Windows 10: I urgently need help with a complicated W10 problem!

When I started up my PC today, everything was normal at first. When I turned it on some time later, the desktop and taskbar were almost empty and there was only the standard W10 background image. My entire Explorer was also empty, even though the images appeared when I clicked directly on the hard drive, and I was no longer logged into any apps. The first thing I did was restart the PC, but it still looked the same. When I then started Chrome the apps were still installed, even though most of them wouldn't open, I logged back into some websites. After that, I restarted my PC, but then I was

:)

 

help to remote connect

not sure how to use both programs u 2 suggested, i need more helpful steps thanks

 

Urgent assistance required please - Browse for folder

Okay I don't see any known troublemakers in the shell extensions shown in explorer tab.





Would suggest checking for updates for the softwares listed and installing updates if available.

 

W10 can connect to wider internet but cannot access web pages

I have an odd issue with my W10 laptop linked to Sky broadband in the UK via wifi using a Sky router. The effect is that while I can actually access the internet (I can send and receive emails using Outlook and can connect to other machines using TeamViewer) I cannot access any web site (Google, BBC etc). There is no specific error message, merely that the access request timed out and a suggestion that it may be to do with proxy. I have tried the following:

1. Other systems (W10 and ios) can access web sites using the same Sky router (therefore probably not a router problem)
2. I have sent and received emails using Outlook, so the broadband connection is working (probably not a Sky problem)
3. I have tried two different browsers (Firefox and Edge), no connection (not a browser problem)
4. I am using Windows Defender and have:
   1. Made sure that Firefox is in the list of allowed systems in its Firewall, no connection after a reboot
   2. Turned off the Firewall and tried again - no connection

My next step will be to re-install Windows, but has anyone got any other suggestions? Could it be some sort of virus (I have carried out a complete virus check using Defender) So - any suggestions?