All my desktop icons disappeared from my Windows 7 desktop

Anonymous
2009-11-30T08:07:29+00:00

I created several icons on the desktops of 4 computers after clean installed the computers with Windows 7 Profession (either with 32 bit or 64 bit versions). After a few days, some of the desktop icons disappear. However, when I click on the Desktop toolbar at the bottom of the Windows desktop, the icons that disappeared from the desktop were still present and available in the Desktop toolbar listing. I saw many users have the similar problem on the Internet but no proper solution for the problem. Any suggestion for the fix.

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Accessibility

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.

0 comments No comments
Answer accepted by question author
Anonymous
2010-03-26T16:06:25+00:00

There is an issue with an application called InfraRecorder, this is a CD\DVD recording software. When you install this software the Windows option to Show Desktop Icons is unselected. To Fix this just turn that option back on. To turn the option back on , do this:

  1. Right click the desktop
  2. Select View -> Show Desktop Icon
  3. Make sure the option is checked.

I hope this helps.

Kevin


If you find that my answer was what you were looking for, please remember to click the "mark as answer" box below!

Was this answer helpful?

100+ people found this answer helpful.
0 comments No comments
Answer accepted by question author
Anonymous
2010-02-21T11:51:42+00:00

Hi guys,

I found the cause of the misteriously disappearing Windows 7 desktop icons and the reason why Show desktop icons now and then gets unchecked.

It's INFRARECORDER !! Try for yourselves, when you start Infrarecorder and close it again, go have a look at "Show desktop icons", it is unchecked (but the icons are still  there). Check it on again and start Infrarecorder.... it is unchecked again.

This Windows 7 "bug" is irritating me since the beginning and now I found the cause: It's Infrarecorder which is causing this problem.

Test it and please let me know and spread the news :-)

Was this answer helpful?

70+ people found this answer helpful.
0 comments No comments

231 additional answers

Sort by: Most helpful
  1. Anonymous
    2014-06-11T16:40:58+00:00

    Not the solution.

        The issue is with Windows 7 itself. We have 4 monitors at 5 positions. At another position there are 2 monitors. The configuration never changes. Multiple user accounts on the machines with 4 monitors but only one account on the dual monitor PC. Sometimes, at random, some users have some of their icons vanish. It started happening to the single-user dual-monitor PC as well. The icons that vanish are almost always ones that each user has that are pointing to a file on a server. However, it even deletes files that are on the desktop, not just shortcuts.

      Infrared Recorder has never been installed. It is something in Windows 7 that likes to delete icons and or files at random.

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments No comments
  2. Anonymous
    2014-05-03T08:50:16+00:00

    hi, may i know where i could find the option of infrared recorder cause i am unable to solve the issue.

     Thank you!

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments No comments
  3. Anonymous
    2014-04-16T23:24:28+00:00

    Found Fix, turns out that my desktop was always there just the show icons was unchecked, thanks for the help anyway.

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments No comments