Picture of desktop icon arrangement

I thought I recognized the theme of this topic from a prior posting. I suppose you could print out a map or try some other approach to memorizing the current layout of your desktop icons, but why not just use the Iconsaver program that I suggested in reply to your prior posting?

http://www.able2know.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=98315

Maybe you never saw that follow-up suggestion, but give it a try. It's a much more convenient and systematic way to get your computer to generate a solution.

you can save a snapshot of your desktop using the print screen key

with your desktop visible press the print screen key

open start>all programs>accessories>paint

click edit and then click paste, your desktop should now be visible

click file and then save it

Another Desktop icon saver utility called WinTidy 2 is referenced on this link: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_zdpcm/is_200111/ai_ziff16726

Picture of desktop icon arrangement
Yes, CJDobyns, you did indeed recognize the topic. I did just what you instructed, (and I thank you) and all was well for several days, then my nice familiar arrangement went pffffft again. So since the instructions were reliable, but the computer was not, and my memory likewise, I thought this would make a nice little aide memoire.

djjd62 - I've printed out your instructions and will try them.

Tico - that looks interesting; I'll check into it. Thanks.

Re: Picture of desktop icon arrangement


Hmm, I wasn't sure I understood this response. The reliability of the computer using the Iconsaver software was never an issue, having to do with the utility of this tool, or not. We already knew your computer was having periodic "issues", but if you installed the Iconsaver, then whenever those "issues" arose in the future (and your desktop icons were scrambled), you just select the Restore Icons, and you're done. And the icon just sits in your Icon Tray.

I didn't think this could result in any confusion or problems whatsoever to use, but again, maybe I just didn't fully understand the response from Tomkitten. Good luck.

Picture of desktop icon arrangement
The instructions I was referring to were the ones posted in the original link by dadpad.

I tried djjd62's instructions, but "paste" only produced a window asking what source I wanted to paste from.

I printed out the Iconsaver information, but it's several pages and I have to look at them more carefully.

Next step is to look for WinTidy.

Picture of desktop icon arrangement
Still no luck. I can't get beyond "Paste" which gives a menu for sources from which to choose the item; Desktop is not one of them.

WinTidy looks awfully complex to install - 8 pages of info. Is it really that difficult or is that for refinements beyond the basic icon arrangement I want to preserve?

when you first open the edit menu in paint, there should be three options available, paste, select all, and paste from

i think your opening paste from, you only want paste

one more time

print screen (it will copy everything visible on the desktop, so close or minimize all widows)

open paint

open edit

select paste, not paste from

open file

select save

name and save to location of your choice

Picture of desktop icon arrangement
OK, I got it, and I think I found out why I had trouble. Someone in a different thread on a different BB said to hold down the Control key while pressing PrintScreen - maybe they neutralized each other.

My next problem is trying to get it all one one page - it came out in small pix on six pages. Perhaps temporarily using small icons will help.

So much thanks for all your help.

Re: Picture of desktop icon arrangement


Um, maybe this is horribly old-fashioned, but what's wrong with using pencil and paper? Just make a grid to show where the icons are, with the name of file/program represented by the icon. If you have a scanner, you can scan it into your computer, if you like.

Picture of desktop icon arrangement
Not old fashioned at all, eclectic. But hard for me. However, hard or not, I may consider it, I hadn't given it a thought, actually.

So thanks!