Fast Solution to Problem: Almost all of my desktop icons had disappeared, along with their relevant apps. I was no longer in classical view.

Almost all of my desktop icons had disappeared, along with their relevant apps. I was no longer in classical view.

I'm using Windows 7 Pro x64.  Last night I ran the latest update offerings, which was a lengthy process involving several dozen items.  When I turned on the computer this morning, almost all of my desktop icons had disappeared, along with their relevant
apps.  I was no longer in classical view; looked like a windows 8 view.  I tried system restore, which would not work and came back with an error message saying that
%hs was not installed on the machine.  Could not boot in safe mode.  Do I have any options?  Must I re-install the operating system?  Would Linux prevent this type of problem?  Thank you for your cooperation and assistance. 
*** Email address is removed for privacy ***
Original title: Update virus???

Keys to the Problem Almost all of my desktop icons had disappeared, along with their relevant apps. I was no longer in classical view.

Download SmartPCFixer for Free Now

Its not a virus, your PC has a hardware error, possibly caused by a driver install
See below the options of using system restore on boot up
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows/what-are-system-recovery-options#what-are-system-recovery-options=windows-7

Manually editing the Windows registry

Manually editing the Windows registry to remove invalid MACHINE_CHECK_EXCEPTION keys is not recommended unless you are PC service professional. Incorrectly editing your registry can stop your PC from functioning and create irreversible damage to your operating system. In fact, one misplaced comma can prevent your PC from booting entirely!

Caution: Unless you an advanced PC user, we DO NOT recommend editing the Windows registry manually. Using Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall Windows. We do not guarantee that problems resulting from the incorrect use of Registry Editor can be solved. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

To manually repair your Windows registry, first you need to create a backup by exporting a portion of the registry related to MACHINE_CHECK_EXCEPTION (eg. Windows Operating System):

• Click the Start button.
• Type "command" in the search box... DO NOT hit ENTER yet!
• While holding CTRL-Shift on your keyboard, hit ENTER.
• You will be prompted with a permission dialog box.
• Click Yes.
• A black box will open with a blinking cursor.
• Type "regedit" and hit ENTER.
• In the Registry Editor, select the Error 0x9C-related key (eg. Windows Operating System) you want to back up.
• From the File menu, choose Export.
• In the Save In list, select the folder where you want to save the Windows Operating System backup key.
• In the File Name box, type a name for your backup file, such as "Windows Operating System Backup".
• In the Export Range box, be sure that "Selected branch" is selected.
• Click Save.
• The file is then saved with a .reg file extension.
• You now have a backup of your MACHINE_CHECK_EXCEPTION-related registry entry.

Recommended Method to Repair the Problem: Almost all of my desktop icons had disappeared, along with their relevant apps. I was no longer in classical view.:

How to Fix Almost all of my desktop icons had disappeared, along with their relevant apps. I was no longer in classical view. with SmartPCFixer?

1. Download SmartPCFixer . Install it on your system.  Click Scan, and it will perform a scan for your computer. The junk files will be shown in the list.

2. After the scan is finished, you can see the errors and problems which need to be fixed.

3. When the Fixing part is finished, your computer has been speeded up and the errors have been removed

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