Disappearing icons

[Fokke Nauta]

Hi all,

It happened a few times that after booting up, some icons were missing
on my desktop. They were always the same icons: Computer, Network, a
network drive, and two other shares.
It's little effort to get them back, but it's annoying. And it rises
questions about the stability of W7.
Anyone else has this problem?

Fokke Nauta

 

[Char Jackson]

Hi all,

It happened a few times that after booting up, some icons were missing
on my desktop. They were always the same icons: Computer, Network, a
network drive, and two other shares.
It's little effort to get them back, but it's annoying. And it rises
questions about the stability of W7.
Anyone else has this problem?

I haven't seen it on any of my Win 7 machines, nor have any of my
customers mentioned it so far. Let us know if you figure it out.

 

[J. P. Gilliver (John)]

Hi all,

It happened a few times that after booting up, some icons were missing
on my desktop. They were always the same icons: Computer, Network, a
network drive, and two other shares.
It's little effort to get them back, but it's annoying. And it rises
questions about the stability of W7.
Anyone else has this problem?

Fokke Nauta

How are they disappearing/you getting them back - had they just moved
behind other icons or off the screen, or genuinely disappeared? If
they'd just moved, iconoid or any other "desktop position restorer"
might be useful, though I'd still want to know what's causing it.

 

[Fokke Nauta]

How are they disappearing/you getting them back - had they just moved
behind other icons or off the screen, or genuinely disappeared? If
they'd just moved, iconoid or any other "desktop position restorer"
might be useful, though I'd still want to know what's causing it.

They are dissapeared when the desktop comes up. Just gone. Not moved
anywhere else. How do I get them back? Just create new shorcuts from
Computer, Network, a network drive and network shares.
I haven't got a clue as to why they are gone. And why they are the same
icons that disappear. Doesn't happen often but - let's say - once a month.

Fokke

 

[Ed Cryer]

They are dissapeared when the desktop comes up. Just gone. Not moved
anywhere else. How do I get them back? Just create new shorcuts from
Computer, Network, a network drive and network shares.
I haven't got a clue as to why they are gone. And why they are the same
icons that disappear. Doesn't happen often but - let's say - once a month.

Fokke

It looks as though the only icons going are ones customisable by Win7
itself through the Start Menu customise dialogue. If so then something
could be resetting those items.
When they go missing are they changed to unticked?

Do personal icons put on the Desktop ever go missing?

Ed

 

[Fokke Nauta]

It looks as though the only icons going are ones customisable by Win7
itself through the Start Menu customise dialogue.

Hey, I guess you are right. Haven't thought of that yet.

If so then something
could be resetting those items.
Yes.

When they go missing are they changed to unticked?

What do you mean by unticked? There is never a "tick" (?) in the
Computer and Network icon. Network locations (network drives) are green
in general but not always. Many times they have a red cross indicating
that they are not available - which is not the case. At least Windows
think's that's so. But the network drive is there and clicking upon them
opens the drive straight away.
I have not seen a connection between a so called not available network
drive (happens many times) and the dissapearing icons (happens less).

Do personal icons put on the Desktop ever go missing?

No, they never do.

Fokke

 

[Ed Cryer]

Hey, I guess you are right. Haven't thought of that yet.


What do you mean by unticked? There is never a "tick" (?) in the
Computer and Network icon. Network locations (network drives) are green
in general but not always. Many times they have a red cross indicating
that they are not available - which is not the case. At least Windows
think's that's so. But the network drive is there and clicking upon them
opens the drive straight away.
I have not seen a connection between a so called not available network
drive (happens many times) and the dissapearing icons (happens less).


No, they never do.

Fokke

Start Orb, Properties, Start Menu, Customise...

Ed

 

[Fokke Nauta]

Start Orb, Properties, Start Menu, Customise...

Ed

OK. Right now, while all icons are there:

Computer = Display as a link
Network is ticked
Lot of other things of which I doubt whether they are relevant.

When the icons would be missing again, should I check here to find a
different setting?

Fokke

 

[Ed Cryer]

OK. Right now, while all icons are there:

Computer = Display as a link
Network is ticked
Lot of other things of which I doubt whether they are relevant.

When the icons would be missing again, should I check here to find a
different setting?

Fokke

Yes.
That'll be the easy bit. The odds are that they will be unticked, and
then the big question will arise; how and why?

We'll need some real bright spark to start us on that road of
exploration, because I can't think of where to begin.
There are two major branches;
1. Windows reverting in some way.
2. Some program or app or third-party system doing it.

What would be needed (ideally speaking) would be a monitoring utility
that keeps a constant eye on the things and records when they change,
including details of who or what made the change.

Ed

 

[Fokke Nauta]

Yes.
That'll be the easy bit. The odds are that they will be unticked, and
then the big question will arise; how and why?

Agree. I'm getting curious to see when it happens again.

We'll need some real bright spark to start us on that road of
exploration, because I can't think of where to begin.
There are two major branches;
1. Windows reverting in some way.

Reverting? I don't think so
I have the experience that - with XP as well - Windows builds up a sort
of table of icons. They appear gradually on the screen. But perhaps
something stops Windows from showing these icons that are created by the
startup screen.

2. Some program or app or third-party system doing it.

Don't think so.

What would be needed (ideally speaking) would be a monitoring utility
that keeps a constant eye on the things and records when they change,
including details of who or what made the change.

Ed

Have you got anything in mind?

Fokke

 

[Ed Cryer]

Agree. I'm getting curious to see when it happens again.


Reverting? I don't think so
I have the experience that - with XP as well - Windows builds up a sort
of table of icons. They appear gradually on the screen. But perhaps
something stops Windows from showing these icons that are created by the
startup screen.


Don't think so.


Have you got anything in mind?

Fokke

If I had I'd have stated it immediately. I like helping people. I do it
the best I can. I don't pose and posture like a teenager. I'm not
feeding either an ego or an inferiority complex.
With me it's a simple reward. I help someone; that's virtue; and that's
its own reward.
I know that people in this postmodernist, postfeminist,
shot-to-Hell-and-Kingdom-come world we live in look on that with
scepticism. They try to see behind it and usually find some hidden
motive of selfishness, destructiveness and altruist-anarchism.
But not me. I get pleasure from serving; from being helpful. What does
it give me? Well, I guess some sort of self-image as a social hero.
But what better morality is there?
I guess I could just lie down and die; go to heaven, and report to the
heavenly father that things are a bit dodgy in this old world, so why
don't you do something about it? But he might take offence at that. I
mean, he's flooded and destroyed this planet on several occasions,
trying to create his master race of moral heroes; but to no avail.
So what about Wyatt Earp? The man with a gun calling the shots?
Phhhww! Sheesshh!
I don't know. That's a bit beyond me. I can see both good and bad in that.

Anyway, here's my moral code. Keep your powder dry; and, until proven
otherwise, treat each new guy as a friend. But when the attacks start,
shoot to kill; and get your brothers and any available Doctor to
accompany you down the main street of Tombstone to the OK Corral.

Ed

 

[Fokke Nauta]

If I had I'd have stated it immediately. I like helping people. I do it
the best I can. I don't pose and posture like a teenager. I'm not
feeding either an ego or an inferiority complex.
With me it's a simple reward. I help someone; that's virtue; and that's
its own reward.
I know that people in this postmodernist, postfeminist,
shot-to-Hell-and-Kingdom-come world we live in look on that with
scepticism. They try to see behind it and usually find some hidden
motive of selfishness, destructiveness and altruist-anarchism.
But not me. I get pleasure from serving; from being helpful. What does
it give me? Well, I guess some sort of self-image as a social hero.
But what better morality is there?
I guess I could just lie down and die; go to heaven, and report to the
heavenly father that things are a bit dodgy in this old world, so why
don't you do something about it? But he might take offence at that. I
mean, he's flooded and destroyed this planet on several occasions,
trying to create his master race of moral heroes; but to no avail.
So what about Wyatt Earp? The man with a gun calling the shots?
Phhhww! Sheesshh!
I don't know. That's a bit beyond me. I can see both good and bad in that.

Anyway, here's my moral code. Keep your powder dry; and, until proven
otherwise, treat each new guy as a friend. But when the attacks start,
shoot to kill; and get your brothers and any available Doctor to
accompany you down the main street of Tombstone to the OK Corral.

Ed

Sorry!

Did I upset you?

I thought perhaps you might have an idea.

Today I gave a course of Windows 7 to people who really hadn't got an
ide of how to get on with a computer. They were starters. Many of them
were elderly.
I love giving those courses and see how those people like to get on with
their computers and Windows 7. They have fun and they like it.
And I have patience with them. And with this NG as well.

Fokke

 

[Ed Cryer]

Sorry!

Did I upset you?

I thought perhaps you might have an idea.

Today I gave a course of Windows 7 to people who really hadn't got an
ide of how to get on with a computer. They were starters. Many of them
were elderly.
I love giving those courses and see how those people like to get on with
their computers and Windows 7. They have fun and they like it.
And I have patience with them. And with this NG as well.

Fokke

Patience is a virtue, man. Mind you, the road to hell is paved with good
intentions.
In this western world of pluralistic cultures, where one has to step
from paradigm to new paradigm by the hour, it's the task of an Achilles
to stick to any straight and narrow.
But moral systems require some absolute; or at least the ones we've
inherited do. Unless, of course, you abandon all objective criteria like
Nietzsche, and found a world on personal will alone.

Quid non per patientiam potest fieri?
Nescio sed forsan alius sciat.

and

Ed

 

[Ed Cryer]

Ed Cryer wrote:

Fokke, I suspect you've taken strong offence from my last two posts.
There was none intended. What was intended was a shift into the absurd
view of life; where contending views produce discord and cognitive
dissonance.
One must never forget that cognitive dissonance. It accompanies us at
every step we take once we step out of our narrow parochial homeland and
comfort zone.
We misunderstand each other; and try as we may to tailor our language to
the dominant leitmotif, we misunderstand so regularly.
And the mad man is the one who steps furthest outside the circle. And he
often turns out the genius.

Ed

 

[Gene E. Bloch]

Reverting? I don't think so
I have the experience that - with XP as well - Windows builds up a sort
of table of icons. They appear gradually on the screen. But perhaps
something stops Windows from showing these icons that are created by the
startup screen.

I snipped a lot to display what gave me a thought.

I searched on "windows icon cache" in Google. The first of many hits was
this:

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/49819-icon-cache-rebuild.html

This could help you sometimes.

Also, the size of the icon cache can be increased. I Googled on
"increase icon cache size windows 7 x64". Here's one hit:

http://www.sevenforums.com/performance-maintenance/32935-increase-icon-cache-size-2.html

I tried a search term or two before getting to that search term, but I
like the thread I stumbled on.

I am unsure of the effectiveness of these ideas in your situation.
Please note that I'm out of my depth here, but this sort of stuff has
(maybe) helped me a few years ago, so if you like, give it a try.

 

[Char Jackson]

Fokke, I suspect you've taken strong offence from my last two posts.
There was none intended. What was intended was a shift into the absurd
view of life; where contending views produce discord and cognitive
dissonance.
One must never forget that cognitive dissonance. It accompanies us at
every step we take once we step out of our narrow parochial homeland and
comfort zone.
We misunderstand each other; and try as we may to tailor our language to
the dominant leitmotif, we misunderstand so regularly.
And the mad man is the one who steps furthest outside the circle. And he
often turns out the genius.

I had to double check to make sure I wasn't reading a post from
BillW50. ;-)

 

[Fokke Nauta]

I snipped a lot to display what gave me a thought.

I searched on "windows icon cache" in Google. The first of many hits was
this:

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/49819-icon-cache-rebuild.html

This could help you sometimes.

Also, the size of the icon cache can be increased. I Googled on
"increase icon cache size windows 7 x64". Here's one hit:

http://www.sevenforums.com/performance-maintenance/32935-increase-icon-cache-size-2.html

I tried a search term or two before getting to that search term, but I
like the thread I stumbled on.

I am unsure of the effectiveness of these ideas in your situation.
Please note that I'm out of my depth here, but this sort of stuff has
(maybe) helped me a few years ago, so if you like, give it a try.

Thanks, this looks pretty useful. I have increased the icon cache and
after rebooting rebuilt the icon cache. Perhaps it will help.

Fokke

 

[Fokke Nauta]

Ed Cryer wrote:

Fokke, I suspect you've taken strong offence from my last two posts.
There was none intended. What was intended was a shift into the absurd
view of life; where contending views produce discord and cognitive
dissonance.
One must never forget that cognitive dissonance. It accompanies us at
every step we take once we step out of our narrow parochial homeland and
comfort zone.
We misunderstand each other; and try as we may to tailor our language to
the dominant leitmotif, we misunderstand so regularly.
And the mad man is the one who steps furthest outside the circle. And he
often turns out the genius.

Ed

Hi Ed,

No, ofcourse I wasn't offended by your replies. No problem.
It was just not quite clear to me what you were on about

Fokke

 

[Ed Cryer]

Hi Ed,

No, ofcourse I wasn't offended by your replies. No problem.
It was just not quite clear to me what you were on about

Fokke

Glad to hear it, man. What I was on about was a kind of ego-trip into
the notion of "moral and ethical".
I've thought of a simple contemporary example to illustrate the problem
far more succinctly.

Here in the UK we have a current big thing about racist behaviour in
soccer. We have lots of black players, and some supporters taunt them
with monkey grunts. A lot of it occurs abroad; most recently in Serbia.
And UEFA and the Serbian FA don't seem to latch onto it the same way
that we do; they don't perceive it with our sensibilities.
Well now, here's the problem stated objectively: is it right or wrong to
make monkey grunts at black players? Or, similarly, are we right; or are
UEFA right?

I don't see how you can apportion any truth-value to the above question.
Some say it's ok, some say it isn't. It's all a question of taste and
value; political-social question.

And that was my launch-pad for a whimsical trip through my own personal
moral maze. I'm sure some here would have latched on immediately to what
I was doing, but I can fully understand that some wouldn't.

Regards, Ed

 

[Gene E. Bloch]

Glad to hear it, man. What I was on about was a kind of ego-trip into
the notion of "moral and ethical".
I've thought of a simple contemporary example to illustrate the problem
far more succinctly.

Here in the UK we have a current big thing about racist behaviour in
soccer. We have lots of black players, and some supporters taunt them
with monkey grunts. A lot of it occurs abroad; most recently in Serbia.
And UEFA and the Serbian FA don't seem to latch onto it the same way
that we do; they don't perceive it with our sensibilities.
Well now, here's the problem stated objectively: is it right or wrong to
make monkey grunts at black players? Or, similarly, are we right; or are
UEFA right?

I don't see how you can apportion any truth-value to the above question.
Some say it's ok, some say it isn't. It's all a question of taste and
value; political-social question.

And that was my launch-pad for a whimsical trip through my own personal
moral maze. I'm sure some here would have latched on immediately to what
I was doing, but I can fully understand that some wouldn't.

Regards, Ed

I didn't catch it either, but when you clarified it for Fokke Naute, you
also clarified it for me. Let's assume that it helped others too...

Since my methods of communication also fail on occasion, I can't get too
concerned about this little confusion