The desktop on my computer has disappeared, how can I get it back? How to return the previous “Desktop”. System Restore feature

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 display 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 the 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 the Windows folder located on the C: drive). 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 installation disk your Windows.

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 the finished file to a USB flash drive and connect it to your computer.
Run command cmd line through the "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 you don't have an installation disk, 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? Go ahead. 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).

Some users experience all icons disappearing from the computer screen. The “Start” button begins to work not in the usual mode, but to show tiles. Then they often say that the desktop has disappeared in Windows 10. Let's deal with this problem.

Reasons for loss

Most often, screen content disappears in Windows 10 due to system failures. If you install software unlicensed, downloaded from “left” sites, then no one can guarantee the continued functionality of the PC. The changes that such self-written programs make to the system and registry are not traceable, and often not logical.

In addition, they can carry viruses that are copied into your system and begin to take over it. The result is also unpredictable - not only shortcuts, but also folders will disappear.

What is a "Desktop"?

Visually this Windows screen, which we see in front of us after loading. By analogy with a real table, the most important and necessary tools are stored on it - shortcuts.
In the system, all these resources are located in the user folder on the system drive. And the explorer.exe program manages the directory, creating the interface we are familiar with. A failure in its operation results in the desktop disappearing.

What to do if your desktop disappears

First of all, try rebooting. Perhaps the system just needs to accept new rules after installing the programs. Moreover, everyone notices that rebooting using the power button on the system unit.
If this does not help and everything disappears on the screen, then you should try one of the steps below.

Starting a desktop process

Open the task manager (right mouse button on start or CTRL+ALT+DELETE).

We need to start the explorer.exe process. To do this, in the “File” menu, select creating a new task.

And enter the process name explorer.exe.

If the desktop has disappeared due to a process stop, this will help. If the folder or program was corrupted by a virus or Windows 10 crash, this will not help.

Restoring the operating system

How to get back the Windows 10 desktop if it disappeared after an update? You must log in in safe mode. For older versions of the OS, up to 8, just press F8 when loading. In Windows 10 or 8, we will use the parameters. The easiest way is to type msconfig in the search.

If the failure also affects the taskbar, then press WIN + R and type in the line.

On the "Download" tab, select " Safe mode».

If you need a network, click on the dot next to the appropriate option.

The second way is to reboot through the parameters. Will work if the main menu is not damaged. Click Start and the gear icon, then go to Update & Security.

In the Recovery area, click Restart Now.

Then sequentially select “Diagnostics” - “Advanced options” - “Boot options”. All this will appear when loading. Finally you will be given a choice.

Press the function button F4, F5 or F6 depending on the desired selection.
Restore your system in Safe Mode. To do this, go to the settings again and select “Update and Security”. Next is “Recovery”.

Click the “Start” button.

Attention! It is better to restore the system in safe mode. In this configuration, all executable installed files, startup is cleared and you have a better chance of restoring Windows.

You will be given a choice. Usually the files are saved, but if the system is severely damaged, then choose deletion.

The system will notify you about the applications being removed.

And then the system recovery will follow.

Registry configuration

The Registry is the system's repository for all Windows connections. When you install the software, new data is written to it. Any failure leads to key violations and we get problems like shortcuts and folders disappearing.
To open the registry, press WIN+R and type regedit.

Follow the path
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SOFTWARE/Microsoft/WindowsNT/CurrentVersion/Winlogon
Check the parameters:

Shell – explorer.exe
UserInit - C:\WINDOWS\System32\Userinit.exe

If yours is different, install the ones you need and reboot. Screen elements will no longer disappear.

Restoring shortcuts

Sometimes only the shortcuts disappear. This is easy to determine if Start works. Go to the settings and select the section responsible for the system.

In the Tablet Mode area, turn off all the sliders.

Also on the desktop, right-click and move the pointer to the “View” command. Check to see if the icon display option is disabled. If the checkbox is not checked, the shortcuts will disappear.

Also be sure to check your computer for viruses.

Recovering individual items

The entire contents of the desktop does not always disappear completely. Sometimes you may miss a folder or desired shortcut.

Restoring the Start button

What to do if the bottom line and Start suddenly disappear on the desktop? To make it work again, we will re-register. To do this, run a new PowerShell task in Task Manager as an administrator.

In it you need to type the command:

Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers | Foreach (Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register “$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml”)

Press Enter. After the command finishes working, reboot the computer again.

We return the cart if it is lost

This tool allows us to remove unnecessary or restore deleted system elements. Let's figure out how to return the cart if it disappears from the worker Windows desktop 10. Right-click on free space screen and select Personalize.

Under Themes, find desktop icon options.

Check the box next to the cart.

What to do if the Recycle Bin has disappeared from the Windows XP or Vista desktop and needs to be restored? Use the editor group policy. Go to Start, select Run and type gpedit.msc. Then go to the following path:
User Configuration-Administrative Templates-Desktop
On the right, you will see an option to “Remove Trash icon from desktop.”

By right-clicking and opening “Edit”, you should set the “Not specified” option.

Be sure to reboot.

A folder has disappeared from the desktop: how to find and restore it

This can happen due to a change in screen resolution - the folders disappear because they are simply not visible. Select the View command by right-clicking on the work area of the screen and execute the “Arrange icons automatically” command.

Also check which user you are logged in as. Folders are visible only to the person who created them. Click on start and on the top three stripes (menu). Search for the user. Change it if necessary.

The folder may have disappeared because it was deleted. Open the trash and search through it. Restore if necessary.

Also, folders disappear if they are hidden. Open File Explorer and click on View. There, check the box next to hidden elements.

Why does the picture disappear from the desktop?

And finally, we’ll tell you how to deal with the situation when the Windows 10 desktop background has disappeared. The reason is Windows activation. If you have an unlicensed operating system, then during updates an activation key is searched. If this procedure fails, the settings will be reset and screen elements will disappear.

So, if the picture is missing, then follow the path:
Computer Configuration-Administrative Templates-Windows Components-Center Windows updates
Here we need "Settings" automatic update».

Select the "Edit" command again and click on the "Disabled" option.

After this, you will get rid of updates and the desktop background will not disappear. And to be on the safe side, consider purchasing Windows licenses 10.
We told you what to do if your desktop disappears in Windows 10. We hope the information will help you.

Have a great day!

The first thing the user sees when loading the operating system is the “Desktop”. It contains various elements with which the user accesses the resources of his computer. If your desktop settings are lost, you can return it to its previous appearance in a few steps.

Instructions

Call the Screen component. To do this, open the “Control Panel” through the “Start” menu. In the Appearance and Themes category, select the Display icon. A new "Display Properties" dialog box will open. You can call this component in another way: right-click on any free area of the desktop and select “Properties” from the drop-down menu.

If the background image has disappeared from your desktop, go to the “Desktop” tab. In the “Background Image” group, select the previous image from the list provided. If the list does not contain the background you need, click on the “Browse” button and specify the path to the image that you want to see on your desktop. Apply the new settings.

If the “My Computer”, “My Documents” and “Network Neighborhood” folders no longer appear on the desktop, click the “Desktop Settings” button on the “Desktop” tab. An additional dialog box will open. Go to the “General” tab, place a marker in the fields opposite the elements you need and apply the new settings.

If the size of elements on the desktop has changed (icons and fonts have become larger or smaller), open the Settings tab. In the “Screen Resolution” group, use the “slider” to set the resolution that will be convenient for your perception. Click on the “Apply” button and confirm the changes made.

in order to change color scheme for the windows that open on the computer and the font size in the folder names, open the “Design” tab. Use drop-down list fields in the appropriate groups. To select visual effects, click on the “Effects” button. For more detailed settings various elements, click on the “Advanced” button. After making changes, click on the “Apply” button.

If the taskbar is no longer visible on the desktop, it means it is hidden. Move your cursor to the bottom edge of the screen and wait for the panel to pop up. Right-click on it and select “Properties” from the drop-down menu. In the “Taskbar and Start Menu Properties” window that opens, go to the “Taskbar” tab and uncheck the “Automatically hide the taskbar” field in the “Taskbar Appearance” group. Apply the new settings and close the window.

The most common reason the disappearance of a desktop with all graphic elements in Windows - malicious programs that have entered the system due to user inattention or malfunctioning antivirus software. To fix this problem, you will need to restore the virus-damaged file responsible for the OS graphical shell and scan your computer for viruses.

Ways to revive your desktop

The performance of the graphical desktop shell in Windows OS is controlled by the explorer.exe application, which is located on the system partition in the Windows folder. If its properties written in the registry are changed, or the executable file is damaged by a virus, after the computer boots, the screen will be completely clear.

There are several ways to restore your desktop in such cases:

forced launch of the explorer.exe utility;
system recovery;
through the registry;
replacing the explorer.exe utility.

Force launch explorer.exe

The easiest way to restore a desktop in Windows 7 is to manually run the executable file explorer.exe.

The procedure will be as follows:

If the executable file is not damaged, then after performing these steps the desktop should be restored. In this case, you must immediately scan the entire system for viruses with a reliable antivirus program. If this does not happen, or when you access the task manager, a message like “It is impossible to access the Task Manager because it is blocked by the administrator” pops up, which is also one of the signs of a virus attack, you can try to restore the desktop using other methods.

Using System Restore

You can run System Restore through Safe Mode or using a boot disk with operating system. In the first case you will need:

You can also start the Windows desktop recovery procedure through the installation disk with this OS. However, its assembly should not differ from the one located on the computer.

In this case, you need to do the following:

If this does not help to return the desktop settings, you can try resuscitating with command line(Windows DVD must be installed in the drive):

Working with the registry

Performing graphic file runs through a specific branch in the registry. When a PC is infected with a virus, instead of initializing explorer.exe, the virus program is activated. To restore your desktop using the registry, you must:

Replacing the explorer.exe executable file

All of the above methods for resuscitating the desktop in Windows 7 are suitable when the explorer.exe file itself is not damaged. Otherwise, you will need to change it to a working one, which can be copied from DVD disc with the operating system.

The information required to restore the table is in the image with the .wim extension. To read it, you should download and install the 7-Zip archiver program, which is absolutely free. Downloading this utility, you need to pay attention to its bit depth (32 or 64 bit). It all depends on the bit depth of the system used on your computer.

To restore your desktop, you will need:

Install the 7-Zip utility. The installation procedure is the same as in other programs.
IN DVD drive Install a disk with Windows 7 OS of the required build, and a USB flash drive into the USB connector.
Going to the root directory of the boot disk, go to the sources folder and copy the install.wim file from it to any folder on your computer. For these purposes it is better to make a new folder.
We turn on the archiver, go to the folder with the file we just copied and start the extraction procedure using the “Extract” button.
Go to folder 4 (Maximum OS build).
Let's go to Windows folder, select the explorer.exe file and transfer it to the USB flash drive.
After this, we reboot the PC without removing the disk and flash drive, and we get to the window for selecting OS installation options. Click "System Restore" and open "Command Prompt".
In the command window, enter notepad, after which a regular notepad opens.
Using notepad, go to the flash drive and copy the explorer.exe file.
Through the same conductor we go to system disk(Disk names are different in the recovery environment).

How to restore the desktop on Windows 7 yourself, without resorting to the help of a computer wizard, when, after turning on your device again, you see a blank blue screen.

This problem can happen to anyone who neglects to install a reliable antivirus program or forgets to check for updates. We present to users quite effective options that will help restore a damaged graphic file and remove detected viruses from quarantine.

Having decided to use this option, the user must take into account that the graphical component, which is also responsible for the desktop, operates using explorer software. exe located on the system Windows based 7. Its damage by a virus causes the problem of the so-called “ Blue screen", which appears after the device starts. The simplest and effective method resuscitation - launch explorer. exe yourself in manual mode. The procedure is not complicated and looks like this:

Connect a computer and open the task manager section by simultaneously pressing the key combination (Ctrl + Alt + Del).
In the item that opens, launch “New task”.
Enter explorer in the search box. exe and start execution.

The desktop will open if the malicious program has not yet begun to cause irreversible damage. In order to fully restore functionality, you need to update your existing anti-virus program and run a full scan.

System Restore feature

If the above method did not lead to the desired result and it was not possible to restore the OS, you need to use a boot disk or use safe mode Windows startup 7.

Boot disk

The main condition for the procedure is that the programs on the disk must match those previously installed on the PC. To install, you must complete the following steps:

Activate the drive and restart the device.
On the page that opens, select “Recovery”.

Run the scan and if the OS matches, click the “Next” button.
Select the appropriate section for the restoration procedure in automatic mode.

After the device restarts, the desktop will begin to display again. If this does not happen, you must select “Safe Mode” and manually enter the command “Sfc /scannow”. The system will automatically search and do everything necessary to restore damaged files and restore the operation of the device.

Safe mode

When restarting the device, you must press F8, calling up the parameter correction window, into which you need to enter special commands:

Activate the “Safe Mode” section.
Using the "Start" button, enter "System Restore".

After restarting the computer, the system should restore the graphic file and the desktop should be displayed on the monitor screen again. A full scan of the OS for virus programs and their removal is mandatory.

Using the Registry

IN this option The specifics of launching a computer graphic file through a given branch of its registry are taken into account. If there is malware present, it will block explorer from launching. exe, destroying it more and more after each attempt to launch it. You can use the registry for recovery as follows:

Through the “Task Manager” menu, open the registry, to do this, manually insert “regedit” into the search column.
In the registry itself, you need to go to the Winlogon directory and set the Shell property to explorer. exe, the value written there is a malicious program, its name must be copied before replacing.
Search for a virus by simultaneously pressing the Ctr+F keys and pasting the previously copied name of the virus into the “Find” item.

After successfully searching for and removing a virus program (this may take some time due to the fact that they have learned to hide well), be sure to reboot the device. If the graphic file is activated, then the procedure was completed successfully.

Choose the most convenient option for restoring your computer if problems arise with graphic editor, and at the same time, without delay, check the functionality of the installed antivirus program, update it to the latest value and conduct a full scan of your computer hardware. The sooner malware is detected, the less harm it will have time to cause to your PC.

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