Hey everyone, I've got a big problem with my PC. When I turned it on, I noticed that literally every single icon is gone except for the ChatGPT and TradingView icons on my taskbar. In File Explorer, all the icons appear black too. I tried to open Task Manager, but that wouldn't work at all. I ran a full system scan with Bitdefender, which found and removed two adware programs and one Trojan. After rebooting and doing some SFC scans, the icons are still missing and Task Manager is still inaccessible.
I'm on Windows 11 and could really use some help. Do you think there's more damage to my system? Is there a way to restore everything without having to do a factory reset and lose my data? I'm willing to provide screenshots if needed. Any advice would be appreciated, thanks! 😢🙏
3 Answers
A fresh installation of Windows could be your best shot. Just make sure you back up your important files first. You can use a tool like EaseUS to make sure your data stays intact during the process.
It sounds like you might need to boot into safe mode to do some repairs. Try holding Shift and clicking Restart on your Start menu. From there, you can access recovery options and choose Safe Mode. Once you're in safe mode, you could download Malwarebytes on your phone and transfer it over to run another scan just to be safe.
If you're really concerned about your data, I’d recommend changing all your online passwords from a different device. Make sure your two-factor authentication is set up with an app on your phone and not SMS or email. After that, disconnect your PC from the internet and consider formatting it and doing a clean Windows installation from a USB drive.
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