XP: Lost Desktop? Start Menu? someone else's?

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The Desktop and Start Menu I have for one user is gone and I can’t personalize it any more.

The All Programs is okay, but the left hand side doesn’t even have Internet and Email, let alone any other recently used or pinned items.The options are available in the Display Properties dialog box, but nothing happens when you click Apply or OK. If you choose a wallpaper it happens in the dialog box but not on the screen. I can however, change the color of the Background.

Also. there are none of my usual programs in the System Tray, including my anti-virus. There’s nothing in the Startup menu, but they weren’t there anyway but had their own settings to run on Windows start. Now I can’t seem to get them to run, even though they’re on the Start Menu/All Programs….

Firefox is still okay, with all the favorites and settings. But IE seems to have become generic as well (but maybe that’s because it updated itself to IE 7.) Also can’t personalize the Taskbar, including putting the Quick Launch toolbar on it. However, there’ a difference in that I can change the Taskbar — it just doesn’t keep the change if I restart; the Start Menu won’t even accept the changes.

The only thing I can think of that I did was defrag the drive. And I did get a white Active Desktop screen on startup but it won’t let me restore. That’s not happening any more.

Any ideas about what to try?

Thanks,

Callie

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I’d create a new user, then transfer the files from My Documents etc.

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I’d create a new user, then transfer the files from My Documents etc.

It worked to create a new user, but the most important thing I want to transfer is all my Firefox favorites, add-ons, extensions, passwords.

I read a couple of articles about finding the firefox preferences file but that didn’t turn up the ones I’m currently using where it said it was supposed to be. I can’t find the Bookmarks file it’s using now either.

I’ve already totally confused everything because I moved the My Documents to a different drive (using Windows’ move process). But even so, Windows just created another one in the old place.

The Start Menu for the messed up user has that user’s name on it, and all the programs. It just doesn’t have the Desktop and I don’t know where Windows keeps that either. The one I can find is the empty one that’s showing.

How would I go about finding and then moving all the pertinent stuff to the new user and what is “pertinent” to recreate all the customization I made on the original???

Thanks for any insights.

Callie

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A user’s desktop icons are shortcuts stored in C:Documents and Settings<usernameDesktop, except for some "system" shortcuts such as My Computer; information about those is set in the properties of the desktop and stored in the Registry.

I don't know enough about Firefox.

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A user’s desktop icons are shortcuts stored in C:Documents and Settings<usernameDesktop, except for some "system" shortcuts such as My Computer; information about those is set in the properties of the desktop and stored in the Registry.

I don't know enough about Firefox.

Thanks. It's not there, so obviously I've messed something up somewhere by moving the My Documents or whatever. Sigh.

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Hello,
For Mozilla Firefox, if you want to save all your bookmarks, extensions, add-ons, customizations, etc.
Here is what you need to do:
Backup Instructions
Press [Windows Key]+[R]
Type [%appdata%mozillaFirefox]
Press [Enter]
In the open window copy the profiles.ini file and the Profiles folder.
Create a new folder called:
Mozilla Firefox Profile Backup
Include the date you backed them up after the folder name for reference.
Paste the copied profiles.ini file and the Profiles folder into the new folder you just created.
Move the new folder wherever you keep your backup files.
Restore Instructions
Open your backed up folder called:
Mozilla Firefox Profile Backup
You may see a date when the backup was made after the name for your reference.
In the open window copy the profiles.ini file and the Profiles folder.
Close the opened folder.
Press [Windows Key]+[R]
Type [%appdata%mozillaFirefox]
Press [Enter]
Paste the copied profiles.ini file and the Profiles folder into the open folder.
Click [Yes] to raplace the files.
These are part of my personal collection of reference notes, please let me know how it goes.
I try to be simple and descriptive as best I can.

HandyAndy

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Firefox backup and restore can be automated with the use of MozBackup

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Firefox backup and restore can be automated with the use of MozBackup

Thanks, that is a great tool, I like that it works with thunderbird and others.

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Hello,
For Mozilla Firefox, if you want to save all your bookmarks, extensions, add-ons, customizations, etc.

HandyAndy

I don’t have a profiles.ini file or a Profiles folder anywhere in my computer. Nor do I have a folder called Application Data anywhere. Of course, it’s using some kind of preferences because all my bookmarks are here when I’m using the browser.

Thanks, but I don’t think my problem is something else I’ve done by moving the My Documents to another driver maybe….

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