Something is hiding my desktop?!!?!?!?!

So, I think I know where it came from but I don't know where it is or how to take it off:

On my main user profile on Vista, my desktop disappeared when I restarted. At first, I was a bit stunned until I saw everything in the desktop folder...just not appearing on the actual desktop.

I went to the settings and changed it back to "show all" and applied it. Well, it just changed it back to hide everything...every time. I made a new admin user and copied everything over to that desktop...its all there...

I am using a secondary one, which was fine until my Google Chrome won't open under it this admin now.

So how can I get these settings back on my regular one? Black hat users, help me out here - not sure what is up. I need to get this shit off my damn computer.

Ok, so I opened up the desktop folder on the original admin and just dragged it all to the desktop...emptying the desktop folder but filling my desktop...

I rather go about doing this the right way so I am not sure if that method skrews things up

Vista works in weird and mysterious ways and does random things. One of my PCs suddenly stopped downloading on all browsers. It said it was downloading, it took the right length of time, but the destination folder was always empty. I searched all over the net and all I could find were forums full of people complaining about the same thing and no solutions. Tried to contact Microsoft and it turned out that my Vista authentication key had been mysteriously reset, was no longer genuine and therefore I would have to pay $40 to email MS. I gave up and installed XP.

The desktop is just a visual representation of the desktop folder, so if the contents of the desktop folder are intact, it should just be a problem with the link between the two. Annoying though, there are better things to spend the day doing than fiddling with OSs that feel like they're still in beta.

It seems fine now that I just dropped it all back on the desktop from the folder, but the fact the button wouldnt reset and Chrome didnt work on another admin kind of through me off...If it works it works, time to back everything up

Vista's got that daft restore from hard drive partition system though. Never could get that to work. I preferred the days when you got the OS on a disc. I mean, what happens when the HD dies? (apart from torrenting it, obviously).