System Preferences icons missing

Great tip/post Michael, thanks! 🙂

In the System Preferences app (launched from the Dock or from the Applications folder), go the View menu and select Customize. Or, alternatively, click and hold on the Show All button in the System Preferences header, and then choose Customize at the very bottom of the pop-up menu. In either case, you'll see all of your available Systems Preferences icons, with a check box next to each one.

If there are preferences you never need, uncheck them. On my Mac, for example, I know I don’t need MobileMe (since I don’t use it) or Parental Controls (since I don’t use them, either). Once you’ve unchecked the preferences you no longer need, click the Done button in the header (or deselect Customize from the View menu). That’s all there is to it—the preferences you uncheck have vanished.

But what if you suddenly need one of those hidden preference panels? No worries: Even hidden preferences appear in both the View menu and the Show All menu that appears when you click and hold on that button. To unhide a preference more permanently, go back into Customize mode, at which point hidden preferences reappear. Then, check their boxes before clicking Done.

Can you tell me why my System Preferences looks like this?

Hi, most often people you're replying to in old posts won't even see them, so...

Open System Preferences>Users & Groups, unlock the lock, click on the little plus icon, make a new admin account, log out & into the new account.

Does it work in the new account?