When I shut down/logout finder quits but nothing happens after.

Question

Hi everyone. I've been having this problem for a little while now but only have seemed to notice it in the past few days (I keep my laptop on sleep most of the time). Everytime I have logged out/ shut down the same thing happens: The menubar at the top disappears and so does all the icons on the desktop but the wallpaper stays, and you can still bring up applications from the dock.

Answer 1

I've been having this problem for a little while now but only have seemed to notice it in the past few days
Then how do you know if you've had this problem for a little while?
Try the following:  HOME>Library>Preferences.  Trash the Finder plist file, repair permissions and restart your comp.  Empty the trash. 
If the problem continues, do the following:
Disconnect all devices from the computer then do the following:
Boot up from your Snow Leopard Install DVD while holding down the "c" key.
Select the language you wish to use, and then choose "Disk Utility" from the menu bar.
Your HD should appear in a panel on the left hand side of the window which opens. Select it and then click on the "repair disk" button in the right hand section of the window.
Once this process has been completed restart your computer and repair permissions directly from Disk Utility.
If Disk Utility is unable to complete the repair, you will need to use a stronger 3rd party utility like DiskWarrior, Techtool PRO (not Deluxe) or Drive Genius.