Windows 7 desktop icon's keep moving

Anonymous
2009-10-24T13:28:57+00:00

Hi there, I have re-arranged my desktop and moved the task bar to the left side of the screen. Therefore I have moved my desktop icons and my gadgets over to the right side of the screen and lined them up in order to what they are, (ie: MS Office icons in one row, excel files I use on a regular basis, Adobe program and so-on and so-on). Everytime I re-boot my PC about 2/3rds of the icons keep moving back over to the left side of the screen and arrange from top to bottom.

I have checked and un-checked align icons by grid and it makes no difference.

I didn't have this issue in VISTA but when I installed Windows 7 I have this issue.

Any suggestions here on how I can stop the icons from moving??

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Accessibility

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Anonymous
2009-11-08T14:51:55+00:00

Had the same problem. Please go to this link, there are separate programs for 32 & 64 bit Windows (I have 64 bit, that works fine, cannot know about the 32 bit, but....):

http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/windows-vista/save-and-restore-desktop-icon-layout-in-windows-vista/

Al;though designed for Vista, it is fine with Windows 7 Ultimate. Might do for XP, haven't needed to use it there.

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  1. Anonymous
    2010-07-15T02:25:03+00:00

    I had this problem w/Windows 7-32Bit and found that if I right-clicked on desktop and then clicked "Refresh" the icons stayed in place after a reboot. You'll have to do that anytime you add/move icons to keep them 'locked' in place. Cheers.

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  2. Anonymous
    2011-06-05T05:41:09+00:00

    I see posts dated from 2009, we are in 2011. I don't see a single post from a Microsoft technician so it's been at least 2 years they really don't care.

    Win 7 is out, we have made our billions of dollars, who cares about those stupid little users who paid big bucks for our buggy O.S? Let them press F5 (refresh) while holding the shift key and their little sister's hand...that might work huh.

    Fresh Win 7-64 install here (for the 6th time), icons jumping around, clock resets, BSOD after sleep mode, windows resizing and other horror stories. How much more are we going to take from them?

    Microsoft, if you read this, I wish your company goes down sometime soon simply for not caring enough about your customers. You have no idea how lucky you are that I am not a legislator...your name would have been erased decades ago.

    This being said 1000's must do a fantastic job at MS, it's the few that don't that rot the products.

    Last time I purchase a Microsoft product. Linus is on my system now. Goodbye stupid unresolved issues.

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  3. Anonymous
    2010-11-02T03:28:54+00:00

    I know this is from a long time ago, but this is the guy with the right answer.

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  4. Anonymous
    2009-10-24T15:17:17+00:00

    check autoarrange, and then uncheck it. This removes the check from whatever sort you have set now.


    Rating posts helps other usersMark L. Ferguson MS-MVP

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