Desktop Icon arrows

[Greg]

I know, hardly a crisis, but how do I get rid of the little curved
arrows on many (but not all) of my desktop icons. I did it one time in
98 a long time ago.

Greg

 

[Carey Frisch [MVP]]

Download and install TweakUI:

Microsoft PowerToys for Windows XP (TweakUI)
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/downloads/powertoys.asp

After installing, go to Start > Programs > PowerToys for Windows XP >
TweakUI. Expand "Explorer" and check "None" for Shortcut Overlay.

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows XP - Shell/User

Be Smart! Protect your PC!
http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect/

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------


|I know, hardly a crisis, but how do I get rid of the little curved
| arrows on many (but not all) of my desktop icons. I did it one time in
| 98 a long time ago.
|
| Greg

 

[Carey Frisch [MVP]]

TweakUI is a great little utility that will allow the average user to make
custom changes without editing the registry manually, thereby avoiding
a possible corrupt registry. Its only 260 KB in size and does not run in
the background. All it is is a very efficient registry tweak utility.

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows XP - Shell/User

Be Smart! Protect your PC!
http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect/

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


| Carey and that useless Tweak UI. Tweak UI is a program that should never have been written. It only
overloads your system with things you can do yourself with ease. go>start\run and type in regedit and click
ok. Now click the + beside the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT and scroll down to find InternetShortcut and click on it to
open the subkeys in the right panel. Now right click on IsShortCut and clear or delete the value (leave it
blank) then click out of that one and do the same for the following keys. lnkfile and piffile. That removes
the shortcut arrow. Now if you want to remove the "shortcut to" that gets added to the desktop shortcuts then
follow this registry route. HKEY_USERS/software/Microsoft/windows/CurrentVersion/Explorer. Now click on
Explorer to highlight it and open it's sub keys in the right panel. Now right click in a blank area of the
right panel and then click new>Binary and nime it Link and then click again in a blank area to set it. Then
right click on the new sub key "Link" and click modify and then type in 00 00 00 00 and then click anywhere in
a blank area to set it. Do the same in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/Software/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/Explorer
.. Welcome to the world of Registry Tweaking. I was a computer virgin until the release of XP so if I can do
it with ease so can any one. {:~)

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

In

I know, hardly a crisis, but how do I get rid of the little curved
arrows on many (but not all) of my desktop icons. I did it one time
in 98 a long time ago.

You can get rid of the arrows with a registry edit, or more
easily and more safely by using the free TweakUI, downloadable as
part of Microsoft PowerToys at
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/downloads/powertoys.asp
(if you jave SP1 installed) or
http://download.microsoft.com/download/whistler/Install/2/WXP/EN-US/TweakUiPowertoySetup.exe
(or if you don't have SP1).

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. I would either leave the arrows as
they are, or alternatively use the TweakUI option of light
arrows, which are somewhat less visible that the regular ones.

 

[Greg]

In


You can get rid of the arrows with a registry edit, or more
easily and more safely by using the free TweakUI, downloadable as
part of Microsoft PowerToys at
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/downloads/powertoys.asp
(if you jave SP1 installed) or
http://download.microsoft.com/download/whistler/Install/2/WXP/EN-US/TweakUiPowertoySetup.exe
(or if you don't have SP1).

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. I would either leave the arrows as
they are, or alternatively use the TweakUI option of light
arrows, which are somewhat less visible that the regular ones.

Hmm, I see your point. Although it is unlikely I would make that mistake
(famous last words), I think I will follow your advice & lighten them.
Thanks, Greg

 

[Ramesh [MVP]]

TweakUI is the best method, IMO. IsShortCut method causes atleast 2 side-effects in some configurations. And may I know the reason why you find TweakUI useless? (apart from one or two bugs in TweakUI)

--
Ramesh - Microsoft MVP
Windows XP Shell
http://www.mvps.org/sramesh2k


Carey and that useless Tweak UI. Tweak UI is a program that should never have been written. It only overloads your system with things you can do yourself with ease. go>start\run and type in regedit and click ok. Now click the + beside the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT and scroll down to find InternetShortcut and click on it to open the subkeys in the right panel. Now right click on IsShortCut and clear or delete the value (leave it blank) then click out of that one and do the same for the following keys. lnkfile and piffile. That removes the shortcut arrow. Now if you want to remove the "shortcut to" that gets added to the desktop shortcuts then follow this registry route. HKEY_USERS/software/Microsoft/windows/CurrentVersion/Explorer. Now click on Explorer to highlight it and open it's sub keys in the right panel. Now right click in a blank area of the right panel and then click new>Binary and nime it Link and then click again in a blank area to set it. Then right click on the new sub key "Link" and click modify and then type in 00 00 00 00 and then click anywhere in a blank area to set it. Do the same in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/Software/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/Explorer .. Welcome to the world of Registry Tweaking. I was a computer virgin until the release of XP so if I can do it with ease so can any one. {:~)