[jdm]

To get to it without the Start button, go into your "My Computer" icon and go into the Control Panel there.

I'm inside the control panel under "system" -- I can't find a way to restore, though. I have 4 tabs: hardware, advanced, system restore and remote. When going to the system restore tab, there's not really an option there to undo anything. Perhaps I'm looking under the wrong icon/tab in the control panel. Thanks again for your posts, everyone.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

There is a repair mode available using the XP product disk.... as an option if some of the other suggestions do not work.

[Prophet in the wilderness]

Try going to ( if you can ) to Programs ( before the START botton was gone, you would get to the PROGRAMS TAB this way ).
Then, go to ACCESSORIES ,, then, the next window that opens, you should see ( SYSTEM TOOLS ).
Click SYSTEM TOOLS, and a window should open up, and at the bottom, you should see ( SYSTEM RESTORE ).
If you can't do these,, can you still ( Right Click your mouse ? on the desktop ? ) and go to PROPERTIES after you right click your mouse button ? if you can, then, go to SETTINGS to see if your resolution & color depth is set correctly.
if the resolution is not set correct, your desktop will look weird, and some of the icons will not show up.