Comment 1 for bug 366109

I have found the same problem on my Asus eee pc 901. Using the desktop mode switcher to switch from the netbook interface to the classic desktop and rebooting lands me into a sort of desktop limbo with no obvious means of escape. Only the pointer and wall paper are shown. There are no other user interface elements, resulting in a PC that can't be usefully user interfaced with.

I did fudge a work-around. Right click on the desktop background and select 'Create Launcher' - give the new launch a suitable description and the command: desktop-switcher

It's not a pretty solution, but it clicking on the new launcher should help you get some user interface back so you can start using your PC again.