OEM XP Pro hangs at Desktop, wallpaper only

[shokan]

When starting OEM XP Pro, I get to the desktop but only the wallpaper scene showing, no icons, no taskbar. Right click , no result. There is one small static window that appears, though, which says Loading Personalized Settings in the blue header and C:\RECYCLER\ (then a string of numbers). When moving the cursor over it changes to an hourglass.

I can also get Task Manager to flicker briefly by using CTRL/ALT/DLT, but it is gone too fast to click on anything.

1) Without the XP install disk (it's an OEM installation), is there anything I can try myself?

2) If I need to go to the vendor that has the OEM copy of XP , what should I ask them to do to save me some billing time?

3) alternatively, if I can use someone else's full XPdisc, can I use that to get just far enough to hopefully resolve the problem?

Thanks!!!!

(back here tomorrow...internet cafe :( )

[Boris]

Try a repair installation of XP - excellent guide here :-

http://www.simplyguides.net/guides/repair_...lation_xp.shtml

You should be able to use someone else's full XP Pro CD - but with your own product key.

[shokan]

I fixed it by booting in Safe Mode and messing around until I stopped some process that had been interupted in the last session which was a restart after partial completion of an adware/spyware/history erase by Cyberscrub, on a hard disc that is near capacity.

Thanks anyway!

Whew. :D