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I found this in a few different places around the 'net - hopefully it's helpful:

Use the Desktop Cleanup Wizard in Windows XP

To start the Desktop Cleanup Wizard:

  • Click Start , and then click Control Panel.
  • In Control Panel, click Appearance and Themes under Pick a category.
  • Under or pick a Control Panel icon , click Display. The Display Properties dialog box is displayed.
  • In the Display Properties dialog box, click the Desktop tab, and then click Customize Desktop. The Desktop Items dialog box is displayed.
  • Under Desktop cleanup , click to clear the Run Desktop Cleanup Wizard every 60 days check box if you do not want the Desktop Cleanup Wizard to automatically start every 60 days.
  • Click Clean Desktop Now. The Desktop Cleanup Wizard starts.
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Dani AI

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A few clarifications and practical tips to complement ’s post.

The Desktop Cleanup Wizard only tidies shortcuts — it looks for shortcuts you have not opened in about 60 days and moves them into a desktop folder named "Unused Desktop Shortcuts." It does not uninstall programs or change program files; the removed items are ordinary .lnk shortcuts that you can return to the desktop by dragging them back. Windows XP Admin Guide — Working with Desktop Shortcuts. (flylib.com)

If icons appear to have "vanished," open the Unused Desktop Shortcuts folder on the desktop (file-system equivalent: C:\Documents and Settings\<your‑username>\Desktop\Unused Desktop Shortcuts) and drag anything you want back. On shared or multi-user machines check the All Users desktop (C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Desktop) — the wizard can affect common shortcuts, so restore them there if they should be available to everyone. [Windows XP Admin Guide / Missing Manual notes]. (flylib.com)

You can run the wizard from the desktop context menu (right‑click → Arrange Icons By → Run Desktop Cleanup Wizard) or from Display Properties as described. Administrators who must block the feature for many users can use the ADMX setting Remove the Desktop Cleanup Wizard (NoDesktopCleanupWizard) via policy/registry (Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer). For a quick user-side stop, simply disable the "Run Desktop Cleanup Wizard every 60 days" option in Customize Desktop. [Sony support; Microsoft ADMX policy]. (sony-asia.com)

Note: Windows XP is long out of support (end of support April 8, 2014). If you still rely on XP, be aware of the security and compatibility risks and consider migrating to a supported OS. [Microsoft blog]. (blogs.microsoft.com)

Sources: the Windows XP documentation and practical guides linked above.

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