Desktop Icons In Windows Xp Pro

[musicmaster]

I just installed Windows XP Pro and when my desktop finally was displayed, I noticed there werent any icons there for functions I use all the time. Functions such as acessing all my drives C, A, and my Cd drives. Also, there werent any icons for IE and so on. I somehow managed to get IE there without havint it be a shortcut... although my hard drive and my floppy drives are there as shortcuts and dont want that unless that is the only way.

Also, I had to send a shortcut for my cd drives to the desktop.... and that is where I am having problems. When I try to access my cd drives... both my dvd and my plextor burner, by double clicking on the shortcuts I have now created, I get a dialog box which says "missing shortcut" then after it looks for a while... another one comes up and it says " The item 'D' (or E for the other CD drive) that this shortcut refers to has been changed or moved, so this shortcut will not work properly."

I thought this was something that happened by mistake... so I deleted those two shortcuts and started again and tried to access them again from the shortcuts and no go. I thought I may have forgotten drivers..... I have a cd that came with my PlexWriter... it is software which is Easy CD Creator 4.... its old because I this computer was purchased in 2000. Anyways, I loaded that and Windows told me that that version wasnt compatible with WIN XP..... so it wouldnt install it. I suppose I need version 5 or 6. Anyways, I removed the program from add/remove... and then I checked my cd drives again in My Computer, and the DVD drive was somehow associated with Plextor. It had the Plextor icon on it... and I dont know how that happened.

So, a bunch of strange things are happening here and I would like to correct them.

My shortcuts that I placed on the deskop still dont work.. and I have tried that a few times... can someone please help me with these problems ... please!!!!!!

Thanks for the anticipated help. It is much appreciated.

[kurtsl0an]

start - settings - control panel - taskbar and start menu (if not listed, click switch to classic view). click on the start menu tab then choose classic start menu - that will put ur commonly used icons back on ur desktop (and make ur start menu normal again).

as far as ur shortcuts go - u got me.

[clocker]

Interesting.

I just tried and got the same results as you.

As an alternative , go to start>my computer and right click. Check "Show on desktop".

Now you have a My Computer icon on the desktop which will take you to your CD/DVD drives....

Not perfect, but maybe as good as XP will let you get.

[kurtsl0an]

Originally posted by clocker@15 October 2003 - 05:21
Interesting.

I just tried and got the same results as you.

As an alternative , go to start>my computer and right click. Check "Show on desktop".

Now you have a My Computer icon on the desktop which will take you to your CD/DVD drives....

Not perfect, but maybe as good as XP will let you get.

weird - i can create shortcuts just fine fer my cd drives.

[clocker]

That is odd.

I don't have any icons, but I tried, just to see, and duplicated his results...

[sparsely]

XP comes with sparse desktop icons on purpose.
They clutter everything up and decrease efficiency.
If you want those icons on the desktop without them being shortcuts, use Tweak UI. You can download it from
Microsoft at their site. As for the CD drives, did you have something in the drives at the time you created the shortcut?
it probably created a shortcut to a file on the CD, rather than the drive itself. Try right-click and drag the drive icon
to your desktop and select "Create Shortcut here".

[j4y3m]

I Just Tried And they Work For Me.....

[sparsely]

^^ and he's stupid

[kurtsl0an]

Originally posted by Sparsely@15 October 2003 - 06:08
As for the CD drives, did you have something in the drives at the time you created the shortcut?
it probably created a shortcut to a file on the CD, rather than the drive itself. Try right-click and drag the drive icon
to your desktop and select "Create Shortcut here".

nice 1 - i re-created w/out a disk in drive and the shortcut is invalid. even after putting a disk in the drive and using the shortcut, still no good. guess u hafta create the shortcut w/a disc in.

[kurtsl0an]

Originally posted by Sparsely@15 October 2003 - 06:12
^^ and he's stupid