If Nautilus does not currently manage your desktop background, the default objects do not appear on your desktop background. In this case, you might need to restart the desktop background. If the default objects do not appear on your desktop background, one of the following might be true:
You have inadvertently killed a desktop background process. To restart the desktop background, you must set your Nautilus preferences so that Nautilus manages the desktop background.
You have deleted the /.nautilus directory. To restart the desktop background, you must set up Nautilus so that Nautilus manages the desktop background.
To set up Nautilus so that Nautilus manages the desktop background perform the following steps:
Choose Applications->Home Folder. A Nautilus First Time Setup dialog is displayed.
The Nautilus First Time Setup dialog enables you to customize your Nautilus environment. Follow the instructions on the Nautilus First Time Setup dialog. On the GMC to Nautilus Transition screen, select the Use Nautilus to draw the desktop option.
When you reach the Finished screen, click on the Finish button.