Open your computer desktop. Launch the desktop from the command line. What is "Desktop"

Sometimes computer users experience that after loading Windows desktop won't load. The operating system has loaded, but only the background image is visible on the screen - there are no icons, no bottom panel in sight. What to do in this case?

If your desktop does not load, this means that The explorer.exe process failed. Running this process will return the desktop to its place, but after that you will need to figure out the reasons for the “disappearance” of the desktop and eliminate them.

So, to execute explorer.exe process, you will need to call the Windows Task Manager. This is done using the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Alt+Delete (Ctrl+Shift+Escape for Windows 7). When the task manager opens, from the File menu, select the New task (Run...) option. In the window that opens, you will need to enter explorer.exe and click on the OK button. You can not enter the command manually, but use the Browse button, go to the WINDOWS folder on drive C, select the explorer.exe file, click the Open button, and then click the OK button.

These steps will help return all the desktop icons and panels to their place, but will not eliminate the reason why the desktop does not load, and the problem will repeat every time the operating system boots. How to deal with the problem once and for all?

The most likely reason that your desktop does not want to boot is virus in the system. So first you need to scan the system with an antivirus (it is best, in addition to the already installed antivirus, to use one or more free utilities for removing viruses - if the antivirus has already let the virus into the system, it may not notice it). But sometimes even after removing all the viruses, the desktop still does not load. In this case, you will have to resort to editing the Windows registry.

To launch registry editor, you need to click on the Start button and select the Run option (you can simply use the Win+R key combination). In the window that opens, enter the regedit command and click OK or the Enter key.

You need to check in the registry editor availability of the following keys:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\Image File Execution Options\explorer.exe
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\Image File Execution Options\iexplorer.exe

If they exist, they should be delete(right click on the key - context menu option Delete, or select the key with a left click and click on the Delete button).

You also need to check the following registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon

It needs find the Shell parameter and assign it the value explorer.exe. To do this, right-click on the parameter and select the Edit context menu item or double-click on the parameter with the left button. In the Value field you need to enter explorer.exe and click on the OK button or the Enter key. All changes to the registry will take effect only after the computer is restarted.

If you are afraid to go into the registry, you can try restore desktop boot using free antivirus utility AVZ. Download the utility from the official website of the developer, unpack the archive and run the utility. From the File menu, select the System Restore option. In the window that opens, check the boxes for items 5 (Restoring desktop settings), 9 (Removing debuggers and system processes) and 16 (Restoring the Explorer startup key). Click the Perform selected operations button. As in the previous case, you will need to restart your computer.

Sometimes it helps copying explorer.exe from another computer to the WINDOWS folder on the drive on which you have the system installed (usually drive C). You need to replace the old one with a new file and restart the computer.

If your desktop won't load, don't panic. In most cases, the manipulations described in this article help restore normal desktop boot.

The Windows 8 interface may seem confusing at first glance, as it is significantly different from previous versions. You need to know how to work with the Start screen as well as the desktop. Although the desktop is very similar to previous versions, there is a significant change: the Start menu has been removed.

In this tutorial we will show you how to navigate in Windows 8, how to use the Charms bar and work with applications. We'll also show you where to find features that used to be in the Start menu.

Getting started with Windows 8

After you install Windows 8, it will require you to create an account name and password that you will use to log in. You can also create additional accounts and, if desired, link each of them to a Microsoft account.

To log into Windows 8:

To use Windows 8 you must have your own account and password, which is needed to log into the system.

Navigation in Windows 8

There are several ways to navigate in Windows 8: hot corners, hotkeys, and gestures if you have a tablet.

Using active corners

Wherever you are in Windows 8, on the Start screen or desktop, you can use hot corners or hot corners to navigate. To use the active corner, simply hover your mouse over the corner of the screen, then you will see a panel or tile that you can click on. Each corner has its own task:

  • Bottom left: when you are working with the application, you can click on the lower left corner and return to the home screen.

  • Top left: If you click on the top left corner, you will go to the previously used application.

  • Right top or bottom: You can hover your mouse over the top or bottom right corners to open the panel Charms, where you can change your computer settings and manage printers. We'll talk more about the capabilities of the Charms panel later.

If you have several applications open at the same time, you can switch between them by hovering your mouse over the top left corner and then moving it down. After this, a list of open applications will appear, in which you can switch to the one you need.

Navigation on a tablet

If you have a tablet with Windows 8, then instead of active corners, you can use touch gestures:

  • Swipe from the left edge of the screen allows you to switch between open applications.
  • Swipe from the right edge of the screen opens the Charms panel.

Windows 8 Hotkeys

Windows 8 has several hotkeys that you can use for navigation:

Read more about Windows hotkeys in.

The Charms panel allows you to access your computer settings as well as other options. You can open the Charms panel by hovering your mouse over the top or bottom right corners of the screen.

The Charms bar has several icons, each of which has its own functions:

Working with apps on the Home screen

Start screen apps are a little different from the "classic" Windows apps you've used before. They occupy the entire screen, that is, they do not open in a separate window. However, you can multitask by opening two apps side by side.

To open the application:

To close the application:


When you drag an app down, it may appear stuck. However, continue moving the mouse down until the cursor reaches the bottom of the screen, then the application will close.

Simultaneous use of applications

Although apps typically take up the entire screen, Windows 8 lets you tie application to the right or left side of the screen and open another one next to it. For example, you may want to open your calendar while using another application.

To use applications simultaneously:


The multi-application feature is designed to work on widescreen monitors, so your monitor resolution must be at least 1366x768 pixels for it to work. The larger your monitor, the more applications you can see at once.

Working without the Start menu

One of the most common complaints about Windows 8 is the lack of a Start menu. The Start menu had very important functionality in previous versions of Windows, such as launching applications, searching for files, opening the Control Panel, and shutting down the computer. You can perform these steps in Windows 8, but in a slightly different order.

Windows 8 has several ways to launch applications:

To launch the application:

  • Click on the application icon on the taskbar.

  • Double-click the application shortcut on your desktop.

  • Click on the application tile on the Home screen.

To see all your apps, click the arrow in the lower left corner of the Start screen.

To search for a file or application:

  • Press the Windows key to switch to the Start screen and type what you are looking for. The search results will appear below the search bar. Matching web search results will also appear in the list.

To open the control panel:

To turn off your computer:

  1. Hover your mouse over the bottom right corner to open the Charms panel, then select Options.
  2. Click Power and select Shut down.

Home screen settings

Windows 8 contains many new features, but users who are used to working with the Desktop often find the Start screen annoying and frustrating. If you don't want to use the Start screen often, there are several ways to make your PC look more like previous versions of Windows. For example, you can configure your computer to launch directly to the desktop instead of the Start screen.

To change Home screen settings:


1) Opening the Desktop upon login

Select this option if you want the Desktop to open immediately after you sign in, instead of the Start screen.

2) Show all applications

Select this option if you want to see a list of all your applications when you press the Start button or Windows key.

This option can make the Start screen more similar to the Start menu in previous versions of Windows.

3) Show desktop apps first

Select this option to display desktop applications before others in the application list.

A useful, practical tool that allows you to run applications from DOS. It is good to use it in case of failures or system setup. It launches through “Start”, you can find it there in the standard programs folder. It also opens through “Run” if you enter cmd in the line.

How to launch the desktop using the command line.

The help of this utility is very useful when your desktop does not load. This problem is usually caused by malware that has tampered with the registry. Below explains how to launch the desktop via the command line, connect remotely from another device.

The explorer.exe file is responsible for the process of launching the area. Sometimes, when a failure occurs due to voltage surges, power outages or other reasons, the interface is disrupted, then when turned on again, malfunctions occur.

In fact, the desktop itself is a folder initiated by the explorer.exe process. This means that in order to return to normal, you just need to launch a real process, not modified by viruses. If the folder and its path are damaged, explorer.exe does not function correctly.

It is convenient to restore functionality and resume the normal flow of processes through the command line.

Be sure to run the program with administrator rights. This is done by pressing Win+W and entering “command line” in the search field. Then right-click on the utility icon that appears during the search, click on the words “Run as administrator”.

You can also follow the path “Start” - “All Programs” - “Utilities”, there you can also right-click on the utility icon, then launch it as administrator.

Desktop startup, recovery

We register explorer.exe in the console. The process will begin to launch, and upon completion you will see the desktop along with icons.

If Windows still boots only to a black screen, it means that the explorer.exe file is damaged, modified, or even deleted by a virus - we are taking recovery measures.

You need to start the computer in safe mode, then enable the rstrui.exe process. The recovery utility will begin to function, allowing you to select a rollback point, returning the device to the state it was on the date this point was created.

IMPORTANT. This will restore functionality, returning the state to the same as at the moment before the change to explorer.exe.

Remote access connection

Using the console, you can also connect to the desktop remotely. This is done so that the system can be controlled through another medium, another device, since the original computer does not boot. This is done like this:

Allow the connection by entering in the console:

Start the net start Termservice.

Configure your firewall settings:

netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name="allow RemoteDesktop" dir=in protocol=TCP localport=3389 action=allow

Running from a remote device

If you need to launch the desktop via remote access using the command line located on a remote device, follow these steps. Download and install the PsTools program.

REFERENCE. PsTools is a set of tools that allows you to administer the system. It is a set of programs that can be installed together or separately. The full list includes utilities that allow you to remotely open files, execute processes, display information, download entries from the event log, change the values ​​of set passwords on account accounts, shut down and reboot a remote computer, pause processes running on it, and other functions.

Launch the command line, go to the PsTools directory. Register to launch the command line on the remote device:

exe \\Remote_computer_name -u domain\user -p password cmd

Allow to connect via a remote desktop, for which you enter:

reg add "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server" /v fDenyTSConnections /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f

Enter the commands carefully, then you can save time and money by connecting remotely to the device, performing the necessary actions on it, or returning your device to working condition. In general, as you can see, these functions are useful, and even an inexperienced user can master them.

A very important point when working on a computer is to quickly get to the Desktop when its window is closed with programs and files. Probably, many computer users have situations when many windows of different programs and files are open at the same time.

For example, several folders are open, several programs are running, several different documents are open. At this time, the user needs to quickly get to the Desktop, for example, launch some program or open a Word document.

Of course, you can gradually close or minimize open windows, but this is a rather lengthy process. In order to open the Desktop, there are several ways to quickly access the Desktop in Windows 7.

The first way to open the Desktop

Right-click on the empty button next to the clock, which is located in the lower right corner of the Windows 7 operating system window. All open windows are minimized, and you can quickly get to the Desktop.

In order to return to the open window again, you will need to click on this button again.

The second way to get to the Desktop

You can also access the Desktop using the keyboard. If you simultaneously press the “Win” + “D” key combination on your keyboard, then you will immediately be taken to the Desktop.

In order to return back to the open window, press these keys on the keyboard again. But, in this case, the sequence of open windows may be different than it was originally.

The third way to open the Desktop

In order to open the Desktop, if it is closed by open windows, using Explorer, launch Explorer from the Taskbar.

After this, the “Desktop” folder window opens. In the “Desktop” folder you can perform the necessary actions with files. After completing the actions we need, close the Explorer window.

The fourth way to enter the Desktop

You can also create a shortcut to the “Desktop” folder and pin it to the Taskbar. To do this, launch Explorer, and then right-click on the “Desktop” icon. In the context menu, click on the item “Send” => “Desktop (create shortcut)”. After this, the “Desktop” shortcut appears on the Desktop.

This “Desktop” shortcut will then need to be pinned to the Taskbar. In the future, you can quickly open the “Desktop” folder by clicking on the “Desktop” icon on the Taskbar.

The fifth way to access the desktop

You can pin the Desktop panel near the Notification panel. To do this, right-click on the Taskbar. In the context menu, click on the “Panels” item, and then in the context menu, check the box next to the “Desktop” item.

A small Desktop panel appears near the Notification Panel (tray). If you click on this panel, then a list will open with icons of files located on the Desktop.

Conclusions of the article

In suitable cases, the user can open the Desktop using 5 different methods.

PC users may experience a problem where the command to turn on the Windows desktop is not executed, i.e., when loading the operating system, a black screen appears on which only the mouse cursor is visible. The screen may freeze during the loading phase or in the desktop background with no shortcuts or bottom bar. The cause of this problem may be a system failure, a common virus, or incorrect operation of the registry cleaner. If your desktop starts, but nothing is displayed on it, then you.

In our article we will try to explain how to deal with the problem of the desktop not loading in Windows 7, 8, 10.

Windows 7, 8, 8.1, 10 desktop does not load

If your desktop does not load, it means that the explorer.exe task is not running on your computer. You can enable it using the task manager. The action algorithm will be the same for all versions of Windows.

Press simultaneously Ctrl+Alt+Delete. Windows 7 will immediately open the Task Manager window. On later versions of the operating system, the corresponding item will need to be selected manually from the proposed menu. In the window that appears, in the File tab, select “Run a new task.” A window will open with an empty line where you need to enter the command explorer.exe. If you have administrator rights, it is advisable to check the box next to the “Create a task with administrator rights” option. After you click OK, the system should respond and start.

Editing the registry

Most often, the actions described above are one-time only. Thus, the fraud has to be repeated every time the system starts. To deal with the error, you need to restore the registry.

There are several ways to open Registry Editor. You can start a new task with the regedit command in the Manager or open the menu Start - Run and write the same command there. In any case, the register opens in front of you.

In it you should find the path:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon

In the folder that opens, find the indicator Shell. The command should be indicated next to it explorer.exe. Near UserinitC:\Windows\system32\userinit.exe.

If the actual values ​​do not correspond to those described, they must be changed by clicking the right mouse button. It may be that the indicator is missing altogether. In this case it should be added. Right-click on an empty space in the window and Create a string parameter. Give it the required name and details. Restart your computer.

If this doesn't help, try removing the keys from the registry explorer.exe And iexplorer.exe. They can be found in the section:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Image File Execution Options

Follow the path:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\

and make sure that the Winlogon folder (the intermediate path is the same) does not contain indicators Shell And Userinit. If you find them, delete them. Try restarting your PC again.

System Restore

Another method that can help is system recovery. In the “Dispatcher” we create a new task rstrui.exe(it can also be launched from the Command Line by entering the data in the black window). System recovery mode is automatically activated. Click “Next”, select the save point by date at the time of normal Windows operation and click “Return to restore point”.

If this option does not help, try using the BIOS. During startup, press F8. In the black screen that appears, find the option Restore Last Known Good Configuration. The system will try to start.

If unsuccessful, you will have to use a boot disk or flash drive. Removable media must be connected to the computer. In the BIOS you must select to boot from your removable device. If you are using a disk, select CD-ROM Drive.

A Windows Setup window may appear on the screen, prompting you to select Yes/No. You need to opt out to perform a clean install. An installation window will open in which you select a language. Click Next. The next step, instead of “Install,” click System Restore. Select Troubleshooting.

The “Restore your computer to factory settings” option will delete all data from your PC. That is, your car will be absolutely clean, just like when you bought it. The Additional parameters option will allow you to make your own changes. You can restore the system from an image if you have ever saved it before. If not, then restore the system from a restore point. In the next window you will see the system that needs to be restored directly and then you will be able to select the point itself.

Desktop Actions

Sometimes drastic measures can be avoided. Let's say the desktop starts, but nothing is displayed on it. Try right-clicking on the screen. In the "View" menu, find the "Show desktop icons" option. There should be a check mark next to it.

Users often complain about shortcuts disappearing. The fact is that the system periodically removes unused or damaged shortcuts from the desktop. To cancel this feature, open the Control Panel. In the "System and Security" tab, find the "Troubleshooter" item. In the "Support Center" section, select the "Fix common problems" submenu and find the "Settings" item in the left panel. The Windows Maintenance Tool needs to be disabled.

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