desktop icons

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Guest

When I right click on the desktop to "arrange icons by name", only some of
the desktop icons are alphabetized. How can I get the entire desktop to
comply?
 
*the way you want

--
Colin Barnhorst [MVP Windows - Virtual Machine]
(Reply to the group only unless otherwise requested)
Colin Barnhorst said:
Which icons don't behave you want? Ones like My Computer and My
Documents?

--
Colin Barnhorst [MVP Windows - Virtual Machine]
(Reply to the group only unless otherwise requested)
lesjf said:
left click on icon and hold button move icon to where you want it
release
button
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
When sorting by name on the desktop, icons for My Computer, My Documents,
Recycle Bin, My Network Places and Internet Explorer will be alphabetized
first, followed by file system folders, followed by files/shortcuts.

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

Colin Barnhorst said:
Which icons don't behave you want? Ones like My Computer and My
Documents?

--
Colin Barnhorst [MVP Windows - Virtual Machine]
(Reply to the group only unless otherwise requested)
lesjf said:
left click on icon and hold button move icon to where you want it
release
button
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
No, application programs like Turbo Tax, for instance is listed ahead of
Ad-Ware. There seem to be two sets of alphabetized icons. It is not just
the MS icons. There are application icons between some of the MS icons like
My Computer

Colin Barnhorst said:
Which icons don't behave you want? Ones like My Computer and My Documents?

--
Colin Barnhorst [MVP Windows - Virtual Machine]
(Reply to the group only unless otherwise requested)
lesjf said:
left click on icon and hold button move icon to where you want it release
button
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
That may be in theory, but My Computer, Control Panel, and the MS calculator
icons are all two thirds across my desktop listed after application programs
like Adobe, HP, Camedia, Lexmark, McAfee and other applications

Christopher Davis said:
When sorting by name on the desktop, icons for My Computer, My Documents,
Recycle Bin, My Network Places and Internet Explorer will be alphabetized
first, followed by file system folders, followed by files/shortcuts.

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

Colin Barnhorst said:
Which icons don't behave you want? Ones like My Computer and My
Documents?

--
Colin Barnhorst [MVP Windows - Virtual Machine]
(Reply to the group only unless otherwise requested)
lesjf said:
left click on icon and hold button move icon to where you want it
release
button

:

When I right click on the desktop to "arrange icons by name", only some
of
the desktop icons are alphabetized. How can I get the entire desktop to
comply?
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
I am totally with you on this slackmack! I've noticed this is the case for
years in XP, an previoucly in Win2k. No matter how many times I've installed
these OS's they don't sort logically (as a human being regards a reasonable
logical sort).

There does indeed appear to be two levels of alpha-icity going on in Windows.

My Computer
Recycle Bin
Acrobat Reader
Blaze Media Pro
BWMeter
DivX Player
HP PrecisionScan
ITunes
Mozilla Firefox
PowerDVD Pro EX
Quicktime Player
VLC Media Player
_Docs (folder)
_Monitor Notes.doc (Word doc)
ACDSee
Azureus.exe
BSPlayer
G-Spot
ISOBuster
Limewire Pro
Microsoft Office *
Nero Burning ROM
QuickTax 2005
Windows Explorer
WinRAR
WinZip

Notice that adding a Windows Explorer shortcut doesn't add it in with My
Computer and Recycle Bin even though it refers to a basic Windows program.
And the fact that it is a shortcut doesn't explain that. What the heck is the
difference between the first group and the second?? Why is DivX Player
different than Nero? Is there a hidden character in the filename or
something? They are both shortcuts. Someone must be able to explain this!!!!!
I can't believe this isn't a common question!

Cheers, woggie

slackmack said:
No, application programs like Turbo Tax, for instance is listed ahead of
Ad-Ware. There seem to be two sets of alphabetized icons. It is not just
the MS icons. There are application icons between some of the MS icons like
My Computer

Colin Barnhorst said:
Which icons don't behave you want? Ones like My Computer and My Documents?

--
Colin Barnhorst [MVP Windows - Virtual Machine]
(Reply to the group only unless otherwise requested)
lesjf said:
left click on icon and hold button move icon to where you want it release
button

:

When I right click on the desktop to "arrange icons by name", only some
of
the desktop icons are alphabetized. How can I get the entire desktop to
comply?
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
woggie said:
I am totally with you on this slackmack! I've noticed this is the case for
years in XP, an previoucly in Win2k. No matter how many times I've
installed
these OS's they don't sort logically (as a human being regards a
reasonable
logical sort).

There does indeed appear to be two levels of alpha-icity going on in
Windows.

My Computer
Recycle Bin
Acrobat Reader
Blaze Media Pro
BWMeter
DivX Player
HP PrecisionScan
ITunes
Mozilla Firefox
PowerDVD Pro EX
Quicktime Player
VLC Media Player
_Docs (folder)
_Monitor Notes.doc (Word doc)
ACDSee
Azureus.exe
BSPlayer
G-Spot
ISOBuster
Limewire Pro
Microsoft Office *
Nero Burning ROM
QuickTax 2005
Windows Explorer
WinRAR
WinZip

Notice that adding a Windows Explorer shortcut doesn't add it in with My
Computer and Recycle Bin even though it refers to a basic Windows program.
And the fact that it is a shortcut doesn't explain that. What the heck is
the
difference between the first group and the second?? Why is DivX Player
different than Nero? Is there a hidden character in the filename or
something? They are both shortcuts. Someone must be able to explain
this!!!!!
I can't believe this isn't a common question!
Click to expand...


Are the first group folders and the second group files?
That's normal.
 
No Frank - Some of both are folders, some are files, and most are shortcuts.
There is no pattern that I have ever been able to discern. If you look
carefully at the list I wrote below, you'll see that some folders appear in
the second sorted group.

If anyone can help me with this, it's been annoying me for years and I'll be
forever grateful!! As I said, I can't believe this hasn't been a commonly
encountered issue. The only explanation I can imagine for that is that I must
have some parameter set somewhere every time I've installed and configured
Windows 2000 or XP to produce this result. But for the life of me I can't see
where it might be!

Cheers, woggie
 
Sorting the Start Menu & Desktop

Start Menu and Desktop are NameSpaceExtensions which show the combined
contents of two folders at one time.

Has the same effect when sorting because it is sorting two different folders
that are displayed in the same place.

The Start Menu that you see is a combination of both of these folders:

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu
or %allusersprofile%\Start Menu
and
C:\Documents and Settings\YourNameHere\Start Menu
or %userprofile%\Start Menu

All Users Start Menu: Refers to the start menu common for all users.

User Start Menu: Refers to the start menu of that user.

Move everything that you want sorted to one folder or the other.

Same for the Desktop.

The Desktop you see is a combination of two folders.

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Desktop
or %allusersprofile%\Desktop
and
C:\Documents and Settings\Your Name Here\Desktop
or %userprofile%\Desktop

All Users Desktop: Refers to the desktop common for all the users.

User Desktop: Refers to the desktop of that user.

Move everything that you want sorted to one folder or the other.

If sorted by Name:
Folders will be listed first along the left hand side from top to bottom.
Then files will be listed.
Folder shortcuts will be listed along with the files.

Items in the All Programs Menu Do Not Appear Properly Sorted After Sorting
the Items by Name
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/291082

Arranging the Icons by Name on the Desktop Does Not Place the Icons in
Alphabetical Order
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/285814

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In
 
Thanks for the reply, Wesley -

Wow. That's kinda stupid on M$'s part. It makes no sense and just pisses
people off. At least it does me. I'm still flabbergasted that this isn't a
common source of confusion for all Windows users that don't know about it.

And guess what. I tried moving all the items in the All Users Desktop folder
to my user Desktop folder (I'm the only one who ever uses this PC anyway) and
sorted all the icons on the desktop again by name ...

.... no difference. There are still two sorts happening. And files and
shortcuts are mixed in with folders in both sorts.

Anyone else have any thoughts?

Cheers, woggie
 
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