Rebellious icons

[aspac]

Hi,
I'm lucky. While two problems plague my computer use (Vista Home on a Toshiba laptop), both are irritants rather than impediments. Nonetheless, I'd be grateful for any help in fixing them:
1. My Google clock in the Google Sidebar: it now has a black face (I guess I inadvertently clicked something) and it formerly had the orange face I chose. How do I restore it to the way it was before? Also, when I restored it after it disappeared (and it came back with the black clock face), it also provided a quick-search Google Desktop box at the bottom right of my screen (above the System Tray). How do I get rid of this box, since to use Google Desktop I can just click on the System Tray icon?

2. My desktop icons rearrange themselves willy-nilly whenever my computer starts up. How do I get them to stay in the order I arranged them in? I Googled this problem and discovered others have encountered this, too - and were not slow to point out that recommended "fixes" didn't work. They didn't work for me either. One recommendation was to tick "Align To Grid" - and, like others, I found after doing this that the icons' lay-out was still changed after starting up again.

Any help in simple terms will be much appreciated - I'm spending too much time on this even though it isn't really important!

Many thanks.

[Bo Nalls]

So you think you have problems eh... (http://www.freeaddictinggames.com/game/icons%20story/play/)




ps make sure that auto arrange is switched off.

[aspac]

Hi Bo,
Loved the link . . . hilarious.
And Auto Arrange was switched off throughout. I've double-checked.
But I'm still stuck with those two problems.
Aspac

[Loose rivets]

I have a lovely picture of the house that I grew up in. Nothing else on the desktop at all. Very relaxing.


Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh! I've not noticed 'till now, but the recycle bin is there. I was sure it wasn't, but there it is...hiding in a tree. Can't get rid of it...can I?

I've pinned it to Explorer, so I don't need it, and now I've realized, it'll worry me.

[Tarq57]

My icons stay where they're put.
Right-clicking on the desktop, the only items ticked are "show desktop icons" and "align to grid".
You could try that.
Google sidebar? No idea. Hate toolbars. Don't use them.

[Sprogget]

Is the Google sidebar a gadget? If so, hovering over the gadget usually brings up a small spanner icon, clicking on which gives various options for that gadget. I don't use it myself, but certainly the windows gadgets work that way - also try right clicking on the sidebar to see if a dialog options box opens up.

[green granite]

I've got the clock on the desk top and nothing else except the recycle bin icon which I hide underneath the clock. :ok:

[Sprogget]

A man after my own heart. Just the recycle bin & a revolving desktop slideshow of the heir for me.

[Mornington Crescent]

You could try Icon restore. It's not exactly for your problem but it does enable you to return the desktop to normal. It works on XP and Vista.

Icon Restore (http://users.rcn.com/taylotr/icon_restore.html)

[green granite]

A man after my own heart. Just the recycle bin & a revolving desktop slideshow of the heir for me.

Yep us 7 users are lucky, Sprogget. :ok:

[Loose rivets]

Yes yes...but what about this darn bin? :* I want it in the cupboard.

[green granite]

Tricky, Apparently the "TweakUI" program can hide it but I don't know if it works for 7, otherwise try these ideas but they are for xp so may not work. :

Hide Recycle Bin using Folder Options (http://www.techjunkeez.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=387)

Customizing Your PC with the Windows XP Registry (http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/setup/expert/honeycutt_02september16.mspx)

How do I make the Recycle Bin appear on my desktop in Windows Vista or in Windows XP? (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/810869) (for restore info after using TweakUI program)

[Mornington Crescent]

LR

Vista.

Rt click desktop. Personalise. Change desktop Icons. There it is!!

Or have I missed the joke?

MC

[green granite]

Mornington Crescent

http://209.85.48.8/1889/52/emo/mini-respect-.gifhttp://209.85.48.8/1889/52/emo/mini-respect-.gifhttp://209.85.48.8/1889/52/emo/mini-respect-.gif

It's so obvious when you know where to look isn't it. :(

[Sprogget]

7 - right click the desktop, choose personalise/change desktop icons, uncheck the recycle bin. Gone.:)

[Loose rivets]

Or have I missed the joke?

Yes. I knew that...I knew that. Just testing.:\


Me muttering...
I wonder if that'll fool them...spent ages trying to get the bin in the picture of a wheelbarrow.

Just to add a bit of life to the post. Old house I grew up in. Twas made upside down, so we could see across the fields to the Walton on Naze 'Backwarters'. No cavity, and no foundations. But, it was always summer, so it didn't matter.:cool: Can't believe it...I swapped it for an airyplane.:{

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v703/walnaze/63HallLaneC.jpg



On a more sensible note, I like the Explorer (to which, the bin is now pinned) but I did like the XP Vista multi Explorers in the Task-bar. I had each one set to a target, like a working folder for me book, and Root E etc.. Since the W7 Explorer pop-up is dynamic, a little used item is soon lost and it's back to the normal click click click.

I'm intending to import an old Explorer from Vista, and see if it runs, but I'm loth to do something that will mess up the solid platform that I have established. Sans me camera that is. :(

[Sprogget]

Rivets, right click the explorer icon in 7 & all your recent & in logic I suppose, your heavily used folders pop up above the icon - it's a nice touch, not quite what you speak about in Vista, but pretty good all the same.:ok:

[piggybank]

I'm using Vista Home Premium and wish I had the problem of having a recycle bin on my desk top. Some days its there and others its not. I lose nothing else but having the recycle bin would be a handy thing at times.

[RobAnt]

To change the clock face on the clock sidebar gadget:

Hover your mouse over the clock face - see the little spanner - click on it.

The clock gadget controls popup and it's all pretty self explanatory from there on. There are 8 clock faces, the red one is number 6. I don't recommend the pink fluffy toy (8), unless you're a real girly girl. And the chronograph style is just that, a style, it does nothing else.

Incidentally - what's the problem with "airyplanes" as a desktop backdrop? I have a (THE) nice big Vulcan on mine, and use WebShots to rotate the backdrop so I don't get bored with it.

[Loose rivets]

Sprgget, that's the point, all the recent... What I always want is a set of controls that are bolted to the Earth. Never change. Nothing 'Dynamic'. God knows how an electric aircraft pilot manages with different 'Laws'.

What I haven't done is to try to load several Win 7 Explorers. Again, I don't want to mess up what's working well.

and wish I had the problem of having a recycle bin on my desk top. Some days its there and others its not.


Maybe, I'm not as daft as I thought. Does it vanish if it's empty? I have lots of chapters in there now, and can't risk playing with it - just in case.:hmm:

[aspac]

Thanks - both problems solved. I hovered the cursor over the clock and the spanner appeared, reminding me of what I did the first time. I downloaded the little programme to keep the icons in place and after re-starting they came back repeatedly in their desired places. So both irritants have gone away.
Many thanks to everyone.
However, your replies raised another highly relevant question. Why do I need icons, anyway? The only ones I ever use are those for Word, Firefox, Spybot and CCleaner. For other chores I tend to type in the relevant address or whatever - and only then realise (sometimes) that I have a shortcut icon. Perhaps I'll get rid of them. Perhaps I need counselling. On the other hand, I once read that counselling is the only fate worse than the death penalty.

[green granite]

Why do I need icons, anyway?

You don't, they are only there to save you having to trawl through the program list to launch a program.

I have no icons on my desktop at all, the most used programs are pinned to the task bar and launched from there with a single click.

[Keef]

Individual taste, innit.

Stuff I use all the time lives in the taskbar.

Stuff I use occasionally but often enough to want it there, is on the desktop.

Stuff I use rarely or not at all is just in the Start menu. There's far too much of that - I should clear out, really.

[Loose rivets]

Specifically Win 7

Okay, I'd had enough of not knowing where Explorer was going to take me, so I loaded a copy in my working drive, E.

set, E colon\explorer.exe E colon \This or that folder, /e in its properties, and lo, away it went.

I started several pages of my book, then went back to the Task bar - there was NO list of histories. The old one still works as normal with the dynamic list.

This is handy a lot of the time, but when an item has fallen off the end, it really is a chore to go all the way through the Drive, Folder, (often folder folder folder) then file. Also, I hate using Word processor's Open file seeker. Don't know why, it so tunnel-vision-ish I suppose.

EDIT
Aaaaaaaaaagh! again.:uhoh: Prior to this, if one was to go to the right-hand screen and pick a folder rather than a file, it would say 'Explore' as the top and bold option. Now, it's offering Open - just like the old Explorer. Okay, I'll go back and try the virgin offering. No, it's changed as well. Open and not Explore when pertaining to a folder.

This was a major change in the wording, and quite logical I thought, so I'm (almost) totally sure that I'm not mistaken.





Oddly, my old problem of Word Perfect starting several copies came back when I started using W7. After a few days of deleting them in Task manager, it stopped doing it. Just the same as XP Pro. Very odd.

Now, with the new Explorer.exe running as a book dedicated Explorer, it's started doing it again! So very odd. Anyway, based on past experience, all I've got to do is sit back and wait a few days, and it'll stop doing it.:}

Nowt so queer as computers.

[BRL]

Hi all. My volume control icon next to the clock (toolbar bottom right) has gone for walkies. Anyone know how I can get it back? (Vista)

Ta. :)

[Saab Dastard]

Hello BRL,

In XP, I can go to Control Panel, Sounds and Audio Devices and tick the box "Place Volume Icon in Taskbar". Perhaps there is (still) something similar in Vista.

SD

[green granite]

In W7 it's under 'notification area icons' in the control panel, so it's probably the same in Vista.but I'm not certain.

[Sprogget]

In any version of windows from xp on certainly, it's on right click the task bar, click properties/customize the notification area & check/uncheck as desired.

[BRL]

Thanks guys. Found it under 'Taskbar and Start Menu Properties' in the control panel!!

Cheers :)

[green granite]

That's the back way into the 'notification area icons' in the control panel in W 7. :)