Preserved Topic: Windows XP Lost TaskBar

My families computer somehow lost thier task bar, it is not in the show / hide format. Nothing like that. It is just gone.

I am connecting to their computer remotely via TightVNC, but I have no idea where to go to get it back. Since I can not access the start menu I don't know how to play with the task bar in order to get it to come back.

Does anyone know a fix for this?

[edit] I was able to find "Taskbar and Start Menu" under Appearance and Themses, but when I try to open it nothign happens. The current window grays, but opens nothing up. I don't know what this would hapening either...[/edit]



[This message has been edited by WarMage (edited 01-19-2003).]

Did they accidentally drag the taskbar below the screen? If so they should be able to see a little tiny piece of it peeking out from the bottom. Grab that and drag it back up.

Thats the thing that really gets me. They didn't. It is just nowhere. Completely gone. The normal line that would be there for the task bar is just not there.

I am thinking that it might be something with the registry. They just installed a new graphics card and they said it happened after they installed it. I am going to have to get them to get me the make of their new graphics card, but I would think the taskbar issue would be 100% software and have nothing to do with the hardware.

[edit]nvida geforce2 high performance 256-bit 30/20vidio accelator is the graphics card, and nvida tends to be well supported, so it doesn't make sence that it would be a hardware issue[/edit]

It is really strange... I have honestly not seen or heard of this type of problem before. Maybe an issue with the registry, I just don't know.



[This message has been edited by WarMage (edited 01-19-2003).]

See if Ctrl+Esc works. If it doesn't try Ctrl+Alt+Del and click on Processes. Select Explorer.exe and End Task. Use Ctrl+Alt+Del again. Click File > New Task (Run...). Type in explorer.exe. Press Enter.

The Windows desktop should reload. If the taskbar doesn't show again, install the latest drivers for the video card. Reboot the system. if you can't get the Task Manager (Ctrl+Alt+Del) to appear then Windows is corrupt.

same thing happend sometimes to my
computer at home....

but there the taskbar is not only gone
it is just at the bottom of the screen...

for the first view I didn't recognized it
and after a while I saw it just at the bottom

Can't you normally get the startmenu by pressing the Windows key?

dunno how that works on TightVNC



.:[ Never resist a perfect moment ]:.

ctrl-esc and the windows key give no responce. It is really weird.

Did you try the way Morgan Ramsay suggested? CTRL-ALT-DEL should bring up a dialog where you can get a Run box via File >> New Task and load explorer.exe which should normally make the taskbar and the desktop icons appear. Or wait - are the desktop icons there and the taskbar isn't? That would make it even stranger . . .

I am going to try Morgan's method tonight. I have work all day and wasn't able to log in last night, so I will try that tonight. Hopefully it will work. I will keep you posted.