Help in working with desktops and icons

I am totally bemused by this, someone please point me in the right direction. I am having trouble manipulating desktops and icons!

I have three users on my PC: me (Paul) as administrator, my wife (Pauline) and son Harry. We all have our own desktops and all I want to do is to make the icons on each apposite to us as individuals. For example, we all want a Yahoo icon and Google Earth Icons, whilst I want my trainsimming programme icons, my wife her Chinese application icons and Harry his icons for his school work.

However, we all seem to have varied mixes of everyones icons. How do I delete off one, add to another etc without deleting the lot. If I delete the chinese icons off my desktop, it deletes them from Pauline's desktop as well. I understand that there are different directories in my PC called "Desktop" but these dont seem to correspond to anything. For example when I go into windows explorer, the top line is "Desktop" with 80 files in it. One of these is called "Paul" which has another directory called "Desktop" with 55 files in it. When I go into "Users" I have yet another directory called "Desktop", this time with 54 files, Pauline has a similar direcrory with 23 files and Harry with 4 files.

If I open each desktop in turn, mine displays 76 icons, Pauline's 43 and Harry's 26. ie nothing corresponds anwhere!

Thus, I have found on my PC 4 directories called Desktop containing 80, 55, 54 and 23 files which somehow produce 3 desktops with 76, 43 and 26 icons.

?????????????????????????

Can someone explain the logic of this to me?

Also, I used to be able to create icons simply by right clicking but that dont seem to work any more. I have recently has to actually write down the address in ink on paper and key it into a previously copied icon properties box! How can I create icons when I have no "Add an icon to your desktop" option?

Paul

Hi Paul,

First, to add a new icon to the desktop from a program file, you right click on it and click Send To and then click Desktop (shortcut icon) and it's done. If this option is not available to you, post back and I provide tutorials which will assist you in adding it back (it's normally there by default so I don't know precisely how you lost it). To maybe simplify things, here's that procedure if you need it: http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/67599-send-context-menu.html.

Second, each user has a folder called C:\Users\<username>\Desktop which contains their personal desktop icons. In addition, each user can select the Windows icons they want on their desktop by going to Start / Control Panel / Personalize / Desktop Icons and then choosing which or all of the five they want on their desktops. Finally, every user gets icons from C:\Users\Public\Desktop. These are typically for installed programs you want everyone to have on the desktop when installed (it sometimes asks and sometimes just does it depending on the program). When you view the icons in Users/Desktop you are only seeing those associated with your personal desktop (in the Users folder of your personal profile), not the ones in the All Users profile (which explains why you have more on your Desktop then in your Users/Desktop listing). When you look at the top level Desktop in your directory you are seeing the combination of icons on the desktop (which is why it is larger than what appears in your User folder because it shows those from All Users as well). The difference between 55 and 54 is probably just the hidden desktop.ini file. Why it says 80 and you show only 76 is a bit confusing. Can you please check and tell me what items are in the 80 listing that are not on your desktop (and their full pathnames and filenames)?

I'm not quite sure why you deleting an icon from your desktop deletes them from the other users as well - the accounts should be separate (unless you are deleting an All Users icon and that is deleting it from the Public folder as well and thus from all users which is probably the case). To avoid this, first copy the icons you want to delete that are in the Public folder to each of the individual user folders that you want to retain the icons and then when you delete it from your desktop it will not affect theirs. Yes, it would be more convenient if you could just delete the icon and not have it delete from the Public folder at the same time but that's how it works and this is the way to workaround that.

I hope this helps.

Good luck!

Thank you

You're quite welcome - it was my pleasure.

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