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Desktop Icons

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you broke it, buy a new one.

that goes right along with my theory of how our fine hobby works or how you upgrade parts on a stock chassis....
...if it doesn't fit..force it.
...if it breaks....it needed to be replaced anyway.

$$
 
Right click on the desktop
Display properties will show
move tab to desktop
Desktop items window will pop up
Move tab to web
bottom of that pop up will be a box to lock desktop items.
uncheck it.
Voila. you are done
 
Right click on the desktop.........ok
Display properties will show.......ok
move tab to desktop..........what tab?
Desktop items window will pop up
Move tab to web............?
bottom of that pop up will be a box to lock desktop items.
uncheck it.
 
Rolex said:
Right click on the desktop.........ok
Display properties will show.......ok
move tab to desktop..........what tab?
Desktop items window will pop up
Move tab to web............?
bottom of that pop up will be a box to lock desktop items.
uncheck it.
Click to expand...

WHen that "display properties window"pops up there are 5 different tabs to toggle to. Themes, desktop, Screen Saver,Appearance and Settings. Choos Desktop.
 
Rolex said:
I have Background, Screen Saver, Appearance, Effects, Web, and Settings.
Click to expand...
Man I thought you were at an XP PC. You are still on that 98 machine. I just went on one and damn it I can't find it. Let me do some looking around. Something simple..
 
I was about to mention that I was on 98, since things were not the same as XP.
I've been through everything here, and can't even find the info in the help menu.
The XP comp has problems of it's own, and is not on line right now.
 
Ok on your machine
go to web make sure the "View my Active Desktop as a web page: is not checked.
if it isn;t go to the bottom where there is a "Folder Options" button. Click it.
On the Active desktop click these options:
Use Windows classic desktop
Open each folder in the same window
Only for folders where I select as web page
Double-click to open an item.
click OK
you return to the Folder Options dialog box
make sure there is NO check mark next to Hide file extensions. Make sure a check mark is next to Show file attributes in Detail view. Under Hidden Files, be sure that Show all files is selected. Everything else should NOT have a check mark next to it. Click the Apply button, then the Reset All Folders button, and then the Close button.

Let me know
 
I'm about to try it. I just turned on another computer with OEM 98 in it, and I have the same thing. That one hasn't been on in months, but it was set the same as this one.
 
In Classic windows, I didn't have the options available. It was already selected as custom.
In that menu I unchecked 'hide file extentions'.
Did not find:
Only for folders where I select as web page
Double-click to open an item.
I've seen them before, just don't know where they are now.
I rebooted just to make sure changes were saved. Same thing.
 
Rolex said:
Okay, I'm really feeling stupid now. I don't know what I did, but I can't move my desktop icons to where I want them. They just spring back.
I've checked, and just can't figure out how to unlock them again.
How simple is it, and how stupid have I become?
Click to expand...

Nah man, it happens to everyone. Trial and error that's how I've learned everything. I didn't read the WHOLE thread, but at first glance, this should work:

right mouse click on the desktop (not an icon) -> goto Arrange Icons menu -> There should be a check next to "Auto Arrange". Click that.

Now that the auto arrange icons check is off you can move your icons at will. The sad part is whatever arrangement you had prior to the Auto Arrange is lost. You'll just have to move them back to where they were.
 
Ok, I've your problem has sucked me in. 1st it's not a simple problem. Don't feel bad. 2nd I haven't really nailed down EXACTLY what's causing it. I'm 99% sure it's a funky Windows registry setting, but which one brings us back to the needle and that damned haystack.

Fortunately, all of the settings "Windows Explorer" uses are all sitting in one lump in the registry. "Windows Explorer" by the way it the desktop, my computer, the start menu and all taht happy horse crap. It's basically the user interface. This part of Windows has changed drastically from Windows 98 SE to XP. Fixes for XP hence won't help.

Anyway, explorer's settings are stored in:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Explorer

As long as you're careful and make a backup, you should be able to play with this part of the registry and maybe get things back in order.

First, how to back this up.

Click start -> run -> regedit
browse to the above location I posted
In the left pane, click on the yellow folder that says "explorer" (last folder you opened)
now from the menus, choose registry -> Export Registry File
Make sure it says "Selected Branch"
Next save it as a .reg file someplace on your hard drive. Just be sure you know where you put it and what you called it.

Now, I have a vmware Windows 98 SE machine that DOES NOT have this problem. I did the above process and produced a .reg file for you to try. It's called: explorer-settings-win98.reg To use this file, you only have double click it. Windows should ask you if you want to import some settings or something. Say yes. Restart.

If this doesn't solve the problem, 1) I'm mistified but 2) you need to get your stuff back the way it was. Just go find your backup .reg file and double click it to insert it into the registry. Restart again of course.

I've also included a really small file: auto-arrange-icons-off-win98.reg This just plays with the auto arrange part of the registry. My gut tells me this isn't going to work. It's the less scary of the two though. Maybe try this one first.

You can look at these .reg files in notepad if you're curious what they are made of. (right click one and hit edit works real slick to see the contents).
 

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Now here's what really threw me a little while ago. I have 3 computers here, one is OEM 98, one is XP Home, and this one is 98SE. The old one with 98 hasn't been turned on in months. When I started it, it told me about the clock change. That was October.
Oddly, all the setting in that one were the same as this, and not even those icons could be moved. Whenever I change wallpaper, I rearrange my icons, and never before have I run into this.
Is there a system restore or a 'go back' in 98 like there is in XP?
The other situation I found yesterday is that Roxio GoBack would only take me back to the 25th of this month. Normally I have a couple of months listed there to choose from. I had to rerun Norton virus scan and again, quarantine the 3 trojans that got in, but couldn't get back a few more days to remove them. I got the virus alert on the 20th.

I'm about to print out your info and see what I can do.
 
I haven't done it yet, but I've run Norton reg edit and a few other things first.
Norton doesn't find a problem. In another program I came up with a change due to MSGSRV32.Exe
I googled it, and it seems to me that it's not a good thing. What's your input?
 
You need to stop visiting the midget porn sites with all the viruses and spyware downloads. LOL :jk:

Anyway, this problem here is weird. The fact that you have it on 2 different computers is very strange.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but you have Auto Arrange Icons off. All your icons however are lined up into rows on the left side of the screen. You click and drag any icon to a new location. It doesn't matter where you drag it. You can drag it all the way to the right side of the screen, but when you let go, it snaps right back where it was?
 
msgsrv32.exe is a process which is initiated by Microsoft Windows 9x and ME only. It acts as a 32 bit message server and will never appear in the Windows task list unless there is a problem with it. At any other time it should be left enabled.
Click to expand...

If you see it in the task list, somethin is wrong. Run a good process listing program (not just control + alt + delete). It should tell yuo the whole path to msgsrv32.exe. On my little win98 SE machine it's located in C: \Windows\System . If it's located in ANY other location, it can be a virus or a piece of spyware pretending to be a windows system file.

EDIT: I use this program called PrcView.exe It shows you the full path of the running .exe files.
 
When I ran GoBack last night, I went back to Feb 25th. Everything was fine, and I was able to move my icons. They are still where I left them, but now they snap back again, and I don't know what caused it. Again.

(it wasn't midgets, it was ponies)
 

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