Vista - Some problems after updating...

Hello everyone,
I had some problems since like one week ago when my laptop had some update. The thing was that I let it update reboot and start as my user, but I had to turn the computer off so after it installed the updates on the login screen and after appearing the dektop with the icons I pressed the button to turn my lap off (didnt know it would mess up with the computer that way since it was already fully started). On the next day I turned on the computer and saw some issues that ocurred cause of what I did the day before.
One of the issues was that the recently used programs werent anymore on the start bar:


Other issue was nothing on "new", to explain better, the new that allows you to create folders and such:


Other issue is that when i go to properties of a file like a *.mp3 file and choose to open it with other program and press Apply it just keeps with the old program it used to open that file.


The reason im asking if I can solve this problems is mainly because if I phormat the HDD I'll loose all my data wich I can't really loose, and that I got no savings to buy some extern HDD or DVDs to save all the data.

Hope you can solve my problem, and thanks.

Before an update is installed, the system creates a restore point. I sugest you reset the system to that restore point.

Already did. Sorry I didnt post that info.

By the way, just found some other issue.
From what I can see nothing of what I change on explorer.exe is really changed.
I go to the control panel I change to classic, I close it, go there again and it isnt classic anymore.

I'm thinking I'll really have to phormat =/