"Save as" sidebar is blank

[SayCHeese256]

My copy of Windows 7 (Ultimate, 64bit), has begun to do something very weird and annoying recently. If I'm installing a game on my PC and I want to select a different location to install other than the default, I click browse (of course), and the window pops up for me to select a new location. However the sidebar (which should usually contain a list of the drives and folders of my PC for quick navigation and selection) is completely blank. This makes it incredibly frustrating trying select a location. It means I have to know exactly where I want to put the game before I load up the installer so that I can type in the location in the address bar at the bottom of the window. This also happens when I try to save a document through Microsoft Word and in fact, opening or saving any other type of file through any other type of program. All this means, that, I need to type the location of whatever I'm trying to open or save, which can take a very... long... time.
I thought it might have had something to do with the theme I was using, so I changed back to the default Aero Theme: changed absolutely nothing.

So um... whats going on?

 

[alyoshka]

If you don't see the navigation pane on the left side of an open window, click Organize, point to Layout, and then click Navigation pane to display it.
This is as MS tells us.
Restore the registry from an earlier point if you had it backed up. Or then try a repair wizard.

 

[SayCHeese256]

I am seeing the navigation pane, thats not the problem. The problem is that its completely blank. The pane is open, I'm just not seeing anything in it.

 

[alyoshka]

Then you need to repair the registry...
Or Command line "sfc /scannow"

Do you have any themes installed on your rig? Other than the windows themes.

 

[SayCHeese256]

No, I have no third party themes installed. Just the default Aero theme and some custom wallpapers to go with it. I'll try that scannow thing shortly.

 

[alyoshka]

Ok, and do keep us posted.

 

[SayCHeese256]

Tried the scannow thing. Worked perfectly, everything restored. Thanks alyoshka.

 

[SayCHeese256]

Best answer selected by SayCHeese256.

 

[alyoshka]

Welcome.

 

[nikorr]

This topic has been closed by Nikorr