Vista Startup: The desktop does not appear!

Hi my friend!

For two or three days I had the same problem as you. In fact it’s very, very simple, Windows SHELL has been modified or misconfigured by another program (saying that Windows SHELL is EXPLORER.EXE and not ieplore!)

You need to put the SHELL back in its place, so, follow me:

1. Start Windows normally, and your session
2. press Ctrl + Alt + Del then Open Task Manager
3. Once in the TM, go to the "Applications" tab and "New Task..."
4. Then, type "regedit" without the quotes
(You are in the Registry Editor, so be careful what you touch)
5. In the Registry Editor, on the left there is a panel with many little folders (keys)
6. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ then SOFTWARE\ then Microsoft\ then Windows NT\ then CurrentVersion\ then Winlogon
7. Now, on the right there will be many values etc.. You need to find the "SHELL" value and delete it immediately.
8. In a "blank" area of the same pane (on the right) right-click -> New -> String Value
9. As name, give it "Shell", still without quotes.
10. Right-click again but this time on the Shell value you just created and click "Modify"
11. In the "Value data" field, type "Explorer.exe" still without quotes
12. click OK and close the Registry Editor.
13. Restart your computer and there you go, THE SOLUTION!

Andrés Delgado .. 16 years old

NOTE: Solution found by me, Keep writing if you can't manage

You create a reg file to perform the operation more simply and quickly than opening regedit to do it.

What to copy is this:

REGEDIT4

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon]
"Shell"="explorer.exe"

I have almost the same problem

but to get my desktop, what I’m doing at the moment is this: I open the Task Manager, and I run the task: c:\windows\explorer.exe, after which the system works without any problem.

now, if someone can help me make this operation happen automatically, I tried putting a line in the registry to run explorer.exe but that didn’t work

I think it’s a file that I’ve lost which handles that,

Thank you

Open Task Manager by pressing Ctrl + Alt + Delete

File, New Task (Run...) type explorer

Click OK or press Enter

Explorer starts, desktop appears.

Copy the following (below) into a new text document.txt then rename to New Document Text.reg and click it to add the data to the registry.

REGEDIT4

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon]
"Shell"="explorer.exe"

Press Ctrl+Alt+Del, go to Task Manager, go to New Task, and type explorer.exe. Your desktop should return to normal.

Hello,
Thank you so much for this solution. I had no desktop at all after a trojan, though it was removed. I know a bit about computers, but I had never done this kind of manipulation. My PC is new, so I’m not very skilled yet and, at the same time, very stressed in case it had really crashed! But, it’s so well explained that I had no trouble, everything is working again correctly and I hope for a long time this time.
Thanks again, you’re a pro!
Oxy.
PS: I reconnected to this site specifically to thank you!!! what a thorn taken out of my foot!!! Thank you!

Hey everyone,

DJ Quake, it isn’t the first time I’ve read your solutions ^^ (and yes I have problems!!)

I admit that your little trick is my last lead (after surfing for hours), I find this post where everyone seems satisfied, but unfortunately it still hasn’t solved my problem.

So I’m trying the graphics card update (but I doubt the hardware affects this at that level)

The wiping and rewriting of the Shell didn’t work for my case during restart doc, I still don’t automatically get the desktop to launch.
Couldn’t the desktop.ini be at fault?

The last software installation was 3 days ago but revealed no problems.
My problem appeared after a desire to gain RAM, so I tried stopping processes without knowing what that might cause (I had done this before without encountering this kind of issue)

Still testing ...

I should note that when I open the task manager, I don’t see any “Explorer” listed, and only a small dozen programs appear.

ok but I don’t have Winlogon

what do I do? do I create a folder?

Hello! I have exactly the same problem but my computer can’t find the access path, it can’t open the registry editor for me, what should I do?!

Thank you

I tested your DjQuake method, but it didn’t work, so I restarted the PC, pressed F8, then started a system restore, but now there’s a problem: it’s been almost 3 hours 30 minutes since the restore started, and I’m starting to get seriously worried...

There you go, hoping for a very fast response! :P

Thank you.

Well... -.-.'' ... I can’t believe what I sometimes read. I’m sorry for those who don’t believe me but I can’t do anything for them ;)... and then I don’t call myself a 'Hacker' nor a 'Fake IT guy' but these people who 'idolize' as you say, needed it, you see. Go to Google and search a bit for the solution to this problem, I seriously doubt you’ll find it anywhere else from now on. I also doubt you happened to land here by chance ^^. I’m sure you’ve picked up the trick, it’s not so depressing to see tinkerers, what’s more depressing is to see people criticize when we know they’ve noted the trick.. Go on Google, go search...

And then for you (all the others who had asked me questions)

No, it’s not a virus doing this (so far)

It’s poorly installed software

Or software not compatible with Vista (except special updates, see VS6 for example)

and for Alparadis:

Try updating your video card

Otherwise you can always disable this message, go to msconfig (Run) and in the Startup tab you should have the Nvidia video manager (panel) that starts with it, so uncheck it and click OK.

PS: I say Hello to all the IT guys who came to copy the trick to make a bit of their business and criticize (or not)

Andrés Delgado - still 16 years old

Still the IT guy favorite :P

Still VENEZUELAN ^^

... Because there isn’t a reason to help someone... But to criticize you need reasons...

See you!

A dj quake and the others as well.

Here I’ve read all the posts in this topic and I still haven’t managed to remedy the problem.

I own an Acer 5633 laptop with Vista Home Premium Family Update Pack 1, 2GB RAM.

My problem is similar: turning on the computer, Acer logo, Windows starts normally for about 20 seconds (so I think it wasn’t shut down properly!!!), asks for a password to sign in, welcome screen, and then a black screen with an active mouse cursor.

Even if the screen is black, the PC is indeed active (hard drive, fan, wifi, etc.); it installs everything but unfortunately nothing appears on the screen. I let it run for 30 minutes with no success (it even goes into screen saver mode, so the cursor disappears and the black screen changes).

I tried this: Dj quake’s method by going through the command prompt (since there’s no access to the task manager) and thus delete and recreate the Shell with Explorer.exe, without success.

From a Vista repair CD (since I haven’t received the official one); Restore to an earlier date; no success. Startup Repair; no success. Windows Memory Diagnostics Tool; no success.

So I’m still at the same point and looking for a solution in vain.

For info, it might be that the PC was shut down with the power button (press 2 seconds) and thus Windows didn’t shut down properly; could the problem come from that?

I’m desperate while this laptop is only a year old and I’d rather not format it since there are important files I haven’t had time to back up.

Thanks in advance for your responses.

Buitre.