Start menu list disappears (Windows XP Pro)

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(SP1) A user has called twice with the same issue; when she clicks on her start button, the only available item is Windows Update. I’ve checked to see that it’s not a personalized menu issue. Changing any of the properties of the start menu (or even not changing the properties at all, just clicking apply and OK after opening the customization box) restores the full list. User says it “just happens,” she doesn’t click anything that she’s aware of that would cause this. I’ve searched the knowledge base and found nothing. Any ideas?

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Cthomas–

We had a very similar lost start menu thread recently on XP–will try to find it.

1) Does the same thing happen if you radio button “Classic Start Menu,” when you rt. click the Start button and click properties or go through the Control Panel>Taskbar and Start Menu>Start Menu tab>Classic Start Menu and then reboot. What happens when you just hit the Windows key/or Ctrl + Esc?

2) Often rebooting and entering Safe Mode (F8 or menu choice after firmware screen) will restore the Start Menu.

3) Try forcing Explorer to update the contents of the desktop by clicking on an empty area of the desktop and pressing F5 key.

4) Force Explorer to reload by right clicking an empty area of the taskbar, and selecting Taskmanager, chose Processes tab, select explorer.exe and hit “End processes.” The desktop and taskbar will disappear and reappear in a few seconds, and may relaunch explorer with your Start Menu back. At worst you’ll have to reboot.

5) Same as above, but go to the “Applications tab”>New Task>type in “explorer.exe” and this may reload explorer and give you back your Start Menu.

6) Navigate to C:/documents and settings/your user ID/start menu to see if any files exist. If not, go to C:/documents and settings/all users/start menu and copy this folder back to the first place.

SMBP

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