Which folder does Vista keep usually keep desktop icons?

[occam]

I am cleaning up a Vista PC belonging to my son, which has been filled
up will all manner of crap (games, more games and 'PUP's - potentially
unwanted programs) over the last 3 years.

The event that prompted this clean up was the disappearance of all
desktop (shortcut) icons, except the system 'Recycle bin'. The task bar
is still there, and so is the gadget bar on the left.

I have tracked down the 'missing' shortcuts to:
C:\Users\<son>\Documents\Desktop\Desktop

However, they do not show up on the desktop. 'Show Desktop' in the quick
launch behaves as it should - except with the MIA shortcuts. These BTW
have their attributes as show (i.e. 'hidden' is unchecked).

Thanks for any pointers.

 

[Auric__]

I am cleaning up a Vista PC belonging to my son, which has been filled
up will all manner of crap (games, more games and 'PUP's - potentially
unwanted programs) over the last 3 years.

The event that prompted this clean up was the disappearance of all
desktop (shortcut) icons, except the system 'Recycle bin'. The task bar
is still there, and so is the gadget bar on the left.

I have tracked down the 'missing' shortcuts to:
C:\Users\<son>\Documents\Desktop\Desktop

However, they do not show up on the desktop. 'Show Desktop' in the quick
launch behaves as it should - except with the MIA shortcuts. These BTW
have their attributes as show (i.e. 'hidden' is unchecked).

Sounds like he just accidentally moved them. The desktop lives in,
appropriately, C:\Users\[username]\Desktop -- so drag the contents of Desktop
\Desktop to C:\users\<son>\Desktop, or if that folder doesn't exist, just
drag the inner "Desktop" folder from Documents to Users\<son>.

 

[occam]

I am cleaning up a Vista PC belonging to my son, which has been filled
up will all manner of crap (games, more games and 'PUP's - potentially
unwanted programs) over the last 3 years.

The event that prompted this clean up was the disappearance of all
desktop (shortcut) icons, except the system 'Recycle bin'. The task bar
is still there, and so is the gadget bar on the left.

I have tracked down the 'missing' shortcuts to:
C:\Users\<son>\Documents\Desktop\Desktop

However, they do not show up on the desktop. 'Show Desktop' in the quick
launch behaves as it should - except with the MIA shortcuts. These BTW
have their attributes as show (i.e. 'hidden' is unchecked).

Sounds like he just accidentally moved them. The desktop lives in,
appropriately, C:\Users\[username]\Desktop -- so drag the contents of Desktop
\Desktop to C:\users\<son>\Desktop, or if that folder doesn't exist, just
drag the inner "Desktop" folder from Documents to Users\<son>.

OK, did that. Does not seem to have solved the problem - even if it
feels correct.

I see that there is a 'Public\Public Desktop' (with nothing in it).
Could it be the default is set to point to public? How can I make the
system to use the C:\User\<son>\Desktop\ ?

 

[Jesper Kaas]

Desktop icons can be hidden:
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-vista/show-hide-or-resize-desktop-icons

 

[occam]

Desktop icons can be hidden:
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-vista/show-hide-or-resize-desktop-icons

But they are not. The 'show desktop icons' is checked, but still I
cannot see them.

 

[Ed Cryer]

But they are not. The 'show desktop icons' is checked, but still I
cannot see them.

It looks as though you have a Desktop folder within a Desktop folder.
Try this.
Put any small file (create a text file, maybe) and put it in the first
Desktop folder. See if it shows up. If it does then move all the others
there.

Ed

 

[VanguardLH]

I am cleaning up a Vista PC ...

Vista newsgroup = alt.os.windows-vista

 

[occam]

occam wrote:

It looks as though you have a Desktop folder within a Desktop folder.
Try this.
Put any small file (create a text file, maybe) and put it in the first
Desktop folder. See if it shows up. If it does then move all the others
there.

I did. It didn't.

occam

 

[Ed Cryer]

I did. It didn't.

occam

Try the corollary version, thus.
Create a text file on the desktop. Name it "ABCDEFG". Search for it in
Vista's folders.

Ed the Wiz (once a friend of William of Ockham. He shaved his head; I
shaved my beard )

 

[occam]

Try the corollary version, thus.
Create a text file on the desktop. Name it "ABCDEFG". Search for it in
Vista's folders.

Ed the Wiz (once a friend of William of Ockham. He shaved his head; I
shaved my beard )

Thanks for persevering Ed. I created 'desktop.txt' and tried to save it
to the desktop.
I had an error message saying "You have no permission to save to
C:\Public\Public Desktop. Ask the administrator for permission."

Instead, I saved it in C:\Users\<son>\Desktop. It did not appear on my
desktop, as expected. When I dragged the file to the desktop (with
administrative permission), it also appeared in the folder
C:\Public\Public Desktop\.

Question - How can I force "C:\Users\<son>\Desktop\" to be my desktop?
Currently, by some quirk, my desktop is linked to "C:\Public\Public Desktop"

Thanks

 

[Ed Cryer]

Thanks for persevering Ed. I created 'desktop.txt' and tried to save it
to the desktop.
I had an error message saying "You have no permission to save to
C:\Public\Public Desktop. Ask the administrator for permission."

Instead, I saved it in C:\Users\<son>\Desktop. It did not appear on my
desktop, as expected. When I dragged the file to the desktop (with
administrative permission), it also appeared in the folder
C:\Public\Public Desktop\.

Question - How can I force "C:\Users\<son>\Desktop\" to be my desktop?
Currently, by some quirk, my desktop is linked to "C:\Public\Public Desktop"

Thanks

Try logging in with your son's user account.

Ed

 

[occam]

Try logging in with your son's user account.

I did (always do). I see though that he has recently elected to remove
his login password.

 

[Ed Cryer]

I did (always do). I see though that he has recently elected to remove
his login password.

If you login with his user and don't get his desktop, well it looks as
though his user account is messed up. What I'd do is create a new one,
copy all stuff I wanted from the old one, and delete the old one.

As a matter of interest, under Computer/C drive/Users, I have Default,
Ed and Public. What do you have?

Tell us about the procedure you go through from booting to being logged
in without your son's desktop. We may scent a rodent somewhere, and that
could lead to a speedy cure.

Ed

 

[occam]

If you login with his user and don't get his desktop, well it looks as
though his user account is messed up. What I'd do is create a new one,
copy all stuff I wanted from the old one, and delete the old one.

As a matter of interest, under Computer/C drive/Users, I have Default,
Ed and Public. What do you have?


Tell us about the procedure you go through from booting to being logged
in without your son's desktop. We may scent a rodent somewhere, and that
could lead to a speedy cure.

The procedure is the normal one - and easier now that there is no
password. I switch on the PC, Windows boots up and I end up in the
Public desktop. Are you suggesting a set-by-step manual boot up via 'F8'?

 

[Ed Cryer]

The procedure is the normal one - and easier now that there is no
password. I switch on the PC, Windows boots up and I end up in the
Public desktop. Are you suggesting a set-by-step manual boot up via 'F8'?

That looks exactly like my set-up and boot. The difference being, of
course, that I get Ed's desktop.

So then, it comes down to this - why do you get the Public desktop?
I'll defer to anyone with a better idea, but all I can think of is that
it's giving you that because the user profile is corrupt.
How does one repair a corrupt user profile?
Here's what the Windows people say;
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-GB/windows-vista/fix-a-corrupted-user-profile
which begins with
"If you tried to log on to Windows and received an error message telling
you that your user profile might be corrupted, you can try to repair it.
You will need to create a new profile, and then copy the files from the
existing profile to the new one."

Hang around a while until others have read this, and then if no better
idea surfaces, follow the yellow-brick road that MS have built.

Ed

 

[occam]

That looks exactly like my set-up and boot. The difference being, of
course, that I get Ed's desktop.

So then, it comes down to this - why do you get the Public desktop?
I'll defer to anyone with a better idea, but all I can think of is that
it's giving you that because the user profile is corrupt.
How does one repair a corrupt user profile?
Here's what the Windows people say;
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-GB/windows-vista/fix-a-corrupted-user-profile

which begins with
"If you tried to log on to Windows and received an error message telling
you that your user profile might be corrupted, you can try to repair it.
You will need to create a new profile, and then copy the files from the
existing profile to the new one."

Hang around a while until others have read this, and then if no better
idea surfaces, follow the yellow-brick road that MS have built.

OK, thanks Ed. The quoted para above is what you diagnosed a couple of
posts earlier. I started, but held back because just transferring the
files to the new profile does not appear to solve the whole problem. If
I understood correctly, any email account (and associated files) need to
be transferred in a more circuitous way. (I need to consult my son - on
holiday right now - as to how important these are and what to do about
them.)

Thanks again.