How come.......

everytime I look for my Games file on my desk top that it is in a different
place. And I have to hunt for it. Now....
1. I haven't downloaded anything
2. Nobody uses the computer but me.
3. Do I have a poltergeist?

Chakolate...

I don't know why it's happening, but I know the cure. Right click on the
desktop and select Arrange Icons/Autoarrange. It will lock them down.

david...

I don't like that option, though, because I don't like the way Windows
arranges things.... :) I have my icons grouped by my 'categories'....
communications programs, office-type programs, web tools, etc.

Chakolate...

Jean B....

So where to do find the other lock them option? I also HAD
(note the tense) things grouped logically. Now some are gone
(I guess Windows thought I didn't want them on the dsk top
because I hadn't used them for a while), and the others are in
suboptimal order.

Chakolate...

I'm not sure how others are locking stuff. I gave up a while back and
just went with autoarrange.

I know what you mean. I don't have such good organization as you do, but
it's still an irritation to have to conform to Windows way of ordering.

I like to keep an uncluttered desktop, though, so I added a toolbar for
all my frequently-used programs and it hides itself whenever I'm not
using it. So I only have 5-8 icons on my desktop at any given time.

david...

well, I've noticed that you delve into a product more deeply than I ....
I've never set up a toolbar... just as I never add firefox addons... but I
think we compliment each other by having different approaches... for
example, I have 89 icons on desktop... and that isn't all my software...
just the ones I like...

Chakolate...

Joy...

89, eh? Not bad. But if I had that many on the desktop it would drive
me stone nuts. (Whaddaya mean, 'Too late!')

Sue...

GhostBusters! Three cute guys.
Lemme see.... there is
George Clooney
Hugh Grant
(would have had Brad Pitt.....but he is on "my list" now)
Uh....Ben Affleck?
Yeah...that'll work.
sue

david...

windows does rearrange unless you specify otherwise. have set 'lock desktop
items'? i would think that would help. OR.... if you have one pesky icon
and you use it a lot, drag it down to the quick launch bar, just to the
right of the Start button.... then it's always visible.

of course, now that your mind is on george clooney and Brad Pitt, you've
probably forgotten what we're talking about...

Jean B....

Where's the lock desktop items thingy, David? I should do
that too. Why isn't the default that things stay where you
put them?

**Dalin**...

Well I have my lock on and I have just one icon that wants to be in a
different spot and every couple of days it moves. Just that one.

Joy...

I have a similar problem, Dalin. My lock is also on (I just checked) and

Jim Everman...

Duct tape it where ever it is you want it to be.

**Dalin**...

LOLOL! Oh Jim!

Chakolate...

nodnodnod And then if you want to move it again, just get out the WD-40.

Jean B....

Men! :-)

Sue...

See! You
are soooo smart. Norma would have known that. She buys duct tape by the

Sue...

I have a feeling you, Norma and I come from the same era. LOL
sue

caseload.
sue

there are still one or two icons that periodically move around.

Sue...

George, yes! Brad? Ppffffffffffffffttttttttt!
Now.....where was I. Oh, yes....
sue

Joy...

Yup. Mine moves icons around every so often, too. I put things back where
I want them, right click and click on, "Line up icons" so they'll be nice
and neat, then right click again and click on "Refresh". That freezes the
configuration for a while before it decides to move things around again.

Jean B....

Is that Windows cleaning up your desktop? I recently found
the setting that disables that, but, of course, I've forgotten
where it is. One could hunt for it--or some nice perslon here

Joy...

Right click on your desktop. Highlight "Active Desktop" and move the cursor
down to "Lock Desktop Items". If it isn't checked, click on it.

Joy...

Jean B....

david...

rightclick on desktop... click the 'arrange icons' option... :)

Jean B....

But doesn't that... Oh yes, it leads to the other options.
Thanks. Now, I HOPE I can remember such a simple little thing....

Okay! Thanks! I gather one has to unlock them to move things
manually. That's okay--as long as I remember that. Oh! But
Leah is scanning from here, and I bet she won't be able to
move the items into her folder. I'd better warn her.

You have me beat, david. I only have 40. Some of them aren't ones I
particularly like. However, I can't figure out how to get rid of some of
them, there are a couple I might want to use occasionally, and a couple are
duplicates of the one on the toolbar, because sometimes I can't get the
toolbar to appear when I want it to. I have the ones I use on the left and
the others on the right.

david...

hi, joy,
well, if you want to keep the software, but don't want the icon on
desktop, just highlight the icon, rightclick and delete. the software is
still there, but the quicklink icon disappears... :) to repeat...
deleting the icons does NOT delete the programs... I have some that i
rarely use, so I delete the icons, but they're still available from
Start>Programs menu... :)

Joy...

Thank you, david. That cleaned up my desktop considerably. There was one,

mmj1...

George Clooney did it for me so I have no idea what you and Sue are talking
about but I don't even care.

david...

be sure to open a window... those fantasies can steam up a room quickly...

Sue...

Yes....I sorta got lost there too.
sue

though, that didn't give me "Delete" as an option: "My Network Places". I
got rid of a bunch of them, though.

david...

I'm glad for that... and some icons aren't easily removed, such as 'my
network places'... my comment on icons relates only to installed programs.
there were some other posts about keeping photos and other items on the
desktop. that works, but then when you delete, it's gone (well, in recycle
bin...)

and if you put mouse on taskbar and rightclick, you can lock it... that's
what i do, because it otherwise sometimes "wanders..."... :)

Joy...

I couldn't figure out how to do that, but my taskbar usually stays put, so
that's okay.

could tell you where it is. I HATE it when things get put god
only knows where by Windos.

sue