Right, something is really wrong.
Do this as root:
apt-get install spacefm spacefm-i10n
so now you have a file manager. Next go there:
http://ftp.heanet.ie/pub/pclinuxos/pclinuxos/apt/pclinuxos/2010download the following files with this command line:
wget -c http://ftp.heanet.ie/pub/pclinuxos/pclinuxos/apt/pclinuxos/2010/RPMS.updates/libfm-1.1.2.2-1pclos2013.i586.rpm http://ftp.heanet.ie/pub/pclinuxos/pclinuxos/apt/pclinuxos/2010/RPMS.updates/libfm-gtk-1.1.2.2-1pclos2013.i586.rpm http://ftp.heanet.ie/pub/pclinuxos/pclinuxos/apt/pclinuxos/2010/RPMS.updates/pcmanfm-1.1.2-1pclos2013.i586.rpm http://ftp.heanet.ie/pub/pclinuxos/pclinuxos/apt/pclinuxos/2010/RPMS.updates/pcmanfm-i10n-1.1.2-1pclos2013.i586.rpm http://ftp.heanet.ie/pub/pclinuxos/pclinuxos/apt/pclinuxos/2010/RPMS.updates/pcmanfm-root-0.3-1pclos2013.i586.rpm
Then from within the root console go to the download directory ("cd /home/your_user/Downloads" whereas "your_user" is your login name), add two depends which need to be installed:
lxpolkit and libvala0 (do as root "apt-get install lxpolkit libvala0").
Once done in the directory where the packages have been downloaded, do also as root:
rpm -Uvh *.rpm
exactly as I provide it in the code tags.
This is what you should see after you type this command:
[root@localhost Downloads]# rpm -Uvh *.rpm
Preparing... ########################################### [100%]
1:libfm ########################################### [ 20%]
2:libfm-gtk ########################################### [ 40%]
3:pcmanfm ########################################### [ 60%]
4:pcmanfm-i10n ########################################### [ 80%]
5:pcmanfm-root ########################################### [100%]
/var/lib/rpm/filetriggers/ldconfig.script: line 2: ldconfig: command not found
[root@localhost Downloads]#
Of course, pcmanfm is not the only way to have a background and icons on the desktop, but it is the easiest one. If you follow the above step by step, and just copy/paste the content of the command lines as you will find them in the above code tags, you should succeed.