Holy Missing Icons, Batman!

Now that you've installed Windows Vista, are you wondering where some of your old, familiar icons have disappeared to? Here's how to get them back.

First, it's important to note that there are two types of icons: System icons and everything else. System icons consist of five icons: Computer, the root folder of your own profile, Network, Recycle Bin, and Control Panel.

Windows Vista gives you a new way to determine which of the system icons appear on your desktop. Right-click anywhere on the desktop, and choose Personalize, Change Desktop Icons. This opens the Desktop Icons Settings dialog box. Here, you will find checkboxes for the five system folders. If you only have one computer and no network, then you don't need the network icon.

In the same dialog box, you can also change these system icons (except the Control Panel icon). Just click once on any icon displayed in the center box. Then click the "Change Icon" button.

Icons that fall into the "everything else" category are stored in one of two different places: A "profile" folder and a "public" folder. Windows creates both folders. The "profile" folder stores icons that only appear on your desktop. The "public" folder stores icons that appear on the desktop of everyone who uses the computer. Usually, icons for programs that you install while logged into your profile will only show up on your desktop. Programs installed in the administrator account will place an icon in every user account. However, this isn't always the case.

So why do you need to know the information in the previous paragraph? If you delete an icon from your desktop that is stored in the "public" folder, then it disappears from the desktop of every user account on that computer. Windows Vista helpfully does *not* warn you before you delete an icon stored in the "public" folder. To confirm an icon's storage location, right-click the icon and choose Properties. On the General tab, check the location field to see whether it's a public icon or one assigned to your profile.