Dear DoulosMan,

Hello! Welcome to the Microsoft Community.

It looks like you uninstalled Microsoft 365 and then all the desktop icons disappeared. This doesn't sound like an expected message. Microsoft 365 should have nothing to do with desktop icons.

I need to confirm some information from you to help me better analyze the problem:

• Did you use OneDrive before? Did you uninstall OneDrive as well?

• Did only the desktop icons disappear? Can the application itself still be used? You need to find the corresponding folder to execute the application's ".exe" file. Or search for a certain application.

• When you mentioned "portable backup", do you mean you have a backup on an external drive?

If you did use OneDrive before and uninstalled it, please go to the website here, log in with your Microsoft account, check the "Desktop" folder to see if your missing icon is there.

If you make any progress, feel free to let me know.

Best wishes

Pyke.D | Microsoft Community Support Specialist

Fear Pyke D,

Thanks for responding. Unfortunately, after sending the message I turned off my pc and rebooted, at which point I got a blue screen with errors. My pc is now trying to repair same. Thanks again for responding, it was very much appreciated.

Kindest regards

DoulosMan

Dear DoulosMan,

Thanks for your quick reply. I noticed that you marked me as "Not Helpful". But you haven't answered me any information yet. In fact, you should be able to recall whether you use or uninstall OneDrive. If yes, other devices can also access the OneDrive website. And check your files.

Your situation looks strange because uninstalling Microsoft 365 does not cause the desktop icons to disappear. I can only guess that it is the problem of OneDrive. Because if you use OneDrive to sync desktop files, uninstalling OneDrive may cause these files to disappear.

In addition, regarding your blue screen problem, if you still remember the "stop" code shown above, you can tell me. In addition, if the system can be started normally, go to the path "C:\Windows\Minidump\", if you see any ".dmp" file, please upload it to the cloud and share it here. This can help me better understand the cause of your blue screen.

If you can't enter the system, please tell me. If you have any updates, please feel free to let me know.

Best wishes

Pyke.D | Microsoft Community Support Specialist

Dear Pyke D.

Sorry about that, thought marked as unhelpful meant the issue was not resolved is all. I am presently replying to you on my mobile and suffering from "old man syndrome" (difficult to see and understand everything). I did uninstall the one drive because I understood it to be part of 365, and it would just uninstall all the files in the cloud. The message I received, originally on reboot was "Bad System Config Info".

Hope this makes sense?

Once again, sorry for the misunderstanding and thanks for your response.

Kindest regards

Dear Pyke D,

Thanks for getting back to me. By the time I had received your reply I was able to repair the Blue Screen - I did a "hard reset" and it worked!

Unfortunately, the icons were still were still missing. I followed the instructions you sent me about restoring them but it didn't work very well. It downloaded the programme icons, but the icons were wrong - they showed as folders? However, I have found them in the Windows C: directory and sent them onto my desktop as a shortcut.

I also followed your instructions regarding DISM. "CheckHealth" worked fine, but "ScanHealth" and "RestoreHealth" returned the Error 87. I'm not sure if that is relevant to you? I then completed the "sfc /scannow" which showed "did not find any integrity violations". Finally, I checked the "C:\Windows\Minidump\" path, as you suggested but it was empty. All I need to do now is to see if it is safe to uninstall "One Drive" again. I will also be finding out how to do a clean install.

Thank you so much for your help, it has been very much appreciated.

Dear Pyke.D,

Thanks again for your reply and thank you. Regarding the icons problem: Yes I followed, exactly, your instructions. I appear to have uninstalled one drive (not sure how), but it is gone, My Microsoft 365 doesn't come to an end until 28th of this month, consequently I am still able to log on to my one drive. I am unable to uninstall the one drive app on my pc but suspect this will be possible when my contract comes to an end. I am presently trying to find out how to do a clean install so I can start all over again. Sometimes....when dealing with IT, I sometimes wish I was 27 again, and not 77.

Thanks again for your great support

Kindest regards

Dear DoulosMan,

Thanks for your reply. I wonder if you have reset your icon yet.

If you want to uninstall OneDrive, you can refer to the steps here:

Turn off, disable, or uninstall OneDrive - Microsoft Support

If you need to reinstall Windows, in fact, OneDrive still exists in Windows 11. Because it is automatically installed with the system. But if you have never logged in or used it. It will just hide quietly in the corner. It will not affect your use.

You can refer to the following two threads to install Windows:

Clean Install Windows 10 & 11 (2024) - Microsoft Community

Disclaimer: At this point, we have exhausted all troubleshooting and I recommend that we try to perform a clean install to get your computer back into a working condition. Please ensure that you backup any important data, including Documents, Pictures, Videos, and more. After that, you can find instructions on how to install Windows 10/11 in the following article by MVP Andre: How to: Perform a Custom Installation of Windows 11 and Windows 10 - Microsoft Community 

If you run into any difficulties, feel free to let me know. I'm always here.

Best wishes

Pyke.D | Microsoft Community Support Specialist

Dear Pyke.D,

Thanks again for your support. At this juncture, I think I will wait until 28th before I carry out any more adjustments, this is when my contract ends with Microsoft 365 and it 'should' cease causing any problems for me. Regarding the icon: the icon was uninstalled when I started my own uninstallation, which in hindsight was a bad decision without seeking advice. I will let you know when all goes well, as you requested. Thanks again for your help.