Task bar, desktop icons, everything dissapears but the background wallpaper, help

Drathluk

Reputable
Sep 13, 2014
7
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4,510
Hello, so I built my new computer myself like month and everything, but I started having a common problem that has been killing me. At random times, like not even when I leave my computer alone, just at random times, sometimes everything on my computer would disappear leaving only my background image alone. I can't open task manager or anything, all I can do is shut down the computer then turn it on. This would happen several times a day, either when I'm surfing the Internet or playing games.

Here's some information that might help, I have free avast anti-virus and upgraded Malwarebytes antimalware. Sorry but this is really making me paranoid, I keep getting the feeling I'm being spied on. Thanks in advance to anyone willing to help.
 
Solution


Don't know if you've solved the problem yet, but I have some different information about what you might see when you right-click on the desktop.

When I did that, I didn't see Personalize or Display either, so I chose Graphic Options and then Output To, and...

Drathluk

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Sep 13, 2014
7
0
4,510


Huh? Sorry but I don't understand, I looked in Personalize and I don't really see what you mean.

No I didn't add any second screen, plus this thing happened at random times, why would the second screen appear at random times? I think the issue is somewhere else.
 

Wolfshadw

Titan
Moderator
It you had a second monitor attached to your system, then it would seem that your displays had been swapped. All of your desktop icons and task bard would likely have appeared on the second monitor. If this is not the case and you do not have a second monitor attached, then it's likely a problem with Windows Explorer resetting improperly.

I'd probably be looking at hard disk errors/bad sectors and perhaps re-installing Windows.

-Wolf sends
 

DanMishkin

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Oct 30, 2014
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4,520


Don't know if you've solved the problem yet, but I have some different information about what you might see when you right-click on the desktop.

When I did that, I didn't see Personalize or Display either, so I chose Graphic Options and then Output To, and of the choices that showed up, Extended Desktop was in fact the one that was checked. It's a new Windows 7 computer my wife got a few weeks ago, and I now see that she attached both the VGA and DVI cables that were available, so that may be why it defaulted to Extended Desktop.

Some variation of this might be what's happening with you, but in any case, if one of the choices when you right-click on the desktop is Graphic Options, I'd check to see what you have for the Output To setting.

(And thanks, Wolfshadw, for the solution that pointed me in the right direction. I was as frustrated as Drathluk, especially when a lot of searching netted me nothing. Thankfully, I found this thread when I finally included the word "random" in my search.)
 
Solution