[SOLVED] Started computer today only have Black screen with mouse functionality, can browse and access files but desktop not working.

[takemeunder]

Today I started up my PC and was met with a desktop that won't load. I have Windows 10 and it's just a black screen with a cursor. Through task manager I can run almost any program and browser etc fine, but am unable to load desktop or anything corresponding with Desktop functionality. When trying to boot in safe mode it's still a black screen with the same functionality.

I can play video games - though they take time to load, and the internet works but desktop does not work.
Please give me any information you can, I would appreciate any help I can get, this couldn't possibly have come at a worse time.
Thank you

- Steven

THIS IS WHAT MY DESKTOP LOOKS LIKE:

https://imgur.com/a/KX9uG7J

View: https://imgur.com/a/KX9uG7J



Here are my PC specifications:

CAS: CYBERPOWERPC X-Titan 200 Full Tower Gaming Case w/ USB 3.0, Fan Control, EZ Swap HDD Dock, Side Panel Window
CD: 24X Double Layer Dual Format DVD+-R/+-RW + CD-R/RW Drive
CPU: Intel(R) Core™ i7-4790K 4.0 GHz 8MB Intel Smart Cache LGA1150
FAN: DeepCool GAMMAXX 400 CPU Air Cooler 4 Heatpipes 120MM
HDD: 128GB SanDisk SSD + 2TB SATA III Hard Drive
MEMORY: 16GB (8GBx2) DDR3/2133MHz Dual Channel Memory (ADATA XPG V3)
MOTHERBOARD: MSI Z97S SLI Krait Edition ATX w/ GIGABit LAN, 2 PCIe x16, 3 PCIe x1, 1x M.2, 6x SATA 6GB/s
OS: Windows 10 Home (64-bit Edition)
POWERSUPPLY: 850 Watts - EVGA SuperNOVA 850 GS 80 Plus Gold Power Supply
SOUND: HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO
VIDEO: Nvidia GTX 1060 6gb

 

[alexoiu]

Same if removing the graphics card and using the onboard video?

 

[takemeunder]

I actually figured out the problem. Apparently explorer.exe doesn't run on Startup anymore. Why exactly thats the case since today I have no idea, but I'm currently trying to find a way to fix that.

 

[Deleted member 14196]

Repair your install of windows or do a clean install

 

[Colif]

try unplugging all peripherals at startup and see if you can get desktop. Its possible windows is waiting for a device to respond at startup and won't load desktop until its finished. UNplug everything except mouse/kb, even speakers.

I have had similar before, was a dying pair of speakers for me.

 

[takemeunder]

Thanks for the help everyone, I was able to find the resolution here.
I believe this registry key only came to be after I installed the latest update? I had no issues prior to updating Windows 10 a couple days ago.

https://linustechtips.com/main/topi...-prompt/?page=2&tab=comments#comment-12161540



"I'm sorry for reviving this thread, but I found the ACTUAL solution to this problem, as opposed to just reinstalling Windows. Since this thread comes up near the top of Google results for this issue, I think it can actually help people.

The answer is to open the registry editor (press Start and type regedit) and check the registry location below for a key called 'Shell'. For people experiencing this problem the key is there and it has a value of %comspec%. For people with healthy systems, that key isn't there. So simply delete the key and reboot!
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon

There is also a 'Shell' key in the registry location below, and that one SHOULD be there, and its values SHOULD be explorer.exe.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon

I hope this helps someone some day, and saves them the headache of having to reinstall/reset/refresh Windows."

For some strange reason I had the %comspec% under my user and it prevented explorer.exe from launching on startup.