Windows 10: Taskbar shortcut icons disappeared

After checking and configuring my router I went to the regular desktop view which is plain and looks like Win7
Only the quick access, internet icon, notices, lanquage and clock icons were visible.
I had created a new toolbar which referenced the start menu in Windows Program Data.
It was spread across the taskbar rather than compacted and previously available by clicking on the title Programs tucked in beside Quick Access.
There was no visible line to use with the cursor for dragging this bunch of links across into the right side area.
I removed that toolbar.
The few daily use Taskbar shortcut icons when created cannot be dragged to the taskbar even if I lock it.
(Browser, email, Notepad++,Everywhere search and a link to a Quick Stack popup collection of shortcuts)
Any open application is not displaying on the taskbar
Considered a 'Restore' and checked the list of restore points with a utility System Restore Explorer and it lists Oct.20 as the last restore point. I'm assuming Win10 does not do a daily restore point.
The last system image is Oct.7 so several Windows updates would have to be done over and there are a couple of those.
Is there a registry edit or workaround to restore the taskbar so shortcuts can be pinned there?

:)

 

Icon missing from Shortcut in Taskbar

I want to have a shortcut button on the Taskbar to open the Control Panel. I added a Control Panel shortcut to the Desktop and dragged it to the Taskbar. That created a Control Panel button/shortcut on the Taskbar, but the button/shortcut has no icon -
it is just blank.

I have set the Taskbar setting for "Combine Taskbar buttons" to "Always, hide labels". If I change this setting to show the labels, the label for this Taskbar shortcut includes a small Control Panel icon. But it disappears when the setting is changed back
to hide labels.

My other buttons/shortcuts in the Taskbar and in the Notification area all have appropriate icons.

How can I get an icon for the Control Panel in the Taskbar? I did have one displaying properly until I reset Windows 10.

 

Settings - Tablet Mode - Make Windows more touch friendly when using touch screen

Ok, so when i change this to YES, all my taskbar shortcuts disappear and things on the right side also disappear. Why?

After seeing that, i switched it back to off. What is going on there? Why do the shortcuts that are pinned to the taskbar disappear?

 

Well...I don't know what caused explore.exe to stop allowing the taskbar....
I used the icon that allows all views of apps (looks like monitors side by side) to see what I had open.
Opened Task Manager. Stopped Explorer.exe
Created a new task...explorer.exe
Desktop refreshed and there was the taskbar with my most used shortcut icons.
Thankful to have it back but what a bunch of fiddling around to get to applications and keep track of open windows.

 

I went from win 8.1 to win10 a while back, stuff stopped working, taskbar stuff went missing, pretty soon I could not sign into my own computer, I had to re-install, so I put win8.1 back in... plus, Saitek has screwed up drivers, for their joysticks, still messing with Beta after being 3 month late for working drivers, they still suck at releasing drivers that are signed by MS. A huge mess!