PLEASE! Technical HELP! Taskbar keeps dissapearing.

right click on it, go to properties. Where it says "auto hide the taskbar" make sure the little box next to it is not clicked. It will be the second one.

 

If that doesn't do the trick. Your computer might be having some kind of system error?
If that's the case I'd consider using recovery disk...

Or buying a new one? Perhaps?

 

If you use system restore points, it might be a good idea to use the system restore tool, backtrack to the date that this problem started (or just before it) and see if there was any kind of change that took place on that date that might have triggered it. It's a longshot, but it's worked for me before.

System restore can be very helpful, but if you've heard from anyone that malware (I.E., "viruses") can congregate in there, they're right. In certain cases, it can simultaneously be the cause and solution to a single problem, haha!

You can access your system restore wizard by going to the start menu, choosing "help and support" and following a link there. It should say something like "Undo changes to your computer with System Restore"

 

It may be that explorer (which controls the task bar as well as file management) is crashing.

Press Ctrl-Alt-Del and choose Task Manager. Go to the Processes tab, select "show processes for all users" and see if explorer.exe is listed. If not, go to the Applications tab, click New Task and type explorer.exe into the box. If the taskbar appears again then you know explorer crashed or stopped running. It will probably do the same again, but it proves the point.

If you can't get to Task Manager, just press Win-R (the Windows key next to Alt and the R key) and type explorer.exe in the Run box that appears.

Steam Giant's suggestion of going to the last restore point before it went wrong is good. Hopefully you can backtrack to a good point and won't have lost or broken any recently installed software.

Then do a full scan for viruses, spyware and adware. If you don't have suitable software, ask here for recommendations.

A common reason for explorer to crash losing the task bar is a rogue application in the system tray (the bit by the clock). Some malware lurks there pretending to be security software and popping up warnings.

 

Aww now I got some contenders... I wanted to be the one he was indepted too.

 

We'll know if/when we get the result!

 

Like Steam Giant said try using system restore point. What was the last thing you did before this starting happening?

 

Oooooh my god you have Vundo. I had it too, I don't know why I didn't recognize those symptoms. What you need is a program called Vundo Fix, you can probably find it through google. That program and that program alone can remove Vundo. However, I'm not certain if newer versions of Vundo have learned to overcome it yet.

My reccomendation:

Get Hijack This! It's free to download and use. Preform a scan with it, and make a log. Then go to a tech forum. I recommend http://www.bleepingcomputer.com because they have a section on their forum specifically reserved for Hijack This! logs. Find that section on their forum, post a precise description of the problems you're having and what steps you've already taken, and post your log. One of their admins will read your post within a few days and reply with pre-composed steps to solve it. Don't feel offended by the fact that very few of their communications to you will be personalized - their service is free, and they ask only for donations if you feel particularly indebted to them. These are people dedicated to doing what they can to keep the internet safe from spyware/malware, etc. If you're having trouble getting in contact with them, PM me and I'll help, as I've been through all of this before.

Also, if you're interested, Malwarecomplaints.com has a forum that composes forms of complaint to the Federal Trade Commission to help them to track down and punish those responsible for infecting you. Spyware, malware, "viruses," etc are all illegal, and distributors of these are subject to huge penalties if caught infecting people with them.

 

My solution is to download a program called Unlocker, install it (you don't need the Assistant).

It will allow you to delete locked files and hopefully it should let you delete the DLL that the virus uses. (Note: If the virus only uses that DLL, it will be gone in a snap)

 

You can use the money you saved to buy yourself a Dalek Time Lord treat.

.. & you get a (*hug*) for that excellent choice of avatar.

 

Excellent news! I'm really pleased it's sorted.

Do you have anti-virus software on the PC? You really should have it, and leave it enabled all the time. I like NOD32, but it's not free.

 

I got this from a support website.

I actually DON'T have a virus scanner, or fire wall, but, I never get problems with viruses and such.

 

Hehe ^^ glad to have been helpful! (*hug*) It was a good move to talk to people you know first before paying someone to look at it. Particularly Best Buy...giving your machine to them should be a last resort. They charge a LOT of money to do what would normally be free if you did it yourself.

As far as prevention goes, if you don't have them already, grab Spybot and Adaware. Both are free and yes, get both of them. Each scans in blind spots that the other possesses. Just don't scan with both at the same time ^^

Additionally, Vundo and its many variants don't just come out of nowhere. I recommend you take inventory of the types of websites that you visit, or the activities you conduct over the net. It's true, everything that can be found on the net can be found for free, but there are safe ways to get them for free, and there are places that will infect you with lord knows what.

It was actually www.malwarecomplaints.info ^^`` heh, sorry about that! The specific section you'd be posting in can be found here. Note that the top thread at the moment of this post relates to Vundo, heh.

I'm very happy that your computer's feeling much better now! ^^ (*hug*) Now all you have to do is keep it that way! ^^ hehe!

 

How do you know? You could have several viruses and malware on your machine right now, sending your private data to hackers or quietly sending out spam emails or attacking internet servers, and wouldn't even know they are there. Lot of viruses and malware do not make their presence known. They are designed to sit there quietly doing their dirty work unnoticed.

You NEED a virus scanner with Windows. No excuses, it is essential.

AVG Free is (as the name suggests) free and is reasonably good.

 

I prefer AVG Free.