OK here is my problem I am running WIN ME and LOW and behold on day I TURN on the cpu and it stops on my background. The pic appears but that’s all. NO icons NO start bar NO nothing except a LOVELY photo I took of the German countryside some time ago. The mouse appears on the screen however I am unable to right click and get the menu. If you hit ctl/alt/del it brings up the close program window and clearly shows that there are not any programs running. However the usual pressing of the keys will shut the CPU down. This is the only WAY to shut it down as I don’t have a start menu or anything else. Please send your knowledgeI've seen this on WinME.  I suspect you may have had a power glitch, while the computer was on, and you did not notice it.  Use "System Restore" to go back to a date and time when it was working.....draging foot in the dirt....

mmm k how do I use system restore? is this from the recovery CD? Or can i get to it from the bootup screen?


THANK YOU for all your help!try booting in safe mode
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...how do I use system restore? is this from the recovery CD? Or can i get to it from the bootup screen?
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For WinXP it's:
Start-->Programs-->Accessories-->System Tools-->System Restore

Should be similar in WinME.  If not, go to Start-->Help, and type in "System Restore".