[AsturizGomez]

I'm using Windows XP. To make a long story short, when I opened my desktop yesterday, no desktop icon appeared and there was also no START bar/menu. In other words, what I got was a plain blank black screen with only the mouse pointer (which, by the way, responds as I move the mouse ).


Here are some more details:
- though the mouse responds with movement, I CANNOT get the options "Active Desktop, Arrange Icons, Refresh, Properties, etc" that usually appear when you do a right-click on the desktop. THis just doesnt happen.
- I could, however, launch Task Manager when doing a Ctrl+Alt+Del. From here, I could launch applications when clicking the "New Task" button. I've tried opening the usual applications that I use like MS Office, etc. and goodthing I was able to open them. So im not sure what the problem is since I can open applications via the long route
- I've tried rebooting and starting in "Safe Mode" but same problem. NO icons, no Start bar, etc.
- Safe mode runs it fine, though.

Any advice or solutions will be greatly appreciated! Thank you!