Disappearing sound and taskbar icons

Hi, because the audio and taskbar problems appear together after sleep, this sounds more like a driver or power-state problem than a simple Windows file corruption issue. I would install the latest BIOS, chipset, graphics and audio drivers directly from the computer manufacturer, even if Windows Update says everything is current. Next, check Reliability Monitor for failures at the time the machine wakes, and test whether the issue occurs after sleep, hibernation and a full shutdown. Temporarily disabling Fast Startup can also help separate a startup-state problem from a normal boot issue. Run DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth followed by sfc /scannow, and perform a clean boot if the problem continues. Restarting explorer.exe may restore the icons temporarily, but I would treat that only as a diagnostic clue rather than the final fix.