with it. Have her pick the option in the antivirus software to do a Full or Thorough Scan, depending on what company she gets it from.

But before she does do a scan with her antivirus, I want her to download Spybot Search and Destroy if she doesn't have it already, have her update it, immunize.

Also, have her download AdAware SE, Personal, I cannot remember the name of the AdAware scanner now. Update it, set it to full scan, then close the program.

Download and install, then update SpywareBlaster if she has XP.

After all this, have her reboot the computer into Safe Mode, then have her run the scans, one by one, till ALL of the programs say she's clean.

But she's not quite done just yet. Hopefully it'll solve the problem, but if it isn't, I'd like to know.