Member Avatar for candeljak

Like the title says, my desktop icons will rearrange themselves automatically when I restart (and periodically whenever I'm looking through file folders) and I have to set the taskbar to show quick launch each time I reboot. This is annoying since I like to have my icons in my own order but they just don't stay how I want them. Any suggestions about what I could do?

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by quirky

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Short summary and practical next steps based on the thread: the symptom (icons rearrange and Quick Launch disappears after reboot) can come from several distinct causes — simple and quick to check first, and more invasive fixes if those fail. Credit: for the original report, for the malware-scan reminder, and / for uncovering corrupted per-user Explorer settings as a root cause.

Start with quick, non-invasive checks

  • Run a full antivirus + anti‑malware scan (as suggested by ).
  • Check whether a change in screen resolution, docking/undocking, or connecting/disconnecting a second monitor coincides with the rearrangement — Windows repositions icons when the desktop size changes.
  • Confirm there is no desktop/toolbar manager or startup script that runs at logon and resets layout.

Repair icon cache (common, low-risk fix)

  1. Save work and close open apps.
  2. Kill Explorer, delete the per-user icon cache file, then restart Explorer. On modern Windows this can be done from an elevated command prompt with these commands:
taskkill /im explorer.exe /f
cd /d %userprofile%\AppData\Local
attrib -h IconCache.db
del IconCache.db /a
start explorer.exe

(If you run an older OS, the profile-local path differs; search for the per-user local application data folder.)

When the simple fixes fail: permissions and saved‑settings corruption

  • As and found, the desktop/taskbar layout is stored in per-user Explorer settings, and corrupted ownership/permissions there will stop Windows saving changes. Create a system restore point and export (backup) the registry, then either use Regedit to restore ownership/permissions on the per-user Explorer settings or use a vetted Microsoft tool to reset registry permissions. After repairing permissions, log off/on (or reboot) to test.

Reliable workarounds

  • Use a small utility that saves/restores icon layout (DesktopOK, ReIcon, etc.) so you can quickly restore positions after a reboot.
  • Recreate Quick Launch as a permanent toolbar (Taskbar -> Toolbars -> New toolbar -> choose the user Quick Launch folder) and then lock the taskbar.
  • If the machine uses roaming or mandatory profiles, or Group Policy manages Explorer, have the domain admin check those policies — they will prevent user changes from sticking.

Caution: always back up the registry and create a restore point before changing permissions or editing keys.

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Member Avatar for caperjack

scan computer for spyware and viruses .many good scans are free some links for you to go to and do a few scans .
Here's a list of what I know of:

CA Virus Scan: http://www.ca.com/us/securityadvisor...info/scan.aspx

CA Malware Scan: http://www.ca.com/us/securityadvisor/pestscan/

Trend Micro HouseCall http://housecall.trendmicro.com/

Microsoft Live OneCare Safety Scanner

BitDefender Free Online Scanner http://www.bitdefender.com/scan8/ie.html

McAfee FreeScan http://us.mcafee.com/root/mfs/default.asp?affid=294

Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool http://www.microsoft.com/security/ma...e/default.mspx

Symantec Security Check &venid=sym

Panda ActiveScan http://www.pandasecurity.com/usa/

Member Avatar for jgmac

Like the title says, my desktop icons will rearrange themselves automatically when I restart (and periodically whenever I'm looking through file folders) and I have to set the taskbar to show quick launch each time I reboot. This is annoying since I like to have my icons in my own order but they just don't stay how I want them. Any suggestions about what I could do?

I've had this happen a couple of time over the past few years. Sometimes going back to a restore point will help (not a great option). I can't believe how many post there are about this on the internet & how many different suggestions there are.

This recently happened to me on a DELL D830 (XPpro SP-current) after a registry clean with Regseeker. The align to grid feature would not stay off (just hitting F5 put "align to grid" back on & all the icons rearranged). In addition, the quicklaunch feature of the taskbar would not be visible after a logoff/reboot & had to be manually started each time.

Most folks have already made sure the "auto arrange" & "align to grid" features on the desktop are off. (they often don't stay off however)

THE REST OF THE FIX REQUIRES EDITING THE REGISTRY - (You need administrator privileges)
DO NOT ATTEMPT WITHOUT BACKING UP REGISTRY.
IF YOU'VE NEVER DONE THIS BEFORE - GET HELP!

I tried the posts elsewhere about making sure the "NoSaveSettings" of the

HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer

key in registry was set to 0 & also made sure the same was done in the HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer KEY ,none of which worked for me.

I also tried all of the Icon/desktop/toolbar restore fixes on kelly-scorner (www.kellys-korner-xp.com/) none of which worked.

Finally I found a few threads elsewhere () which pointed to the problem of ownership/permissions being corrupted. Initially this was confusing because when I tried to edit the folder -
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell \Bags\1

I was not allowed to open the key (& therefore could not even see the
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell \Bags\1\Desktop folder)

That was the problem for me. I had to set the ownership/permissions back to administrators (& my username) & allowed all subkeys to have the same ownership/permissions (right click the key /permissions /advanced).
I didn't have to add or modify any keys in the Desktop folder , just restoring the permissions fixed the "rearranging desktop icons" problem.

Now ... the Quicklaunch bar problem still has me beat... no workable solution found yet (even a system restore point prior to the registry clean didn't fix that one). I'll have to keep looking....

Hope this helps somone.

Member Avatar for ldlonline

...Now ... the Quicklaunch bar problem still has me beat... no workable solution found yet (even a system restore point prior to the registry clean didn't fix that one). I'll have to keep looking....

Thank you for posting the corrupt permission keys for the desktop icons. The registry key with corrupted permissions which fixed my QuickLaunch issues is here:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Streams\Desktop

Good luck, and thanks again!

Member Avatar for quirky

The only real and working solution I found in the internet for the 'disappearing ql bar problem' (winxp). Many thanks to 'jgmac' and 'idionline'.
A 'bloody' German.

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