Completed!! - Start Menu is gone?!!

justagirl

The Start Menu on my friends laptop has disappeared and for the life of me I have no idea how to display it....:eek: I've tried all I know..... Its a bit of a lemon (in my 'very limited knowledge of laptops' opinion! - my dad has one also and has had endless trouble with it) Toshiba A40-241....

Can anyone please help me please?...

Thanks so much....:

aidan_walsh

Just the start menu button, or the entire taskbar? Move the mouse pointer to the bottom of the screen to see if they have enabled "auto-hide"?

XP or Vista?

Alanstrainor

This would probably get more of a response in the windows forum. Have you tried dragging it out fro the bottom of the screen?

Jumpy

^ I would bet it is this too.

The amount of calls we got before we locked it on the policy was high

justagirl

Thanks for all the quick replies..

Can't drag it... tried that...

The laptop uses windows XP Home Edition...

At the bottom of the screen theres a block of white... with nothing on it... and to the right of this .. I can see things like AVG icon/volume etc...

Went into Taskbar and Start Menu Properties and Autohide is not ticked

Should I be posting this in a different forum?.. (sorry if that is the case).

aidan_walsh

Does restarting the laptop make a difference?

justagirl

aidan_walsh wrote: »

Does restarting the laptop make a difference?

Unfortunately no... I'm at a loss.... Im no expert and I took it from my friend thinking I'd be able to fix it for her... I think one of her children was 'customising' the screen :rolleyes:...is there anyway of switching to a different user on a laptop any other way than using the start menu?... would it be the same on all the user settings?...

justagirl

Alanstrainor wrote: »

This would probably get more of a response in the windows forum. Have you tried dragging it out fro the bottom of the screen?

I've just unlocked the taskbar from the screen... and can move it around...will let me put to top/left/right etc..... so all I'm seeing is a big white rectangle with nothing in it and the date/small icons like avg/volume/zonealarm atbottom....

Sherifu

justagirl wrote: »

Unfortunately no... I'm at a loss.... Im no expert and I took it from my friend thinking I'd be able to fix it for her... I think one of her children was 'customising' the screen :rolleyes:...is there anyway of switching to a different user on a laptop any other way than using the start menu?... would it be the same on all the user settings?...

If the Fast User Switching feature is enabled and you lock the computer [Win] + L, you can observe the same behavior as if you switched users: The computer returns to the Welcome screen and other users can log on to the computer.

justagirl

Sherifu wrote: »

If the Fast User Switching feature is enabled and you lock the computer [Win] + L, you can observe the same behavior as if you switched users: The computer returns to the Welcome screen and other users can log on to the computer.

so sorry.. but I don't understand.... do I need to type in [Win] + L ?

Sherifu

justagirl wrote: »

so sorry.. but I don't understand.... do I need to type in [Win] + L ?

Hold the windows key and press L at the same time.

justagirl

Sherifu wrote: »

Hold the windows key and press L at the same time.

Txs (I've learn't something new)...

Done that .. now its coming up with screen that says Unlock Computer at top...

Username - filled in already and prompting for password... now... if I hit enter it will let me into this usernames screen (with no start bar).... trouble is I have no iidea which other usernames there are ..... iukwim (i've been 'told' there are no passwords).... god this is a mess eh..

machiavellianme

Press F11 and see if that brings back the start bar?

Sherifu

justagirl wrote: »

Txs (I've learn't something new)...

Done that .. now its coming up with screen that says Unlock Computer at top...

Username - filled in already and prompting for password... now... if I hit enter it will let me into this usernames screen (with no start bar).... trouble is I have no iidea which other usernames there are ..... iukwim (i've been 'told' there are no passwords).... god this is a mess eh..

[win] + r

Type "control userpasswords2"

Hit [enter]

justagirl

machiavellianme wrote: »

Press F11 and see if that brings back the start bar?

Does nothing unfortunately.

justagirl

Sherifu wrote: »

[win] + r

Type "control userpasswords2"

Hit [enter]

When I do this nothing happens....

justagirl

justagirl wrote: »

When I do this nothing happens....

ok... I typed in control userpasswords and now I'm at user accounts screen - txs.... i'll just now pick another user and see if screen is any different?...

aidan_walsh

Ok, try [win] + R and enter C:/Windows/system32/restore/rstrui.exe.

Select "Restore my computer to an earlier time" and click Next.
Pick a date on the calendar that lists a restore point (they'll have names) and click Next, and Next again to confirm.

Restart the computer and see if there is any difference.

aidan_walsh

justagirl wrote: »

ok... I typed in control userpasswords and now I'm at user accounts screen - txs.... i'll just now pick another user and see if screen is any different?...

Yep.

justagirl

selected other user and screen just went black ...:eek: just restarting now ... (txs so much).. its doing a system restore thingy...

Sherifu

Damn kids

justagirl

It came up cannot restore to the date I selected (last august)... and I will have to reselect date.... So I'll do that now...

Also, its now coming up with 'Failed to load dll(ApMain)'

aidan_walsh

Pick a date in the not too distant past. Picking one from way back when could effect programs that were installed since.

justagirl

Ok.. just selected a new date... just back to jan I think...

Sherifu wrote: »

Damn kids

U telling me... complete nightmare... Ah sure aren't they only trying to find things out for themselves..... :rolleyes:

justagirl

aidan_walsh wrote: »

Pick a date in the not too distant past. Picking one from way back when could effect programs that were installed since.

Aidan Walsh... you are an absolute Star.. I've got the start menu back! and I have learned heaps too....:D Thank you so so much... My friend will be delighted....She'll think I'm ever so clever..!!:D:D:D :D:D:D

aidan_walsh

No problem at all

AlmightyCushion

Moved from Laptops.

Bluefrog

I'd do a system restore to the last time the start menu was being displayed.

Soundman

Bluefrog wrote: »

I'd do a system restore to the last time the start menu was being displayed.

You didn't read the thread I guess? :pac: