Save desktop icons position and restore when needed in windows 7

Thanks Ramesh, that works. I've downloaded the Layout.dll but what do I do with it? Double clicking doesn't seem to work as the system is asking for a program to run it with and I'm not sure what to use that's safe.

DG_123, The usage instructions are here: http://www.winhelponline.com/blog/save-and-restore-desktop-icon-layout/

Ramesh: As stated before, i have Windows 7 and the tool does not work, there is no reaction at all. Is this because i have 64bit, or should that be independent ?

Ramesh: As stated before, i have Windows 7 and the tool does not work, there is no reaction at all. Is this because i have 64bit, or should that be independent ?

You're correct. The tool works in Windows 32-bit editions only. There seems to be a separate software/add-on that works for x64 systems as well. Check out https://www.google.com/search?q=desktop+icon+position+x64.

Good Luck!

Apparently it is possible for the value of "Auto arrange icons" be out of step with the displayed value in the "View" options of the list from right-clicking blank desktop space.  If this happens, Windows 7 may persist in auto arranging each time it starts despite the fact that Auto Arrange does not appear to be selected.

...

This problem may have come about through use or mis-use of "DesktopOK" mentioned in other replies.

This just happened to me using Vista Home Premium (64 bit).  It might have been either Memory Test or Drive Test that did it (I ran Memory Test first, then Drive Test).  Memory Test was with default settings.  Drive Test was on C: with Attempt Recovery of Bad Sectors enabled.  I ran the latter overnight and when I returned the icons were auto-arranged.  Auto Arrange was still unticked.  Without any other actions on my part, I tried moving a few icons and restarting.  They auto-arranged again.  Neither Memory Test nor Drive Test reported any problems (I assume Drive Test would have either paused with a message or left an icon in the System Tray as Memory Test did, had it found anything).

I have had LAYOUT.DLL installed (zip file date is 9/6/2013, dll is 1/27/2001, LAYOUT.REG and Uninstall.REG are 3/14/2008) through many Vista updates and this is the first time it has failed me.

I had run the drive check in preparation for running a defrag, which I will do tonight.  Before I do, I  will attempt to resync the Auto Arrange setting per your instructions and move a few icons to see if Defrag does it too.  I'll post again with the result.

Questions:  Is there a quick way to restore the icons to my last arrangement?  I've added several since installing LAYOUT.DLL.  Should I be backing up desktop.ini?  Would saving and restoring this file whenever I run maintenance utilities protect me from these auto-arranges?

=====  Posted next day:

I could not disable auto-arrange this time, so nothing to report about defrag.  I am now not sure it was a maintenance utility that did this.  Here's what I tried, as I was logging my steps:

Turn AutoArrange ON

Restart

Turn AutoArrange OFF

Restart

Move icon

Restart

(icons auto-arranged)

Merge LAYOUT.REG (just in case the entry was lost somehow)

move icon

Restart

(icons auto-arranged)

Turn AutoArrange ON

Restart

(AutoArrange now shown as OFF)

move icon

Restart

(icons auto-arranged)

System Restore (restore point from Windows Update last night before running the overnight Memory and Drive tests)

(icons still in their auto-arranged state, AutoArrange still reported as OFF)

move icon

Restart

(icons auto-arranged)

Turned AutoArrange ON

Restart

(icons newly auto-arranged, moving a new icon, but AutoArrange now reported as OFF)

move icon

Restart

(icons auto-arranged, AutoArrange still reported as OFF)

(Windows Defender now reporting it needs to update, since this was the update I restored past)

=====

The only other change I'd made to the system since the last time I know Auto Arrange was really disabled was removing PUP.Optional.SnapDo.A and PUP.Optional.WebSearch.A from AppData paths using MalwareBytes.  The only Windows Update intervening was for Windows Defender, and even that was undone by the System Restore.  I have not downloaded any software to deal with this since LAYOUT.DLL etc., which as stated earlier has been working through many windows updates - since some time last year.

I don't really want to put the malware back, and I doubt its removal had anything to do with the reappearance of this auto-arrange problem.

Turning AutoArrange OFF only prevents Windows from responding immediately to fill the vacancy when I move an icon out of the array.  Next time I restart, the icons are shuffled again.

====

Why is this the default behavior anyway?  Who would ever want the OS to autonomously move his shortcuts around?  The default should be to leave the user's arrangement alone - it's that way because that's the way he wants it.  It's really aggravating when you have your finger on the mouse button and you can't find the shortcut you're trying to drag a file to.