This is the official "fix" until SP2
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2642357
Thanks, of course, for sharing that, PepsiMan -- perhaps it will help somebody.
However, I do not believe that link is pertinent to this issue.
Note these key differences:
1) at that link, in both "Issue 1" and "Issue 2", the objects are actually *REMOVED* from the desktop. For example, if you opened Windows Explorer, and then clicked on Desktop, those desktop objects would no longer appear on the list.
2) at that link, in both "Issue 1" and "Issue 2", *SOME* objects are affected. In my situation and other people's described here, *ALL* desktop objects are affected.
(If you understand the link's issues differently, please say so.)
In my situation, and many peoples' described here, the objects are NOT ACTUALLY REMOVED -- they simply do not appear.
So, when I open Windows Explorer and click on Desktop, the icons & shortcuts & other desktop objects are ALL still there.
Furthermore, if I select all the objects in Windows Explorer, in that Desktop "folder", and drag them onto my visible Desktop, (off the Windows Explorer window), SHORTCUTS for all of them will appear on the visible desktop... while in Windows Explorer, the
total count of objects in the Desktop "folder" will immediately double!!!
As I've said before, this "empty desktop" problem appears when I startup at work, after last using the machine at home,
or when I startup at home, after last using the machine at work.
Consider, again, that this same laptop, at work, connects to a 2nd monitor to the right,
but at home, this same laptop connects to a 2nd monitor *above*...
... and I've noticed that certain application windows that were last opened on the 2nd monitor will be OFFSCREEN when the laptop starts in the other environment....
... and I'm guessing something similar is happening to my Desktop icons: they're being moved to a monitor that is not currently connected.
So, when it happened to me again tonight,
I found a NEW FIX:
I right-clicked on the desktop, and selected "Screen resolution",
and then DRAGGED THE 2ND MONITOR TO THE OTHER POSITION....
AND MY DESKTOP ICONS REAPPEARED!
In my case, I was AT WORK where the 2nd monitor appears to the *right*,
so I dragged the icon for the 2nd monitor to be *above*, which is its position AT HOME,
and that made the desktop icons appear on the primary monitor.
((As much as I'm glad to report this new fix... can anybody else see this is a BUG? Why would anything related to the 2nd monitor affect the position of icons on the PRIMARY monitor?
And everytime it happens, all the desktop icons are rearranged...))
Good luck.