troubleshooting-files placed on desktop go to quicklaunch

Here's a problem i came across today. After fixing a mis-configured paging file, I tried to put a utility onto the person's desktop so they could use it, and noticed it had gone to the quicklaunch instead.

When i tried to move the icon off the quick launch and back to the desktop is said it couldn't move it and that the source and destination were the same.

Well, i right clicked on the taskbar, and 'show quick launch' wasn't even checked.

i figure it's a registry setting, like they changed the path of the desktop....or the registry is corrupt. The person's dad is a computer engineer..he knew enough to specify a paging file size (though it wasn't set right, either, which doesn't say a whole lot) So i figure he customized it so the desktop wasn't cluttered. I'm more inclined to believe this was intentional, rather then a corrupted registry.

does anyone know where i could change this?

Find more posts tagged with

Save $250 on 2025 certification boot camps from Infosec!

Book now with code EOY2025

Button

Comments

mastercorm

i see a lot of views here, but no replies.
is this that hard to fix? or is more input needed?
to be more specific, the OS is Win XP Pro, SP2
i already looked through the registry for "desktop" and "quick launch" but couldn't find anything that would indicate a path setting.
Could this have been set by an environmental variable?

dtlokee

Not really sure but I'll take a shot.

The quicklaunch folder appears to be in the "application data" folder of the profile (try "echo %appdata%" at the command prompt) with "Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch" added to it. How this location was redirected to the desktop or vice versa, I'm not sure. I would think replacing the folder with a shortcut to the desktop folder might do it but I didn't try it.

WanBoy67

If you right-click the taskbar, enable the desktop toolbar, unlock the taskbar, then right-click on the word Desktop then untick Show Title & Show Text, now the desktop toolbar looks like the QuickLaunch but it is actually all the items from the desktop.

Silver Bullet

I think wanboy67 has nailed it. I was going to suggest the same.

mastercorm

i would have thought that was the cast, with the desktop placed onto the quick launch as a menu, but it's not enabled. plus, even with that on, i can still drag the icons onto the desktop without receiving an error. I tried replacing the folder but it didn't seem to have any effect

mastercorm

oops, instead of cast (above) i meant to say case. my bad

WanBoy67

You can drag default icons on to the desktop to create a shortcut but other icons give the exact same source & destination error you mentioned above.

Anyways, is it really an issue? As long as they have access to the utility on the desktop or Start Menu that should suffice. Maybe try dragging the icon to a folder to remove it.

mastercorm

it's not too critical, but it bothers me that i can't fix it. it's not so much a matter of adjusting the icons from what i can tell, and there's no folder on the desktop to drag the icons to. Even new files i tried to copy from my flashdrive went straight into the quick launch. Granted, yes, I could put them in a folder, but they would have to be accessed through either the quicklaunch or windows explorer.
just a minor inconvenience i suppose.

WanBoy67

No other weird and wonderful customisation programs in the Add/Remove Programs? Tweak-XP or something like that?

mastercorm

could be...that's what i was kinda thinking..i'll have to check it out next time i'm at that computer. i don't have it in front of me, so i can't verify that now.