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Desktop icons won't stay put
You arrange the icons on your Windows desktop just how you want them, but the next time you start up or log in, they are back in their original order.
Solution
Method 1
The Auto Arrange and / or Lock Web Items options may be selected.
- Right-click the desktop and select Arrange Icons By.
- If Auto Arrange is ticked, click to clear it.
- If Lock Web Items on Desktop is ticked, click to clear it.
Method 2
Some Windows systems have a habit or rearranging the desktop icons now and again. It probably occurs because the registry settings that store the positions have been corrupted. You can add an option to save and restore the desktop icon layout. Use this to restore the layout whenever it changes.
- Download the file layout.exe and run it.
- Click Unzip to extract the components needed.
- Click Yes when asked whether information should be merged with the registry.
Right-click My Computer and you should see two new menu options: Save Desktop Icon Layout and Restore Desktop Icon Layout.
If you want to remove these menu entries, download and run un-layout.reg.
Applies to
- Microsoft Windows 2000
- Microsoft Windows XP
eleven comments:
Seems to work for WinDows 98 also.
Mark Swaim () - 24 06 2006 - 16:46
And what if layout.exe doesn't work? First it seemed it was going to, but the icons still wind up lined up against the left side, instead of where I select.
Bob () - 23 05 2007 - 19:18
Im having the same problem as the other guy... my desktop icons refresh to a random pattern (not sorted) every time i either refresh or logon. I've tried your program but i still have to restore every time... is there a way to get it to be permanent? help would be appreciated :D.
Jivix () - 21 09 2007 - 00:26
I finally found the answer to this problem. In the "Start Up" menu I found a file that I could not associate with anything that I recalled installing. I Googled the file and found that OTHERS had isolated the same "icons go to the left" problem to this file. The file is: "CICache.exe". Google it and read a few responses, as I did, and you'll see what others have found out. There are a number of programs that monitor what is in the Start Up area, and I use "Start Up Inspector for Windows" (a free download I found) and unchecked the file so that it WON'T start up when you reboot. It has worked perfectly, so far, all the icons now stay where I put them, with NO apparent adverse effects.
Bob - 21 09 2007 - 19:53
First of all, how did you find the file? Also, Start Up Inspector For Windows doesn't detect it at all... Is it possible that the registry entry for it got deleted? I've been having a few problems with the registry and it won't let me use a registry backup to fix it...
Jivix () - 22 09 2007 - 02:45
I'm not the PC guru, just a guy trying to help. I found the file under C:\WINDOWS (with a search). It's a very small file. Why it's there, and how it winds up in the Start Up Menu, I don't know. I used Start Up Inspector and it found it in the Start Up menu with no trouble. I don't know why you didn't. Perhaps you can just remove it? Did you Google "CICache.exe" and see all the other remarks about this file? There are many posts about it. It doesn't seem to be essential to anything I use. Your mileage may vary. Perhaps your issue is different, even though your symptoms are identicle. Good luck.
Bob - 22 09 2007 - 21:31
I tried to download Brother driver for my printer. I have Windows xp. didnt work and cannot locate Brother in progam files.
Problem: Now I have a ton of brother and copies of brother icons on desktop. whenever i try to delete them they automatically copy from desktop to sesktop. SOS..Thanks
Glenda () - 08 10 2008 - 18:52
I have a simple solution to this finally.
...as stated above,
Right-click the desktop and select Arrange Icons By.
If Auto Arrange is ticked, click to clear it.
If Lock Web Items on Desktop is ticked, click to clear it.
Then...
Drag and select all your icons with your cursor, ...so they all are highlighted. Holding your left mouse button down, move all the icons a few pixels either way, and Windows will remember their location when you reboot. Be sure not to re-select 'Auto Arrange', or they may revert to disorganization again after rebooting. Every once in a while you can repeat the process if the icons are getting too out of alignment.
Wes Seavey () (URL) - 24 05 2009 - 14:55
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WheencePesBef () - 20 03 2010 - 11:18
Desktop icons won't stay put worked excellent on my Windows XP platform but donn't work on my new Windows 7 desktop and neither on Windows Vista...
Please do you have an update for these ????
Thanks anyway,
best regards,
Johan Vanhauwaert
Johan Vanhauwaert () - 30 07 2010 - 15:08