The Windows 7 desktop is missing. What to do if the “Desktop” is missing, but the “Task Manager” starts normally

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I am sure that you turned to this article not by accident. Most likely, icons have disappeared on your computer, now you are looking for a solution to the problem.

There are several options in which icons may disappear from the operating system desktop. Below in the material I will give only three main ones, which are one way or another common in practice. It is worth noting that the very fact of missing desktop shortcuts is not very “popular” when infected with a virus, and is often a manual change...

As I have already said, there are several variants of the problem, and as a result, several solutions. Now about this in more detail...

Option 1

Typically, most computers are used by several users, so it is possible that the icons disappeared due to the fault of another person. Believe me, this is the most common option in which the shortcuts were removed manually.

To check this option, click right click mouse on the desktop space and select “Create” from the context menu. Then create any document format or folder.

If the created file or directory appears on the desktop, then this option has been confirmed, and your icons have simply been removed!
If a new document or folder was created, but was not displayed, then perhaps the next option will be useful to you!?

Option 2

Operating systems Windows family, starting from XP to current versions, have additional settings desktop display. These settings relate more to functional rather than visual effects. If you have lost your desktop icons, then you should consider this option.

Right-click on the desktop. Select the “View” item from the context menu (in the case of an operating room Windows system 7). And look for “Display desktop icons” which should be checked.

If the item is not checked, click on it, after which the context menu should disappear and desktop shortcuts should appear.
If the checkbox is checked, but there are no icons, then there is a viral modification of the registry, or a third option.

Option 3

This option differs from the previous two, at least in that it most often occurs due to the fault of.

So, it is possible that not only all icons disappear, but also the taskbar and the Start button. This is due to the disappearance of the “explorer.exe” system file from the boot, which in turn is responsible for launching all desktop elements! In order to fix or check this version, you will have to perform a number of actions:

To begin, having discovered the problem described above, launch the “Task Manager” (in Windows Xp, using the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + Alt + Delete; in Windows 7, using the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + Shift + Esc).
Now in the “Task Manager” window, click “File” at the top.
Select "New Task" to try to run "explorer.exe".
In the window that appears, enter:
explorer.exe
and press the Enter key.
After which you should resume displaying your desktop. The launch may not fail if the above system file is missing due to deletion or renaming due to virus infection!
- If launching the desktop and taskbar was successful, be sure to correct the infection if possible!
- If the system file - explorer is missing for some reason, you should copy it from another working system (to the directory with the operating system), and then try to launch it, as shown in step 4.

Checking Registry Values

If the above series of actions did not produce results, or after an anti-virus scan there are still problems with the automatic start of explorer.exe, then try changing the values in the system registry.
Note! Please do not make changes to the system registry if you do not have at least a basic understanding of this section of the operating system and how to edit it!

Open “Task Manager” (see point 1 above).
Click File and select New Task.
On the line enter:
regedit
and press "Enter" key

Sooner or later, most users are faced with a situation where icons have disappeared from the desktop on Windows 7.

And the question immediately arises: what to do? First, let's figure out why the icons disappeared. Obviously, the answer is not clear-cut. The following factors can cause shortcuts, icons, and the Start bar to disappear:

Built-in OS tools will return the icons!

In order to return shortcuts and icons that have disappeared from the desktop, we will use the simplest, but sometimes effective method.

Activating the icon display feature

Manually launching explorer.exe

This method can be used if the desktop has disappeared from Windows Explorer 7, and now about what to do step by step.

The situation will have to change and everything will return to its original position. If it doesn't help, move on.

Editing the registry or how to get icons back

This method will help in all of the above situations, as well as if the Recycle Bin has disappeared from the Windows 7 desktop.

Method 1: If the Start panel is available

Method 2: If the Start panel is missing

You need to restart your computer/laptop and boot into safe mode with command line support, for this:

Having reached the registry, we move along the tree to view and, if necessary, make changes to the executable file. Let us remind you that the instructions are given taking into account the fact that everything has disappeared from the desktop on a laptop with Windows 7 or a regular PC.

Afterwards, a reboot will be required and the system should restore everything, if this does not help, move on.

Third party software

All the instructions we tried did not help, and the icons are still not displayed, we will fight viruses and malware. If you have lost your watch and other gadgets from your Windows 7 desktop, AVZ antivirus will come to the rescue.

We always recommend downloading installation packages from official resources, and this time is no exception. Follow the link to download the antivirus.

The antivirus does not require installation, is absolutely free and Russified.

After a successful download, unzip the files into a separate folder. Let us remind you that the antivirus will help if the desktop background (picture) disappears on Windows 7, icons and shortcuts, gadgets and the Start panel disappear.

A reboot will be required for changes to take effect after AVZ shuts down. Are you still experiencing problems with your Windows 7 desktop wallpaper and bar icons not appearing? In this case, we recommend rolling back the OS to the last successful configuration or reinstalling the operating system.

Error-free operation of explorer!

Have a great day!

This kind of unpleasant situation can simply disorient the user. However, there is no reason to strain your voice and shout guard, much less get nervous over such a trifle - everything can be fixed! Meanwhile, restoring the usual “Windows environment” may still take some time. It all depends on the complexity of the “OS damage”, as well as the user’s level of training. Well, let's solve the problem that raises a completely logical question among many novice users: “The Windows 7 desktop has disappeared: what to do?”

From sad to funny: the tricks of an evil genius

As a result of our own short-sightedness, and often a novice user, for the sake of frivolous curiosity, installs “suspicious” software on his PC without subjecting it to an antivirus scan, we plunge ourselves into a series of problems.

Sometimes this can happen: the user personally “organizes free space desktop" thoughtlessly manipulating system files - simply deleting, as it seems to him, everything unnecessary.

Believe it or not, in most cases it is the user himself who is to blame for the fact that important documents, shortcuts and, worst of all, OS controls disappear from the desktop. Have you thought about it? Great, let's move on!

How to restore everything that was previously so accessible: the first method is “promising”

Press the hotkey combination “CTRL+ALT+Delete”.

In the service area of the screen that opens, you need to use the “Launch task manager” button.

In the new window, activate the “File” tab.

Select “New task” from the drop-down list.

In the “Run” console that appears, enter the command “explorer.exe” - click “OK”.

If you have witnessed the joyful event “Everything is back as before...” - you can be congratulated! IN otherwise, proceed to the implementation of the next method of restoring the desktop.

Rolling back the system to a working state: method No. 2 - “restorative”

If the above method still helped you and “ workspace“has again acquired its usual forms, yet one should not rush to conclusions. It is possible that the problem of “emptiness” was resolved only for a while...

Reboot your OS. If you again encounter the “empty desktop” effect, it means that malicious code has made critical changes to the operation system registry Windows. In this case, you need to scan all sections hard drive for viral activity, then remove infected objects and perform full recovery OS.

Press the same keys “CTRL+ALT+Delete”.

Re-activate the “Start Manager...” button.

However, in the check box of the called “Run” console, we enter another parameter - “rstrui.exe”, of course, without quotes.

We select a restore point and start the “operational reincarnation” process.

What should those who do not have system restore work do? Method No. 3 - “restoration”

So, download operating system in safe mode. That is, during the initial boot stage, press the “F8” key several times and activate the “Boot in Safe Mode” item.

Attention: On some computers, the optional boot menu may be called up using a different key - you should read the article, which has all the information you need - ).

If the graphical desktop shell has loaded, so to speak, in its original form - great!

Go to the “Start” menu and enter the command “regedit” in the search check box.

Open the registry key (HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE).

Next, navigate to the following final folder of the displayed list: SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon.

In the right area of the editor's working window, look for the line “Shell”.

Here everything should look as shown in the figure above; if you see a discrepancy in your registry, change the parameter by double-clicking on the “Shell” item with the left mouse button. After entering the correct value, click OK.

Check the next line of this thread “Userinit”, it should also contain the corresponding entry.

Otherwise, you should edit the parameter (you already know how to do this from what was written earlier).

Now go to the next registry key - “HKEY_CURRENT_USER”.

Follow the path: Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer.

If there is a “NoDesktop” item on the right side of the registry editor, select the line and simply click the “Delete” button to delete this entry.

In the branch “HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\”, the “Shell” value should be empty. Found something extra? Delete!

What to do if system files are damaged: method four - “additional”

To be more precise, the option described below for restoring the functionality of the Explorer application is that damaged system files, which are responsible for the full operation of the Windows graphical shell, are simply replaced with intact files during copying from a disk or removable USB drive, on which, in turn, , the distribution kit itself with the OS is located.

Restart your computer.

Log in using the "Safe Mode with Command Line" boot option.

You need to enter just one command - “sfc /scannow”, of course, excluding the quotes.

Once your system files have been restored, your computer will restart. You can rest assured that your desktop will once again acquire its “familiar shape.” That's all, the stability of your OS and do not forget about the rules of “digital security”!

Usually the shortcuts appear after a short delay. But sometimes, even after some time, there is nothing on the screen except the splash screen. Why did the Windows 7 desktop disappear? What to do? Let's try to identify and solve the problem.

Icon display disabled

In all new versions of the OS, personalization settings allow you to completely disable the display of shortcuts. If you are not the only one using the computer, there is a chance that someone else did it accidentally. This is the simplest and most harmless reason explaining why the WIndows 7 desktop disappeared. What to do?

Right-click anywhere on the screen. Find in context menu"View" tab. Make sure that the display of shortcuts is turned on - there should be a check mark next to the corresponding item.

Shortcuts have been marked as hidden

It is almost impossible to do this by accident, so in this case Most likely, someone decided to play a joke on you. Icons and folders marked as hidden are still there, but are not displayed by default. If you have lost shortcuts and icons in Windows 7 for this very reason, first of all you need to enable the display of hidden elements. To do this, go to the "Control Panel" and open "Folder Options". In the list on the "View" tab, you need to scroll through the list of parameters and turn on the display hidden files and folders (there should be a checkmark next to the corresponding item). If the shortcuts appear, all that remains is to remove the “hidden” attribute in the properties.

The system has moved the items to the "Unused Shortcuts" folder

This is another one possible reason, explaining why the desktop disappeared. Windows 7 can automatically clean your desktop and, at certain intervals, remove from the workspace those icons that you do not use.

By default, the "Unused Shortcuts" folder should be displayed on the desktop (if not, you can find it through the search). If this is your case, it will be enough to simply move the necessary shortcuts back. After this, you should disable cleaning. To do this, open the screen properties, find the “Desktop” tab and click “Settings…”. You just need to uncheck the box next to “Clean up every 60 days” and save the changes. Although the advice to check the "Trash" may seem stupid to many, we recommend doing so. In practice, it often happens that shortcuts were simply deleted.

The file explorer.exe is missing

Now let's talk about more complex options when it becomes unclear why the Windows 7 desktop disappeared. What to do if the above tips did not help? Most likely, when the system boots, explorer.exe does not start, the process responsible for externally displaying the system. To check this, go to Task Manager > Processes (Ctrl+Shift+Del) and try to find explorer. Sometimes when you try to open the manager, nothing happens. In this case, start Windows in Safe Mode by pressing the F8 button during boot and try again.

In the manager menu, select "File", click "New task" and in the window that appears, enter In the window that opens, you need to enter the path to the file (by default it is in Windows folder, located on drive C:). If the shortcuts appear after this, it means the file is on the computer and you just need to fix a few registry errors.

What should I do if explorer.exe is missing from my computer and cannot be started? In this case, you will need your Windows installation disk.

Open the disk from another PC and find the explorer.ex_ file in the i386 directory.
Copy it anywhere and then change the extension to .EXE (to do this you just need to rename it).
Write it down ready file to a flash drive and connect it to your computer.
Run command line cmd via Task Manager.
Navigate to the files located on the flash drive. To do this, you need to enter the name of the disk (E:, D: or another).
Copy the file to the system folder using the copy explorer.exe C:\\Windows command. If everything is done correctly, a message will appear indicating that the operation was successful.
Restart your PC.

If installation disk no, you can copy explorer.exe from another computer to Windows 7.

Explorer.exe has disappeared from the registry

Let's talk in more detail about what to do if the Windows 7 desktop disappears due to registry errors. In this case, when you start the process through the "Task Manager", the shortcuts appear, but after restarting the computer they disappear again. This means that the launch conditions for explorer.exe are incorrectly written in the registry. Launch the Run application and type regedit. The Registry Editor will open. You need to find the following directory:

The Shell line should contain explorer.exe. If some other file is registered instead, or nothing at all, change the value of the parameter. Ready? Let's move on. Now we need to open another folder from the same directory.

If there is an explorer.exe (or iexplorer.exe) entry here, you need to delete it and then restart your PC. If the icons still don't appear, the file is likely corrupted and will need to be replaced.

System settings failed

Sometimes even after adding the file to the registry, the problem persists. This may indicate a glitch in the system settings. Fortunately, the "seven" has a special application - "System Restore", which returns the computer to an earlier state. You can run it using the same Run program. To do this, you need to enter the command shown in the screenshot below.

The computer was infected with viruses

A trivial option is when your Windows 7 desktop has disappeared due to malware. You probably know what to do in this case. To open an antivirus, you can enter the full address of its executable file in the Run window (for example, C:\\Programs\Antivirus\antivirus.exe). It is recommended to scan your PC in Safe Mode. After scanning, delete all infected files and restart your computer.

Even if this does not help, the best solution is to simply reinstall Windows. Required files can be copied to a flash drive via the command line (of course, if you can remember their location).