Can you boot to Safe Mode? Hold down or repeatedly press the Ctrl key (or
F8) as the system is cranking up. You're looking to get to the Startup Menu.
The trigger moment is right after the initial POST screens and right as
Windows starts. If you fail to get the Startup Menu, wait for Windows to
finish loading, then restart and try again.

When you get to the Startup Menu, choose Safe Mode. If you can get to the
full Desktop in Safe Mode, Start button, etc., then use the article Brian
mentioned at http://grystmill.com/articles/cleanboot.htm. Disable the
Startup list as instructed and see if that allows you back into Normal Mode.

If you can't get any further in Safe Mode than you can in Normal Mode, then
try the following instructions, compiled by Glen Ventura, MVP ("Glee".)

------------------------------------------------
Follow the procedures he
Blank Desktop or Illegal Operations Error Message After You Install Internet
Explorer:
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=kb;en-us;249191

If those procedures do not help, have a look he
Recovering From a Failed Internet Explorer Upgrade in Windows 98:
http://www.cs.bsu.edu/~gjjones/admin...nd ows98.html
or
http://tinyurl.com/r5ba

Especially this section at the end:

"If you still have boot problems after you reboot, you should use the
command prompt
to edit the c:\windows\system.ini file. On the command line type edit
c:\windows\system.ini.

"Once it is open, change the line shell=explorer.exe to shell=progman.exe.
What you
are doing here is changing the default shell (that is having problems) from
the
Windows Explorer to the old Windows Program Manager shell.

"Reboot Windows. It should now successfully boot with no errors into an
empty
Program Manager shell. Use the File | Run | Browse drop down menu selection
to
browse to c:\program files\internet explorer and launch ie5setup.exe or
ie6setup.exe
(depending on what is there). Do a custom install and check all the Bold
faced
options. When the setup program alerts you that these files are already
installed,
tell it to reinstall all of the files.

"When the Internet Explorer Setup program is done and reboots, hit the F8
key to
bring up a Boot Menu. Choose Command Prompt and boot to the command prompt.
Once
there, type edit c:\windows\system.ini and, once it is open, change the line
shell=progman.exe back to shell=explorer.exe. Save and exit the file. You
have now
set the shell back to the original value."
------------------------------------------------------

--
Gary S. Terhune
MS-MVP Shell/User

"nicko" wrote in message
...
my computer boots up to the windows 98 display and then my background
there is no start or icons
have created boot disk on floppy and cd..
does not work