locking desktop icons

[RoS]

Is it possible (and if so how) to lock the position of icons on the desktop.

I like a desktop with quite a few shortcuts and apps icons on it but find
they sometimes annoyingly rearrange themselves. It happens when I
experiment with the display settings and, I suspect, on other occasions.
I'd like to anchor them permanently or at least be given warning that any
action will, if it proceeds, change the layout.

Regards,

Ros

 

[Jim]

Is it possible (and if so how) to lock the position of icons on the desktop.

I like a desktop with quite a few shortcuts and apps icons on it but find
they sometimes annoyingly rearrange themselves. It happens when I
experiment with the display settings and, I suspect, on other occasions.
I'd like to anchor them permanently or at least be given warning that any
action will, if it proceeds, change the layout.

Regards,

Ros

Google for a program called _iconrestore_.

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

Is it possible (and if so how) to lock the position of icons on the desktop.

I like a desktop with quite a few shortcuts and apps icons on it but find
they sometimes annoyingly rearrange themselves. It happens when I
experiment with the display settings and, I suspect, on other occasions.
I'd like to anchor them permanently or at least be given warning that any
action will, if it proceeds, change the layout.

Rather than trying to lock them, which often fails, a better solution
is to use one of the several freeware programs (Google for them) that
saves the layout, and lets you easily restore it if it gets changed.

 

[Wesley Vogel]

[[Icons - Lock on Desktop
"In Windows 95/98/NT/2000/ME/XP you can lock down the position of the
Desktop icons using a couple of files from the MS Windows NT 4.0 Resource
Kit.]]
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_i.htm

[[Microsoft's Layout.dll (free) file, which is included in the Windows NT
Resource Kit, can be installed on Windows 2000 and XP systems. This adds the
Save Desktop Icon Layout and Restore Desktop Icon Layout options to the
pop-up menus associated with system icons like the Recycle Bin and My
Computer. It's a bare-bones solution that lacks the useful frills found in
EzDesk, but it gets the job done.]]
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,1593475,00.asp

zipped layout.dll direct download..
http://www.nthelp.com/proggy/layout.zip

[[Make Desktop Icons Stay in Place
1. Download the zip file that comes from the Windows NT 4.0 Resource Kit.
Don't worry! It'll work with your Windows XP machine.
2. Copy the files in the .zip file onto the desktop. Then place Layout.dll
in your WINDOWS\System32 directory.
3. After the layout.dll is in the right directory, double click on the
layout.reg file.
4. Right click on the My Computer icon on your desktop. You should see two
new commands: Save Desktop Icon Layout and Restore Desktop Icon Layout.
Use them to save and restore your icon arrangement. ]]
http://www.wxpnews.com/index.cfm?id=52

This is Freeware.

Icon Restore
restore desktop icon layout

<quote>
Icon Restore allows you to save your desktop icon layout and restore it when
needed. If you have ever changed your desktop resolution temporarily, you
will have noticed that your desktop icons are all messed up, after you
switch back. This little tool allows you to right click on the My Computer
icon and select `Restore Desktop Icon Layout` and everything will be back in
order. Very useful for people that have to change the screen resolution
often.
<quote>
http://snapfiles.com/get/iconrestore.html

EzDesk Shareware - Manage your Desktop Icons
http://home.comcast.net/~ezwaretech/

They have a free evaluation copy. And if it does want you want, it might be
worth 15 bucks.

About EzDesk Version 1.8
http://home.comcast.net/~ezwaretech/ezdesk_about.html

If you find EzDesk useful and use it regularly please consider registering
it. The registration cost is $15.00 (U.S. funds: cash, check, or money
order). The registration form can be found inside the EzDesk package.

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In

 

[RoS]

I tied a few of the suggestions! The one in the Resource Kit didn't seem
to work but one of the others (fingers crossed) seems to be keeping things
where I want them to be.

Thanks to all.
RoS

P.S. Now to try and find the means of keeping every window at maximum - as
posted above at this time.