Solved Windows install gone wrong, no start menu or task bar?

[curlykale]

Hi,
I just reinstalled Windows 7 and initially all seemed well. When I was connected to the Internet, Windows installed 3 updates and prompted me to restart. When Windows appeared again, it was much smaller on screen surrounded by black. There was just a blue background with a windows logo. No start menu, task bar, nothing! I managed to right click the screen and chanye the resolution so that the background now fills the screen. Internet Explorer no longer seems to exist. How do I get this to look like Windows 7 please?
Thanks........

 

[3StoneBlue]

Okay. From what it sounds like, your explorer.exe is no longer running. Try this.

1. Use the keyboard shortcut 'CTRL' + 'SHIFT' + 'ESC' to open up task manager.

2. Using the menus up top, go to File > 'New Task (Run)'.

3. Enter 'explorer' into the box, and click 'OK'.

Best of luck!

 

[AddRAM]

Where did you get your Windows 7 install media from, is it, DVD, USB ???

 

[curlykale]

The install disc is a genuine, bought DVD for Windows Professional 64bit which I've used before with great success.

 

[curlykale]

Didn't work.

I tried the control shift etc but nothing happens. I reinstalled, AGAIN! and everything looked great. I downloaded the AMD catalyst driver. I left this to install and when I came back, Windows was asking for a restart to apply updates, this is the same message as before. AMD also wanted a restart, THE SAME PROBLEM OCURRED AGAIN!! I have the same useless Windows screen. This control panel is accessible but a lot of the options don't work. I'm right back where I was but much sadder/angrier.

 

[3StoneBlue]

Try a CTRL + ALT + DELETE. This should open up a blue full screen window. Open task manager. This should work in place of CTRL + SHIFT + ESC.

 

[whs]

Run a Startup/Repair with your installation disc. And if that does not help, backout those updates - either by uninstalling them or going back to the restore point from before those updates were installed.

 

[gregrocker]

Obviously is it an Update fouling out, for which the remedy is always to first do a System Restore
to before the point set by the Update.

Then look for a Display driver in the next group of offered Updates which sounds like the culprit. If not install the Updates singly until you find the one fouling out, hide it when next offered.

Meanwhile update the Display driver from the PC or Device's Support Downloads webpage. In addition I'd install Irfan Driver View, from View tab Hide MS drivers, then go through the list to check for Updates on all but the drivers prefixed by "dump.". http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/driverview.html

 

[curlykale]

Solved!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank you everyone!
I could not do a system restore because the control panel wouldn't let me. I did another install but this time I did not install the wifi driver for the Ralink network adapter. I connected via an ethernet cable and installed the network drivers for my Asus motherboard from a pen drive. I was able to install all the Windows updates without a hitch. I can't believe a driver can corrupt Windows so strangely, cause a BSOD, yes, but I had never seen this before.
Thanks again, everyone!

 

[whs]

Drivers are one of the most frequent cause of system trouble - remember the early days of Vista where the dismal driver situation accounted for 80% of the system failures.

 

[gregrocker]

In the future if System Restore doesn't work from within Windows, it's preferable to run it anyway from System Recovery Options