Blank desktop but dock works

My friend used my computer while I was on a trip, and when I came back my desktop was completely blank-- not even a hard drive icon. My friend has no idea how it happened. All the stuff that was on the desktop is in the finder window and the dock works, but I can't put a picture on the desktop or get a screensaver to work. What can I do?

Whenever a "window display" problem arises (the Desktop is a giant window), the list of "usual suspects" includes a corrupt Finder preference file, and so deleting it has become almost a routine thing to try. A new "default" preference file is re-created when the Finder next restarts.
In this particular case I was more confident than usual that this would work, because disabling the Desktop display is a known Finder option - you can choose to do this electively. The Finder is capable of more options than the familiar ones that you set via Finder Menu>Preferences. The free utility [TinkerTool|http://www.bresink.com/osx/TinkerTool.html] includes a number of such "extra" Finder preference options, including an option to "Disable Desktop features" which electively produces the same effect that you were seeing. I knew that this TinkerTool feature works by modifying the com.apple.finder.plist file, and so deleting this file seemed likely to fix the problem.
Since there is no reason to think that your friend deliberately disabled the Desktop though, I assume that the Finder preference file just got corrupted somehow, with no better explanation than "it happens!"
At any rate, I'm glad it is fixed.

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It appears what happened is the installer though it was looking at a empty drive and just went ahead and installed.
I of course am assuming here you didn't use Disk Utility to format the drive first before installing, that would wipe out your files and programs for sure.
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WHEN I GO TO PRIVACY SETTINGS AND CLICK ON EXCEPTIONS AND TYPE IN A WEB ADDRESS TO ALLOW ALL THE TIME IT DOES NOT SAVE IT THE NEXT TIME I SIGN ON TO FIRE FOX IT IS LOST. IT WORKS FINE ON MY DESKTOP BUT NOT ON MY LAPTOP THAT I JUST BOUGHT in English.

Question
WHEN I GO TO PRIVACY SETTINGS AND CLICK ON EXCEPTIONS AND TYPE IN A WEB ADDRESS TO ALLOW ALL THE TIME IT DOES NOT SAVE IT THE NEXT TIME I SIGN ON TO FIRE FOX IT IS LOST. IT WORKS FINE ON MY DESKTOP BUT NOT ON MY LAPTOP THAT I JUST BOUGHT in English.

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after upgrading to ios 8.1.1 my ipad 4 camera doesnt work i just got blank screen, but i still can use it for facetime, i supposed after upgrading to ios 8.1.2 it will fix but it doesnt work. i cannot restore to ios 7. hopefully, any suggestion to correct it? thank you

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Blank desktop but dock works

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