I had a strange issue recently where I had to reset PRAM after using an HDMI cable with my MBP (it had a blank screen on boot).
I feel like this is again related to the HDMI cable. After using it, all my Desktop icons have disappeared. I've run killAll Finder and rebooted and it hasn't restored them. Trying to avoid resetting PRAM again.
Windows Key + Alt + P + R
Best Answer
I had the same problem, I think. But my files were still in the finder under 'Desktop', just not on the actual desktop. After trying a few of the above, I second-clicked the desktop and hit 'Clean up', and they all reappeared. So the simplest of all helped for me.