IAC DISCUSSION FORUMS

can anyone recommend a programme to restore and save desktop icon layout which is safe to download

Hi Roy

Can you tell us more? Are you Mac or PC. If PC which version of Windows do you use?
But mainly ... why? What is going wrong that makes you want such a program. For most of us the icons remain in place without having to do anything special.

Dave

I'm using a windows XP on this particular PC. The reason why is because I have a lot of shortcuts on the desktop and they are divided into groups for particular jobs and as I am used to their position on the desktop, I can go to the one I require immediately without seaching for it. However, when I need to change the display, such as resolution, font size etc, the whole desktop display reverts to one big mixed up presentation and it takes me ten minutes at least to re-arrange them how I want them and not as windows want them. I understand this reverting to a mixed up display IS NORMAL everytime changes are made.
I had an excellent programme to save and restore the display, but recent virus attackes wiped off the progeramme. Unfortunately I can't remember where I got it from.

Can I just make sure that you are locking the desktop?

Right-click on an empty bit of desktop
From the menu which appears choose "Arrange Icons"
That presents another menu and second from last is the option "Lock Items on Desktop"
If that is ticked your icons ought to remain.

I just fired up my old XP machine and tried it. Re-starts and screen resoltion changes left the icons where they were.

That said there is some discussion online suggesting other people have your problem. There are some programs which do what you describe but I have no experience of them. Generally I find software I download from tucows.com, cnet.com, download.com, filehippo.com, and majorgeeks.com is safe. In any case I always download a file, go to the file with Windows Explorer, right-click and choose to have the file checked with my usual ant-virus software. Only if all is clear do I fire up the file.

DAVE. Thanks for your imput. When I follow your directions I get LOCK WEB ITEMS on DESKTOP. I presume, rightly or wrongly, that this does not include everything on the Desktop. I have clicked onto the web items lock just in case. However I am glad to say that I have found a programme that does exactly what I want. It took only two seconds to download and it has no additional add ons like toolbars etc. All I have to do is to re-arrange the desktop icons. click onto "MY Computer" and from the drop down panel select "SAVE DESKTOP ITEMS". If after that the icons move, all I have to do is to click "MY COMPUTER" and select "RESTORE DESKTOP ICON LAYOUT" and that's what it does. Thanks again

Roy,
You forgot to tell the rest of us WHAT THE PROGRAM IS!

granfer. The programme is simply called ICON RESTORE. I simply found it on google.

Thank you!. Very useful!

I am glad it is resolved!

This may be of interest to people wanting to use the restore icon programme. The programme I mentioned earlier is okay for desktops on Windows 32 bit up to XP. I found however that it doesn't work for me on another PC using 64 bit windows 7. However the good news is that if you are using windows 7- 64 bit, you can free download safely another programme called called
ICON RESTORER which I find works perfectly.