This issue happens sometimes with XP on boot. I’ve had it happen when nothing changed since the system was run last.

Workaround for getting icons and taskbar to appear below:

  • Start Task Manager by Ctrl+Alt+Delete buttons pressed simultaneously. Task Manager will appear. (Important: Do not repeat this a second time as your system may well reboot on second press operation.) Wait for Task Manager to appear. It may take a bit to appear.
  • Pressing Ctrl+Alt+Delete twice is a preferred option to force-quit, over using the power button, as when buttons are pressed together two times to restart your system. If that does not work, then use power button to force-quit.
  • Click File>drop-down menu>select New Task (Run)>enter explorer.exe in Create New Task which will appear. Click OK.

Windows Explorer should now start, and the taskbar and desktop icons should now appear.

Absence of taskbar and/or desktop icons almost always means explorer.exe did not start or is hanging. Really do not know why this happens, but this should get you going if this happens again. Reboot normally a second time after successfully getting to the desktop to set everything right.