Desktop folders won't open

None of my desktop folders will open. My Macintosh HD icon will also not open when it is on the desktop. The folders will open if I navigate to the Finder/File/Open menu. Similarly all the dock icons will open. The desktop location seems to be the problem. Any ideas?

I've never had that problem before. My first response would be to log out, and log back in. If that doesn't work, then you could try rebooting.
This may not do the trick, but it's worth a shot:
Go to your Home folder, then Library, then Caches. Select all of the files within that folder and press command + delete. Log out, and log back in. Empty the trash.

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