Until recently whenever I opened say 'My Computer' it would show all my drives etc, but the top of the window would have a row of options like search etc etc and included a backward and forward button, so that if you then browsed to a folder opened it, viewed it and wanted to go back to the section where the folder was you could just use the back button.

But now all this has gone!!!!!!

When I click on 'My Computer' now, a window opens showing all my drives as 'tiles' but that is it. No options at the top of the window at all.

If I open a folder I cant then go back and have to close the entire window and go back to the start...........

Anybody know why or how to fix this???

Thanks in advance.

 

Go into a folder(my documents will do) click on "view" then on tool bars make sure standard buttons, address bar, and lock tool bar are ticked.
Then go back to the view list again and make sure "tiles" are selected.
I have the go back and forward options so if you copy the above it should be back to how it was

 

Thats the problem though. I dont have any 'view' option or any other option........

 

can you open up a folder and take a screenshot for me, im mythed here

Press print screen key on the keyboard, open windows paint, click edit and then paste, save the image and upload

 

Before you do this for me have you tried right clicking on a gray part of the window at the top and seeing what comes up? should have a little menu with 4 things in the list, all should be ticked bar links, maybe the menu i talk about above will be revealed now?

 

My documents...........



:/

 

hmmm thats strange mate, leave it with me ill try and figure it out in abit

 

Thats a fucking odd one! I tried to stip my folder dow to that and closest I can get is everything gone EXCEPT the FILE EDIT VIEW etc tabs...

What happens when you open the folder and hit the ALT tab on the keyboard?

 

Thrush he will just get the quick view menu thing wont he, nothing to do with getting his options back.
Im just trying to simulate his issue and like you said nearest you can get is everything gone bar file edit view............
I WILL work this out

 

That was why I was asking - cos if he can get the menu back, albeit temporarily, at least then he can go into the VIEW tab and see whats ticked and what isn't can't he

Think outside the box

 

Ok trying pressing the "ALT" key on its own, the menu at the top of the window should appear? then you can change your options back hopefully.
Thrush you were half way there
Pressing ALT AND TAB together brings up the menu for quickly browsing through currently running applications/ windows

 

press ALT and then v

 

Thats the one

 

No, I just re-read my post, and realised I said "press ALT tab" when what I meant was "ALT button" The pressing of ALT on it's own to get a drop menu (like you can do in IE7 cos you hide the task tabs) was what I was referring to... My mistake with a typo!

 

Thanks fella's but still no luck.

Ive tried all of the suggestions above and nothing at all happens.........

 

Start -> Settings -> Control Panel -> Folder Options -> View -> reset All Folders

 

or if that wont work, bit drastic but maybe do a system restore to most recent working backup, but check what or if apps u were gona lose... data will be ok though.

 

Apply> ok


yeah that could work, it was actually something i was typing the other day then when someone mentioned the alt thing i deleted my post because i thought that would work

 

Nope

No difference..........

 

System restore ?

 

Thanks all.

I'll try and avoid Restore until ive tried other avenues in case it alters something I have done since that I want to keep as is.

Thanks anyway and if anybody has any other ideas.........

 

Could be a policy thats disabling the menu bar? I've seen something similar where task manager is grayed out (caused by spyware) so that you can't end the task.

To check go start, run, then type gpedit.msc I'm not to sure where this policy would be but i'd take a look at user configuration -> administrative templates -> Windows Components -> Windows explorer first and check if anything in there is disabled. You could also have a better look around and see if anything else is disabled that sounds like it could be the issue.

Failing that what I'd do next is either create a restore point (today), then restore back to a date it worked and see if it does still work, if not you can roll back to today. You could also create a new user account on your PC and check if the new user account has the same issue, if not then it is account related so you could copy your docs/settings etc into the new profile and delete the old.

Finally it might be worth running some antivirus/spyware programs on your machine to check if its clean incase it is a similar issue to what i have seen with the taskbar.

 

Well at last I have managed to get it back but only by spending literally hours going backwards through System Restores to find when it changed, and then staying at that point and redoing all the changes that had happened since then.

Thanks again to all those who replied.

 

Other option was the sticky about repairing XP