[ynape]

I am helping a friend running xp Home on a compaq presario system
We don't know How or Where or What happenned to the "Show Desktop" Icon that had been included in her Quick Launch toolbar, but it is no longer there now. I tried looking in several areas etc. but have not been successful in finding a shortcut or .exe to create a shortcut from. Could anyone please help us restore this handy icon to her toolbar. thanks in advance - ynape

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Here you go:
http://support.micro....com/?id=190355

[Neil Jones]

Here you go:
http://support.micro....com/?id=190355

[ynape]

thanks on my way -

[ynape]

Wanted to let you know what happenned.

I did as suggested and followed your link.
Reading all verrrry carefully [- especially when helping this particular friend, with her computer. No un planned misshaps - thank you verry much ]

I neglected to mention that her IE is v6. & both the IE her xphome are sp2 and up to date with all the current items according to the Windows update page.

Well I followed all instructions and failed miserably. Decided to go have lunch take a break and return later to start again fresh. Removed all earlier attempts, to start fresh on the return.

Re read. Re tried and again failed.

Not to be put off - and trying not to let the simple things get to me, I returned to my system [XPPro sp2]
copied the "Show Desktop" Icon in my quick launch folder to my little jump drive and carried it back across the street, plugged it into her usb port and drug that little icon from my jump drive - directly onto her quick launch bar on her desktop.

Well all is right with the world again

Everything is working fine, I must admit usually when I follow items in the MS web site - I usually have a successful ending, sometimes after what seems like endless reading - only to think to myself, "why didn't they just say that in the first place?" and I do have a part of me wanting to know why it didn't work this time - but not too worried about it, I am pretty certain that this failure was NOT do to user error.

Again - just wanted to say thanks for the attempted assist,
and although I don't usually recommend something like copying a missing file from another system, because I have seen it backfire on other occassions, this seemed simple enough to give it a shot and it worked.
Thanks for being here when we need you - Melody

[ynape]

Yup just looking around a few other similar threads and followed up the link left for
http://www.theelderg...esktop_icon.htm
and I feel so vindicated and pleased. It was something I should have caught onto - but that part of my life when I studied writing program code was over 12 yrs ago [loved unix and c, even RPG; but dear god don't let me get a job using cobol.......] the instructions re the use of notepad to create a file with specific text inside.... would if followed as suggested by the microsoft support site would not follow language protocol and of course would not create an executable program. I thank the elder geek site for the very obvious and helpful way they showed how to correctly re-create the text in notepad.

The MS Support site suggests the following -
""
1. Click Start , click Run, type notepad, and then click OK.

2. In Notepad, type the following text on individual lines:

[Shell] Command=2 IconFile=explorer.exe,3
[Taskbar] Command=ToggleDesktop

""
Well I think most people reading this would probably do exactly as instructed and end up with 2 single lines of text in a file.

Where as what is needed and is explained so well by the Elder Geek site is as follows...
""
Restore Show Desktop Icon to Quick Launch on Taskbar
If the Show Desktop icon is deleted from Quick Launch, the procedure below will recreate the file.

Open Notepad and enter the following text:

[Shell]
Command=2
IconFile=explorer.exe,3
[Taskbar]
Command=ToggleDesktop

Save the new file as Show Desktop.scf then drag and drop the icon on the Quick Launch bar or whatever location you want the shortcut to appear.
""
I wonder what it is that gives me this pleasure of knowing it was their error???... got to go for it when you can I guess