Windows 8 Entire Windows 8 desktop is missing on my login

[cheesenacho]

Hello everyone,

I've got the weirdest thing going on today...I go to sign out my wife from her account on our Windows 8 desktop and login in to mine (administrator) and it logs in...except there isn't anything to see except Start on the left and my name on the right. Not a single icon...when I right click and select all apps....nothing.

I was able to get to tasks and got to the "desktop" and was able to use the computer...I'm typing on it now. But the main screen is completely missing!

I signed out and checked my wife's login and all the app icons are there...no problem. I go back to mine and it's completely empty.

I went to do a system restore thinking something big must be wrong and the system restore says it can't access a file. The whole system was freshly loaded about two weeks ago and doesn't have any strange software running...in fact, I think iTunes is about the only non-stock software that has been added, but even then, iTunes worked fine.

So what's going on here? Why is my main screen missing everything, but not on another account on the same desktop?

Can anybody shed some light on this? Is there a way to point Windows to the proper file? Also, system restore from within Windows is not working, but I do have original HP restore disks to use if I get completely desperate...

Thanks in advance,

CN

 

[kemical]

Hi,

did you upgrade or perform a clean install when you installed windows 8? If you upgraded you may need to boot from disk and perform a custom install. Also could you post your system specification..

 

[cheesenacho]

My machine is an HP Touchsmart 600-1000...i3 based, 4 gigs of Ram.

i opted for a refresh and most everything g is back...it did not load the original HP software but Windows 8 Pro is there....

 

[kemical]

My machine is an HP Touchsmart 600-1000...i3 based, 4 gigs of Ram.

i opted for a refresh and most everything g is back...it did not load the original HP software but Windows 8 Pro is there....

Hi,

yeah a refresh will do that, only load windows related stuff.. If you do want the HP related apps back then I'm sure if you look on the HP site there will be a download or two somewhere.