[FullRangeMan]

I go to dinner in the kitchen and the W7 sleep, when I press the power on button I noted more than 10 shortcuts icons to W7 system support(as defrag etc) vanished from the work area.
They are not in the waste bin too, just pop, finito...

Any idea what happen??

[JohnR]

Microsoft stole them back. Did you not have a licence? Tut tut 

[FullRangeMan]

Yes, the system is legal, the icons are shortcuts to functions from W7.
Just run a full scaning and no virus found...

[srb]

Windows 7 seems to have a bug that can delete desktop shortcuts that it thinks are unused or have broken links. How often does this happen?  There is a maintenance task in the Task Scheduler that among other things, deletes unused or broken desktop shortcuts by running the Desktop Cleanup Wizard.

You can determine if this is related to your problem by disabling the Desktop Cleanup Wizard in the Group Policy Editor.

-  Start > Run > gpedit.msc
-  In the left column navigate to User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Desktop
-  In the right pane right-click on "Remove the Desktop Cleanup Wizard" and select Edit
-  Select the Enabled radio button and click OK

Let us know if it desktop shortcuts disappear again after disabling it.  You might want to copy the shortcuts to another folder as a easily restored backup copy in the meantime.

Steve

[JohnR]

Gustavo, I was kidding/being a smart-aleck

Have you considered trying... another operating system? I have my issues with ... other operating system vendors... but honestly when I read this type of thing I just wonder why anyone bothers. Heck, I'm a computer nerd (to most of the population) and I can't be bothered with it, I think it's ridiculous. FWIW I do function as "tech support" for the Windows-using half of this household...

Anyway, thank you Steve for providing a helpful response 

[FullRangeMan]

Thanks Steve for the right on inside, I had select it and the option show this text/function:
If you enable this setting, the Desktop Cleanup wizard does not automatically run on a users workstation every 60 days. The user will also not be able to access the Desktop Cleanup Wizard.
Thanks alot

[srb]

I know the explanation text mentions 60 days as the interval, but in Task Scheduler the Task "Microsoft > Windows > Diagnosis" (which controls the Scheduled Maintenance) has a default setting of once a week, which I think might actually be the real interval (?).

In either case, you haven't disabled any other Maintenance Tasks, just the Desktop Cleanup Wizard.  So if that solves the problem, great.  You don't need Windows to attempt to automatically clean up your Desktop.  If that doesn't solve the problem ..... then it's some other Microsoft Mystery!

Steve

[FullRangeMan]

John Iam not expert to install a Linux properly, that would be a disaster to me, this W7 cames almost free with this PC.
What bother me in W7 is it do things without ask me, and his help is confusing and useless, just to say W7 had a help.
I had work with Solaris and OpenVMS(the best SO) for a short time and they require attention too.
Thanks

[FullRangeMan]

Steve:
I my case now, I think it is the 60 days time, as I own this PC about two months.
If I remeber well, the 7 days cycle may be a task bar alert in a small pop window, warning there is unused icons on the screen, which I refuse to clean.
Thanks pal, I appreciated your help.

[JohnR]

Gustavo, I meant Apple not Linux. I really hate to be an evangelist, as I am not, I could live happily (more or less) with Unix but when I see issues like this I just wonder why bother. We have recently bought a new HP laptop, it's very nice for the cost and it's very much favoured for its light weight vs the "official work" laptop. But my task this week is to get more memory for it. Last week was giving in to its insistent demand for anti-virus protection. Previously it had to get Microsoft Office on it. By the time it's all said and done it's getting close to $1k and I am *still* going to get complaints that it's slow. If it weren't for the requirement that it run one particular piece of software, a Macbook Air with the productivity software would have been only a couple of hundred more, significantly lighter, and much less effort.

 

[FullRangeMan]

Hum I see, they are not popular here, maybe for the hi prices.
In fact I never see a Apple cpu, only in photos, also I never see one in offices or data centers, they go for the price.
Thanks for the tip, next time I will look into this brand.

[ArthurDent]

Thanks for the posts FRM, srb, I've tagged that info for down the road for when I have to move on from XP Pro. Yep, Mr. Softie wants to 'help' you in any way they can - select your browser, select your music & video player, & on & on. Being much less computer savvy than most here I've been tied to MS due to AutoCad. At least when I began using it there wasn't an option for Apple or any other OS with their programming that I was aware of. Getting close enough to 'semi-retirement' I may not have to worry about it one way or the other.

side track if I may: JohnR -curious as to the choice of MS Office ? I don't use all the functions or create much with the software, but have been using OpenOffice for 10 years or so and as far as I know it does everything Office does, handles/works with all Office files, and is freeware. As an 'insider' on computer stuff any thoughts would be of interest.

For now I'll just keep clicking the 'X' when the balloon pops up on the task bar telling me there are unused icons on the desktop, do I want to delete. Then I'll click again when it asks a little while later, just so it's sure I mean what I said. There must be a similar function in XP, though not automatic, I'll have to go looking.

JD

[srb]

For simpler text documents, Open Office Writer works OK.  For those that use more advanced formatting features like numbering, headers, footers, footnotes, form fields, mail merge, etc., the results can often be unpredictable and it's a lot more difficult to get the formatting to behave like you want it to.

Sometimes, other simpler tasks are either not available or don't work as easily as they should.  For example, you can't simply drag selected text to a different location, you must cut and paste it (like Notepad!).  If you want to crop an image, you can't easily drag a rectangle around it to get exactly what you want.  You must apply Top, Bottom, Left and Right crop numeric values while looking at a very small thumbnail, and often have to go back in and adjust numbers to get the desired cropping.

I don't really see Open Office Writer being optimum in a professional office or word processing environment that rely heavily on advanced formatting or features.  But for the casual user, it's OK.  I've haven't used Open Office's spreadsheet and database much, so I can't really comment on how they compare to Excel and Access.

Steve

[FullRangeMan]

Arthur: How many crap we have to endure because of the low price!
The XP64 is the most user friendly OS from MS, and is small, simpler and reliable.
Living and Learning..

[BPoletti]

Arthur: How many crap we have to endure because of the low price!
The XP64 is the most user friendly OS from MS, and is small, simpler and reliable.
Living and Learning..

From Microsoft, maybe.  But the newest Linux distros are starting to look and behave pretty good.  The latest Linux Mint Cinnamon is very good. 

[JohnR]

side track if I may: JohnR -curious as to the choice of MS Office ? I don't use all the functions or create much with the software, but have been using OpenOffice for 10 years or so and as far as I know it does everything Office does, handles/works with all Office files, and is freeware. As an 'insider' on computer stuff any thoughts would be of interest.

It needed to be compatible with EndNote is the main reason. Plus since it's not my computer, it's just easier to have the same thing as the work computer.

[ArthurDent]

Thanks Steve, JohnR, for the info. Yes, I'm one of those occasional users which kind of made the expense of the Office Suite seem a bit excessive. Obviously it's good software or it wouldn't have survived over time, but I've also been curious as to why OpenOffice hadn't caught on more if it was all as 'advertised'. At least now I understand that maybe not all the funky stuff that happens with formatting or re-formatting docs is not due entirely to my lack of study of the software. Some times you do get what you pay for.

FRM, I'd have gone to 64 bit some time back but it's only been in the last couple of releases that AutoDesk (creator of AutoCad) wrote a supporting version. I've been thinking of stepping up to 7 as it appears it's been around long enough to be stable, but was recently advised by the wife of one of our fellow ACers who is a data recovery specialist to stick with XP as long as possible. Her comment was that while it works it just eats up so many resources that it's a pain. There's also the consideration I'll have to go with the Pro version to get the XP virtual mode, as the hydraulics program I use with my work is limited to the old DOS format and the writer who is a friend and still supports it, does not plan to re-write the code for Windows new programming.

As you say, Living & Learning. To borrow from the Beatles, "we get by with a little help from our friends".