Cannot Remove Icons From Desktop

[stitchfancy]

I have been all over the internet looking for help - needless to say, haven't
found it yet. My computer is 3mo olds. I'm running Vista Home Premium
(pre-installed). The computer is a Compaq Presario, 1024 MB memory, 320 GB
hard drive.

When I first got the machine I removed all those ding-a-ling shortcuts that
are always on new computers - no problems.

Two days ago, since Vista is still fairly foreign to me, I was exploring.
The next thing I know I had icons on my desktop for Control Panel, Internet
Explorer, Network, Computer and a folder named Public.

The problem now is I am not able to get these blasted things off my desktop!
Vista will not let me delete them, I cannot uncheck them from the start
menu. I've tried changing the settings in the customizing & personalizing
screen. I have done the restore thing for two different time periods. I did
a full scan of computer. I have posted on practically every message board I
could find (most of didn't know as much as I do - which is not much!)
Microsoft says contact computer manufacturer, Compaq says need to contact
Microsoft........
-- I saw in the help & support where I can restore my computer back to the
way it was when I bought it, but I really don't think I want to do that.

If you folks have any suggestions for me, I would really appreciate some
help before I have to do anything drastic.

stitchfancy

 

[John Barnett MVP]

Just right click on the desktop and, from the drop down menu, select
Personalize. In the left hand pane of the personalize window, Click 'change
desktop icons'. The desktop settings window will open. Remove the 'tick'
marks from the Control panel, Internet Explorer, Network, Computer and user
files then Click OK. The icons should now disappear.


--

--
John Barnett MVP
Associate Expert
Windows Desktop Experience

Web: http://xphelpandsupport.mvps.org
Web: http://vistasupport.mvps.org

The information in this mail/post is supplied "as is". No warranty of any
kind, either expressed or implied, is made in relation to the accuracy,
reliability or content of this mail/post. The Author shall not be liable for
any direct, indirect, incidental or consequential damages arising out of the
use of, or inability to use, information or opinions expressed in this
mail/post..

 

[stitchfancy]

Thanks guys, sorry but been there, done that. Doesn't work. Vista has grown
a mind of it's own - I feel like I'm in the Twilight Zone Oh yes, there
was one other thing I forgot to list - I'm also getting a pop-up when logging
on saying that my anti-virus protection is turned off - Wrong - it is running
full speed ahead.

 

[AJR]

The following "...I'm also getting a pop-up when logging on...." may turn
out to be most important! You did check for malware and so forth?

 

[Paul Montgomery]

Would everyone else please stop quoting posts that are on the same page
as your response. There is no need to quote the whole thing anyway, is
there, unless you can't keep track of what the post was about?

You are clueless. Note all the posts that are on the page YOU are on.

Note how many of them say "guest" or the number of posts is "n/a".
Know what that means????

THEY DON'T USE THAT PITIFUL SYSTEM that you are using, and thus don't
see the posts.

YOU need to start quoting what you are replying to so that everyone
ELSE can see what you are talking about.

 

[AJR]

Paul - I agree totally with you - nothing more exasperating than not knowing
to what a response is referring.

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

Would everyone else please stop quoting posts that are on the same page
as your response. There is no need to quote the whole thing anyway, is
there, unless you can't keep track of what the post was about?

No!

The "same page as your response" that you see is not what most of the
rest of us see. You are using one of those reprehensible web-based
forums to access a Windows public newsgroup hosted by Microsoft and
suck up posts here. You are in the newsgroup
microsoft.public.windows.vista.performance_maintenance, whether you
realize it or not.

Most of us here use a newsreader to access this newsgroup, and most of
us don't keep already-messages. The result is that a message without a
quote is incomprehensible to most of us. Moreover quoting in newsgroup
posts is standard netiquette.

If you want to be a good newsgroup citizen, learn to *always* quote
the message you are responding to, and start participating properly,
directly in the newsgroup.

Do yourself a favor and switch to a newsreader, such as Outlook
Express, which comes with Windows. See
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/outlookexpressnewreader.htm
You'll find that it's a far better experience.

 

[Paul Montgomery]

Mr Blake,

I couldn't agree with you more. On the other hand, I couldn't agree
with you less. I just can't agree with you at all.

You think the "proper" way to participate is to repeat what the last
person said almost verbatim because you cannot be bothered to retrace
the history of the posts. It is not just inefficient and irritating.

You're a blithering moron and you have no idea what you're talking
about.

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

Mr Blake,

I couldn't agree with you more. On the other hand, I couldn't agree
with you less. I just can't agree with you at all.

You think the "proper" way to participate is to repeat what the last
person said almost verbatim because you cannot be bothered to retrace
the history of the posts. It is not just inefficient and irritating.

Have it your own way. I don't care at all. Just don't be surprised
when nobody understands your messages.

 

[CelpUsa]

Hi! There is a curved arrow on the bottom of ALL my desktop icons.How do i
get rid of them all ? thank you much, celpusa

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

Hi! There is a curved arrow on the bottom of ALL my desktop icons.How do i
get rid of them all ? thank you much, celpusa

You've already gotten an answer as to how. However, my recommendation
is that you do *not* do this. The arrows serve an important
function--providing quick visual identification of a shortcut. If you
remove the arrows, you run the substantial risk that sooner or later
you will delete something you wanted to keep, thinking that you were
just deleting a shortcut to it.