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Resolved Question

Everything is blank

Feb 17, 2018 1:06PM PST

Hey. When i open my start menu or right click on my desktop all the boxes have no text. Any icon on my desktop havent either. And if i open something say Explorer all i get is the folder with icons but no folder banes or anything. Same thing if i right click where the properties option would have been on a program, i get nothing. It all started after i downloaded a file and ran it. I suspect i might have been a virus so i tried multiple different anti virus software which include AVG NORTON and anti malwatr bytes. AVG just closed after i got to the first setup screen. Anti malware bytes did as everything Else and showed me no text and norton was the only thing that worked. So with norton i ran the scanner But to no luck. Please help

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Sebastian989 has chosen the best answer to their question. View answer

Best Answer

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I would boot to another safe drive
Feb 21, 2018 11:46AM PST

Make sure it had the antivirus program on it I wanted. I'd then use it to scan the first problematic drive. If you can't have two drives in your computer (laptop?), then put the original drive into an external USB case and do it that way.

Another way is to put a stand alone antivirus program on CD or DVD, then boot to it, and have it check the problem HDD.

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I havent tried that
Feb 25, 2018 2:50AM PST

I try and let you know the result thanks! But regarding the anti virus, i have already tried scanning But it comes up short.. Any program you would suggest? It all happend after i ran a exe program. I still have my desktop icons But they have no names. Same thing with explorer all icons no folder names. Also if i right click on my screen all the would be options is just blank boxes. If i open google Chrome though, everything is visibel though the URL text have become extremly small

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Just got back home off trip
Feb 27, 2018 1:00PM PST

Sounds like the exe did damage already. Finding whatever caused it may help give info on how to fix it, but just getting rid of whatever hit you probably won't repair the damage to the system. You may have to bite the bullet and do a reinstall. If so, after backing up your data, you could try the "dirty install" in which you install windows again back on top of itself first. If so, all may be well then and not require more to be done, unless you find the motherboard drivers from manufacturer site must also be reinstalled.

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Welcome back
Feb 28, 2018 10:40AM PST

How would you reccomend to find what caused it? I will keep the dirty install in mind thanks.

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I already answered that question.
Feb 28, 2018 11:30AM PST

the only thing that may find what caused it is an Antivirus program, or MalwareBytes also. I would do as suggested before and also run CHKDSK on it to see if the problem might NOT be a trojan or virus, but failing drive that just lost some necessary data.

"I still have my desktop icons But they have no names. Same thing with explorer all icons no folder names."

This also sounds like it could be a problem with settings change in the windows. Check your font settings, the encoding (use Western or Unicode), look to see if you set it to show ONLY icons and not text too for icons.

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Answer
Could be something other than a virus.
Feb 21, 2018 9:26AM PST

Did you try another account? Windows for decades has had issues with corrupt profiles. Test if another account works.

Remember folk, always keep a spare local admin account on Windows machines because it makes these a lot easier to fix.

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I suppose so
Feb 25, 2018 2:38AM PST

Though i have just had a corrupt profile and managed to fix it. I also have a second account But its the total same