Missing tastkbar buttons and other problems

[SpaceDuckDevourerOfWorlds]

Sorry in advance for the length of the post.

 

List of issues

• All icons missing from taskbar including the clock and keyboard language switcher
• Cannot open start menu (have tried windows key and taskbar button)
• Taskbar is still visible over fullscreen webcontent.
  • Have tested fullscreen videos on youtube vessel facebook, and fullscreen website in chrome.
  • Does not affect games tested assassins creed 4 and just cause 2
• Alt-Tab is in windows classic theme.
• Aero peak previews desktop when I hover over it, but does not switch to desktop when I click
• While trying to solve issues, I clicked on the button to customise the notication area int the taskbar proderties. And got this error message.
  •  
    Spoiler

    

     

• Audio and video playback periodically stops.
  • Tested on youtube, vessel, facebook and in spotify.
  • When I tried to play the content both youtube and spotify spat out error messages (see image section at end). Vessel and facebook just continue trying to load the videos to no avail.

 

What I've done

• Rebooted 
• Tried restarting windows explorer
• Ran a virus scan through avast which found nothing. 
• Ran second scan through malware bytes which found one piece of malware.
  •  

System info

• Windows 10 64bit
• Intel e3 1231 v3
• Asrock h97 annivesary
• Zotac gtx 970
• 16gb of ram
• 256gb adata ssd
• 2tb seagete hdd
• 500w evga psu

 

The problems started right after I installed a bunch of mods for skyrim. The mods were all from nexus.

 

Images

Spoiler

My taskbar

 

Youtube error message

 

Spotify error message

Thanks 

[VinsinityKT]

Err, clean install?

[SpaceDuckDevourerOfWorlds]

2 minutes ago, VinsinityKT said:

Err, clean install?

I am afraid it might come to that.

[VinsinityKT]

Just now, gorillacowman said:

I am afraid it might come to that.

The thing is, you have a lot of problems and if this happened to me, I would take the easy path and clean install everything and go from there. 

[D4RK]

14 minutes ago, gorillacowman said:

snip

do a system restore to a date before u installed the mods.

[SpaceDuckDevourerOfWorlds]

1 minute ago, D4RK said:

do a system restore to a date before u installed the mods.

I've never created a restore point.

And the mods and game are not on my c drive would that make a difference for their affect on the system?

[SpaceDuckDevourerOfWorlds]

6 minutes ago, VinsinityKT said:

The thing is, you have a lot of problems and if this happened to me, I would take the easy path and clean install everything and go from there. 

I'm just clinging to the tiny chance might present an even easier way out.

[D4RK]

1 minute ago, gorillacowman said:

I've never created a restore point.

And the mods and game are not on my c drive would that make a difference for their affect on the system?

the windows create restore points from time to time, when u install some programs. now as for the effect, u normally just to a restore point thats on a date that u knew the pc was working fine on or before. try it, if it doesnt work then u will have to clean install.

[SpaceDuckDevourerOfWorlds]

18 minutes ago, D4RK said:

the windows create restore points from time to time, when u install some programs. now as for the effect, u normally just to a restore point thats on a date that u knew the pc was working fine on or before. try it, if it doesnt work then u will have to clean install.

I'll try that now

[SpaceDuckDevourerOfWorlds]

24 minutes ago, D4RK said:

the windows create restore points from time to time, when u install some programs. now as for the effect, u normally just to a restore point thats on a date that u knew the pc was working fine on or before. try it, if it doesnt work then u will have to clean install.

The issues dissapeard even though I got an error message saying that the restore failed.

[D4RK]

1 minute ago, gorillacowman said:

The issues dissapeard even though I got an error message saying that the restore failed.

ya sometimes that happen, you get "restore failed" message yet the problems get fixed. check to see all of them are fixed, if u need to do system restore again, true to go in safe mode then disable your antivirus if u have 1, then do the system restore.

if all your problems are fixed then u are fine i guess, i had that few times before on windows 7, never tried win 10 so cant tell u 100%.