Windows XP desktop management

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Is it likely you have selected Auto Arrange? You can check this by
right-click on the desktop.

hth
 
Thank you but that's not it. The only things checked are "Align to Grid",
"Show Desktop Icons" and (in desperation) "Lock Web Items on Desktop."

No problems on my laptop under XP Home. The problem is on my wife's desktop
with XP Pro. She, of course, tells me "I didn't do anything." Nevertheless
everything is changed, apparently at random.

One additional thing I've noted in trying to figure this out: if I tell it
to sort by name it does not appear to so do. It appears to do the random
thing then too.
 
One additional thing I've noted in trying to figure this out: if I tell it
to sort by name it does not appear to so do. It appears to do the random
thing then too.
Click to expand...


In XP all MS programs and OS related items are listed first no matter
what you do. For example I have:

My Documents
My Computer
My Network Places
Recycle Bin/Norton Protected Recycle Bin
Internet Explorer

all at the top. Then other links/icons are arranged alphabetically.
The MS items are optional and you may not have them on your desktop.

hth
 
Some items have a sort index, such as My Docs that make them go head of the line. Then they are sorted by user group, All Users then the specific user's files.

It sounds like your wife is changing resolutions. Perhaps a dos program or game she runs. Explorer tries to keep icons in the visible area.
 
Thank you. She does a lot of photo manipulation so it's entirely possible
that one of her programs is doing it. I had not thought of that. We'll try to
watch for it and maybe catch it doing its evil work.
 
try right clicking desktop, properties, click on desktop tab, customize
desktop, UNCHECK "run desktop cleanup wizard every 60 days"
 
Thank you. I'll give it a try tomorrow.

Bob said:
try right clicking desktop, properties, click on desktop tab, customize
desktop, UNCHECK "run desktop cleanup wizard every 60 days"
Click to expand...
 
Did you find answer for your original post , yet?
I have been experiencing the same problem with my computer now.

Please help !!!

Bangol465---04/09/2006
 
SWAG.

If Lock Web Items on Desktop is checked...
Items can be moved, but they are moved back after reboot.

Right click Desktop | Arrange Icons By |

UNCheck: Auto Arrange
[[Arrange the icons in columns along the left side of your screen.]]

UNCheck: Lock Web Items on Desktop
[[Specifies whether Web content windows or items that *you* have placed on
your desktop are locked in place and can’t be moved. Select the check box to
lock Web content in place. Clear the check box if you want to be able to
move Web content.]]

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In
 
I forgot to tell you when it happened.They are rearranged
whenever I recycled the power(ie off then on,or restart the computer).
Other than that they stayed wherever I moved them.

One thing I noticed after this posting is that the icons changed itself 2 ~3
times
they settled down with its own . Maybe related with "WINZIP" or related ???

Thank you very much for reading, and hope to hear any thing

All the best---Bangol465---04/10/2006

Wesley Vogel said:
SWAG.

If Lock Web Items on Desktop is checked...
Items can be moved, but they are moved back after reboot.

Right click Desktop | Arrange Icons By |

UNCheck: Auto Arrange
[[Arrange the icons in columns along the left side of your screen.]]

UNCheck: Lock Web Items on Desktop
[[Specifies whether Web content windows or items that *you* have placed on
your desktop are locked in place and can’t be moved. Select the check box to
lock Web content in place. Clear the check box if you want to be able to
move Web content.]]

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In
Bangol465 said:
Did you find answer for your original post , yet?
I have been experiencing the same problem with my computer now.

Please help !!!

Bangol465---04/09/2006
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
I have the same issue. I do not AutoArrange icons. 3 days ago icons
started
showing up as auto arranged. I can rearrange them but as soon as the
screen
refreshes or I shut down, they are back to Auto Arrange.
This is making me crazy. I can't find anything and am not getting any
work
done. There must be a fix. I think it is possible that one of my spyware
or
cleanup utilities may have deleted a file OR I have been hijacked.
But AVG shows no viruses and all my Spyware stuff shows no spyware.
Please HELP.43
Click to expand...

Are you using a registry cleaner? If so see if it has an undo feature and
try that. In general, unless you are experienced with the registry, you
should not use a registry cleaner.
 
Thanks. Yes, I use Registry Cleaners; however I already restored the
Registry to a date where this Auto Arrange was not happening.
The restore did not fix the problem.
I tried the tweak from Kellys Korner........right side of #54....that did
not help either.
I guess I will have to set up another User account in Win XP.
What a mess !!!
lfletch46
 
Thanks. Yes, I use Registry Cleaners; however I already restored the
Registry to a date where this Auto Arrange was not happening.
The restore did not fix the problem.
I tried the tweak from Kellys Korner........right side of #54....that did
not help either.
I guess I will have to set up another User account in Win XP.
What a mess !!!
lfletch46
Click to expand...


If things are ok in the new user account you can then copy the settings and
data from the old to the new. Here is a link for that in case you need it.

HOW TO Create and Configure User Accounts in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=279783

How to Copy a User Profile
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/win_xp_logon.htm
 
Well, still no luck with my Desktop. Icons are totally annoying. Cannot
move them. No luck with copying new user account over to current one either.
Message about insufficient security. My desktop is Admin account and even
the original Administator profile cannot access it.
I've now spent the better part of 4 days trying everything I can think of .
If anyone has a cure, I'd sure love to hear it.
Thanks alot, lfletch46
 
This has been bugging me for ages! I could never figure out why there were
groups of sorted icons... The system icons are obvious, but it never occurred
to me that user groups affected it. However, since there's only one user on
my PC, and I always run as admin, how come they still sort in groups? Is
there a property somewhere other than icon properties that can be edited?
 
lfletch46 said:
Well, still no luck with my Desktop. Icons are totally annoying. Cannot
move them. No luck with copying new user account over to current one either.
Message about insufficient security. My desktop is Admin account and even
the original Administator profile cannot access it.
I've now spent the better part of 4 days trying everything I can think of .
If anyone has a cure, I'd sure love to hear it.
Thanks alot, lfletch46
Click to expand...
 
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