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My MPC Transport won’t show icons?

Restore Missing Desktop Icons

When it comes to missing icons, I think that the likely culprit is your operating system - most likely Windows - not your computer hardware. There is nothing about the make or model of your computer that suggests there are icons other than the ones that are on the usual desktop interface that you are used to seeing with Windows.

How to Restore Icons in Windows XP

Here are the steps to restore the icons on Windows XP. The first choice might apply if the option to turn the desktop icons was inadvertently turned off.

1. Right click the desktop
2. Point the cursor to Arrange Icons By
3. Choose Show Desktop Icons

Customize Desktop in Windows XP

The second possibility might result if you recently upgraded to a later version of Windows or performed a clean installation. In this case, the online icon that displays on the desktop is the recycle bin. Here’s how to add the My Computer, My Network Places, Internet Explorer and My Document icons:

1. Right click the desktop and choose Properties
2. On the Desktop tab, choose Customize Desktop
3. Under Desktop Icons, choose the icons that you want to appear
4. Click OK, then OK again

How to Restore Icons in Windows Vista

If you’re running Windows Vista, follow these instructions to restore your missing icons. First of all, the same process might work as applies for XP. Simply right click an empty part of the desktop and then choose Show Desktop Icons.

1. Right click on an empty part of the desktop
2. Choose Personalize
3. From the left side panel, choose Change Desktop Icons
4. Check or uncheck the icons that you want to appear or remove from the desktop
5. Additionally, you can also right click any file or folder and click Send To, and then choose Desktop (create shortcut)
6. Choose OK to apply, then close the Windows and your icons should appear

Corrupt Iconcache.db File

It’s also possible that the iconcache.db file, which is a database of your icons, is damaged. Read this Filetonic Article, specifically the section titled “Corrupt Shortcuts” for details on how to delete and recreate this vital file.

How to Change Icons in Vista

You can also change the icon that appears for different files, folders or programs.

1. Click the icon to choose it
2. Choose Change Icon
3. Select the icon you want and choose OK to apply

Good luck, and let us know if there is anything else that we can help you with.

My Acer Aspire One notebook goes to a blank screen at startup.

BIOS Recovery System

As awful as it sounds, this is a fairly common problem with Acer Aspire notebooks and it sounds like you have an issue with the BIOS - as long as you can see the power button and hear the fans running to indicate that it is not a power issue. Luckily, these notebooks come with a built-in BIOS recovery system that should get you up and running without damaging or losing any of your files. Know that doing this may void your warranty, so if you have a warranty, you should talk to Acer directly. Follow these steps EXACTLY, and it should work for you:

1. Format a USB memory stick to FAT. Make sure it is bootable.
2. Download the latest BIOS from the Acer website. Follow these links for BIOS for Aspire One 150 or this link for BIOS for Aspire One 110
3. Put the FLASHIT.EXE and the BIOS file in the root directory of the memory stick.
4. Rename the BIOS file: ZG5IA32.FD. It is important that you get the file name exactly right.
5. Remove the drive.
6. Turn the Acer off, but make sure you have a working battery and AC power connected.
7. Insert the USB memory stick into a USB port.
8. Press Fn+Esc and press the Power button at the same time. After a few seconds, release Fn+Esc.
9. The power button should be blinking. Press it once.
10. At this point, the BIOS will flash - don’t press anything or interrupt this process. If you’ve done it right, the power button will stop flashing and the notebook will reboot. When it is all done, everything should be set to reboot.

Because you have an Acer Aspire One and you are getting the blank boot screen, I’m betting that this will solve your problem. If you are still having problems after following these directions exactly, then let us know and we can try to troubleshoot hardware or screen issues that may be the culprit.

I can’t access any programs on my desktop. It’s booting up okay but I can’t get anything to work.

Are you able to access the programs through the Start menu? Are the icons missing, or just not responding? Are you getting an error message that states that you do not have access to that program? Depending on the answers, there are several methods to fix the issue with your desktop icons. Let’s try them one at a time.

Missing Icons

If your icons are missing altogether, try this fix. Put the cursor at any point on the desktop and right click on it. Choose the option Arrange Icons By and make sure there is a checkmark in front of Show Desktop Icons. If there is no check there, then clicking on it should solve your problem and bring all of the icons back.

Icons Not Operating

If your icons are there on the desktop but the programs won’t launch, it may be a problem with the explorer.exe program within Windows itself. Put the cursor on the taskbar at the bottom of your screen and right click on it. Select Task Manager and then choose New Task. Type in explorer.exe and run it. Now try to use your icons.

Malware Issue

If these fixes don’t work for you, this could be a problem with malware. If this is a new problem, you can use a program called System Restore that will roll your computer back to a point where this wasn’t an issue. Hopefully, you can use the Start menu. If so, go to Start and then All Programs and choose Accessories. Choose System Tools and click on System Restore. You will see a welcome screen. Choose “Restore my computer to an earlier time” and click Next. You will be asked to select a restore point - choose a date that is right before your problem started. Confirm the date and click Next. The computer will shut down and restart and your System Restore should be complete.

Hopefully, one of these methods will get your desktop icons behaving again. Once you get your system up and running, you should update and run all of your antivirus and anti-malware software. If you need help choosing the right software for your needs, you can reference our Filetonic antivirus reviews.

I have an old Sony Vaio computer with the XP operating system. When I turn it on my background page comes up, a few seconds later my icons come up, and then after a few more seconds, the icons disappear and all I have left is the background page. Next, a small (5×3) “personal settings” screen appears in the top left corner. That will then go away and the icons return. This repeats over and over. I cannot click on any of the icons and bring them up. Any suggestions?

Mysterious Desktop Icon Behaviors

What you are describing is a classic symptom that your Windows interface is having problems. The interface of Windows is the graphical element consisting of the Start button and menu, desktop and icons, Taskbar, and the Windows Explorer file menu. Something is going on with a file called explorer.exe, which is the executable program responsible for displaying the graphical interface. It sounds as if it is caught in an endless loop where it starts and restarts.  

Windows Explorer Errors

Many explorer.exe errors are fixed by manually restarting the explorer.exe process. Now, since you can’t click the icons, you’ll need to bear with me and try a few different things. First, what happens if you right-click a blank area of the Taskbar? Does a small menu appear? If so, click on Task Manager.

If you can’t get into Task Manager by right-clicking, try pressing Control + Alt + Delete and choosing Task Manager from that menu. One of these two techniques should launch the Task Manager.

Once inside the Task Manager, go to File> New Task (Run). Type explorer.exe in the field and click OK. Your screen background should briefly disappear and then reappear with icons intact. Is it stable? I hope so. This technique works for many explorer.exe failures, so hopefully it will solve your current problem.

Using System Restore from a Command Prompt

The next step is to try a System Restore. Since your graphical interface is acting up, your best bet is to try this from either Task Manager or from a command prompt. Obviously, this will only work if you have System Restore activated and a restore point from before the problem began. If you think your computer has a valid restore point, then open Task Manager once again and choose File> New Task (Run). Type rstrui.exe and click OK or press the Enter key. Pick a restore point from before the problems began and follow the prompts.

If you cannot get into Task Manager, reboot your computer and press the F8 key to enter the Safe Mode choices screen. Pick Safe Mode with Command Prompt. This loads a DOS-like screen rather than your familiar desktop interface.

Type in the following at the command prompt (and then press the Enter key):

%systemroot%\system32\restore\rstrui.exe

For example, if you have Windows loaded on your C drive, the command will look like this:

C:\Windows\system32\restore\rstrui.exe

Follow the prompts to restore your system.

Using the System File Checker

If the above techniques have not worked, try using the System File Checker utility. This utility scans your computer’s system files and replaces bad ones with clean copies found on your original Windows installation CD. You must have your CD inserted in order for this to work and you will need to update your operating system once the process is complete.

Whether from Task Manager’s New Task (Run) or a command prompt, enter: sfc \scannow.

Delete Icon Cache

Another common problem with disappearing and reappearing icons involves the icon cache file. Let’s try deleting the IconCache.db file as once it’s deleted, Windows automatically creates a new one. The icon cache is generally located in:

Documents and Settings\User Name\Local Settings\Application Data

Hopefully one of these fixes will stop your icons from pulling a disappearing act. If not, let us know. There are a few more tricks, mostly dealing with the registry, that we can try.