It has happened to all of us at some point in time. You start up your computer and low and behold, you have no task bar. Since the taskbar contains links to many of the everyday tasks that you perform on your computer, if it is not present it can present many challenges. This can be especially true with Windows 8 if you have not added a third party start menu. Sometimes the fix is just a simple reboot while other times it can be a symptom of a more serious issue such as a virus or a corrupted windows file.

 

One quick test to see if you can “unhide” the taskbar is to simply use the CTRL+ESC keys in sequence. If the task bar is simply being stubborn and is hidden, this will allow you to view both the taskbar and the Start Menu. If it opens but very slowly, you could have Malware or simply a labor-intensive program running on your system. Try to reboot the system and see if the issue still exists. If the issue is still there, run a scan with your anti-virus software to rule out an infection that might be draining your system of resources.

 

If the above procedure does not allow you to view the taskbar, more intensive measures are needed. Since the taskbar requires that explorer.exe is running, this is the next thing we are going to check. This time we are going to use the CTRL+ALT+DEL sequence to start the task manager. If you are still using XP it will appear right away. If you are using any other OS, you will have to choose Start Task Manager from the list.

 

Once the Task Manager is running we will want to open the Run command so we can attempt to manually start explorer. To do this, go to the File menu option and click on New Task. This will open the Run command in the box that appears type explorer.exe and hit OK. If explorer not opening properly is causing the problem, this will correct the issue. Even if the issue is corrected, you still might have a virus or possibly a corrupted windows file. Try running system restore or call a professional to clean out your system.

 

If none of the above procedures will fix the problem, you might want to try the System File Checker to see if any important Windows files are comprised or corrupt. To do this, open the Task Manager as described above and again use the File menu option and again choose New Task. In this instance you are going to put cmd in the box and hit OK. This should open a black DOS type screen with a blinking curser.

 

Simply type sfc /scannow in the box and hit your Enter button. A scan should immediately start with a percentage. This could take some time depending on your computer. Please allow it to finish. Once completed, the box will specify if it found any violations on your system. If it did, it will prompt you to reboot your computer. Please do so immediately. Once your system reboots, check to see if the issue is resolved.

 

If none of the above fixes repaired the problem, a reformat might be the only way to get things back to normal. At this point it is best to call a computer technician to help with your problem. There still might be a few tricks to try that are much too technical to list here.

 

If you are one of the folks that backups your system religiously or has a backup clone of your drive, recovering your system will be a piece of cake. Remember to backup, backup and backup. I cannot stress this enough. A good backup is like gold in your jewelry box.

 

By ,Tech Joe Z