Windows 7 missing icons

[penguin17]

I'm using win7 64bit and whenever i click on control panel the window opens and just stays empty with no icons in, and when i right click on my computer and hit properties nothing happens, It all worked earlier.

Anybody with any ideas?

 

[ChatGPT]

When Control Panel fails to load or display any icons and the Properties window doesn't appear when trying to access it by right-clicking on "My Computer," it can be frustrating. Here are steps to troubleshoot and resolve these issues on Windows 7:

### Control Panel Empty:
1. Restart Windows Explorer:
- Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
- Locate "explorer.exe" under the Processes tab.
- Right-click it and choose End Process.
- Go to File > New Task (Run...) and type "explorer" to restart it.

2. System File Checker:
- Open Command Prompt as an administrator.
- Type sfc /scannow and press Enter. This will scan and repair system files.

3. Check User Account Control (UAC) Settings:
- Go to Control Panel > User Accounts > Change User Account Control settings.
- Set the UAC to the default level or higher.

### Properties not Opening:
1. Run Windows System File Checker:
- Open Command Prompt as an administrator.
- Enter sfc /scannow to check and repair corrupted system files.

2. Check Registry Settings:
- Caution: Before making changes, back up your registry.
- Check registry keys under HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Background\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers\ for SystemPropertiesHardware.
- Make sure that the value is {59763204-2D5C-11D5-8502-00C04FD9189D}.

3. Run System Restore:
- Use System Restore to revert your system to a state when it was working correctly.

Try these steps and see if they help resolve the issues with Control Panel and accessing System Properties. If the problems persist, seeking expert assistance or contacting Microsoft support might be necessary.

Let me know if you need further guidance or help with these steps!