If it happens again try running the system file checker sfc in xp. No icons and task bar missing is usually an explorer.exe issue, that file is the windows shell and controls the desktop icons and more.

Take a look at your Event Viewer to see if errors are reported
Click Start/Control panel/Performance and maintenance/Administrative Tools/Computer management/ Event viewer.

Double click on any error for an exzplanation

In Event Viewer I found Event Service Exit Failed in Service Control Manager twice (version 5.2 and version 5.0) whatever that means. The explanation says "The specified service stopped unexpectedly with the error indicated in the message. The service closed safely." The message reads, "The %1 service terminated with the following error:

%2"

Troubleshooting instructions say to use command prompt and type "sc query (service name)" I did this using the name given above (event service exit failed). Nada. No response to this. Also the following message was given: Currently there are no Microsoft Knowledge Base articles available for this specific error or event message. . . . . .

So, I guess I'll just live with this. I don't use the Search function very often, but this is annoying.

did that event message happen right before you closed it with a hard shutdown because that could happen when doing that kind of shutdown it means it was not able to shut down in the proper manner and sequence.

no idea why your search would not close properly.

Here's someone with a similar problem.

Here is a link that might be useful: solved-windows-search-locks-hangs

RC, no message at all appeared before I used the hard shutdown. The message was in Event Viewer.

Zep, I'll take a look at the link you provided. Thanks.

Zep, I had seen this information but it did not seem to apply since I did not experience the "freeze" until the search was well underway or even completed. But I did try what the OP reported fixed his problem. I found Indexing Service and saw that it was set to "Manual". I then changed the boot up setting to "Disabled". Tried Search function and the same thing happened. I really hesitate to change it to "Automatic" since I have read that it is a resource hog, and I'm not really sure I need this service. I really don't see why it would cause this problem anyway.

Wonder if the search function would work in safe mode?

that is what I meant those types of event messages will appear in the event viewer when you have to do a hard shut down or any non standard shut down, the reason is they do not have the time to do their routine so it creates an event for that forced behavior so those events listed could have been because you had had to do an abnormal shut down on the pc. there are time stamps on them so you can tell when it occurred, you can also look at the other listed events in the sequence it is in to usually tell if it was happening during a shut down or a boot up.

I did not have to do a hard shutdown today after using the search function (as a test). Event viewer showed the exact same message:

The Media Center Receiver Service service terminated with the following error: Class not registered.

Then when I clicked on the link given, it read exactly as I posted in the prior post yesterday.

In fact, I only used a hard shutdown once, after the desktop icons and taskbar disappeared yesterday. This had not happened previously, nor did it happen today.