This browser is no longer supported.
Upgrade to Microsoft Edge to take advantage of the latest features, security updates, and technical support.
![](data:image/svg+xml, %3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' height='64' class='font-weight-bold' style='font: 600 30.11764705882353px "SegoeUI", Arial' width='64'%3E%3Ccircle fill='hsl(128, 8%, 22%)' cx='32' cy='32' r='32' /%3E%3Ctext x='50%25' y='55%25' dominant-baseline='middle' text-anchor='middle' fill='%23FFF' %3EA%3C/text%3E%3C/svg%3E)
These icons are not short cuts, but notepad files. Why are they there? How can they be eliminated?
Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.
Hi AntipodeamRJ,
Enabling the Hide protected operating system files (Recommended) setting in Folder Options hides the two Desktop.ini files, as well. To access the Folder Options, open Windows Explorer, click Organize, click Folder and Search Options and select the View tab.
Ramesh Srinivasan, Microsoft MVP [Windows Desktop Experience]
I have a much better method that does not interfere with Windows nor does it require you to move or delete any of those .ini files from the desktop.
The solution : Activate your calender in the desktop gadget list if you hadn't done so already (most people turn this useful desktop gadget on anyway). drag the calendar gadget to a temporaty location on the desk top. Now move those two desktop.ini icons to a location on the desk top where you would want the calendar to reside, next to each other as close as possible. Nowdrag the calendar gadget over the two ghost icons. As you will see, it perfectly covers the two nuisance icons. So now you don't have to look at them any more without introducing a potential time bomb had you deleted them.
Problem fixed by thinking outside the box (and inside the calendar :-)
If you check you'll probably find desktop.ini is alreadly a hidden file, so if you set Windows 7 to show hdden files it shows on the deskop. There should be an Win7 Desktop Settings option to hide it on the desktop, as with Recycle Bin, Computer, etc.
C:\Users\Howard\Desktop>attrib +h desktop.ini
Not resetting system file - C:\Users\Howard\Desktop\desktop.ini
C:\Users\Howard\Desktop>attrib desktop.ini
SH C:\Users\Howard\Desktop\desktop.ini
Where do you find Hide protected operating system files (Recommended)?
Aug 2011 and this problem is still not fixed in Windows 7.
Enabling the "show hidden files" option should not show these icons on the desktop, it doesnt happen in XP, it doesnt happen in Vista, this is a Win 7 problem that should have been fixed.
