Most people find it convenient to dump icons on the Windows desktop for easier access. Files, program shortcuts, downloads, Internet shortcuts. I have five folders and 23 individual icons on my desktop, and I suspect that’s less than average.
The trouble with all those icons is they’re hard to get to – whatever you’re working with covers up the desktop – and they cover up the photo that you use as a desktop background. Here’s a strategy I use to make things neater:
- Create a shortcut to the Desktop. Yes, the desktop is just a folder with a few special attributes. Right-click any empty space on the desktop and choose New, Shortcut. In the location box, type %userprofile%\Desktop (be sure to include the percent signs) and click Next. In the next step, you should see Desktop already filled in as the title of the shortcut. Click Finish.
- Add your new Desktop shortcut to the Start menu. Drag the Desktop shortcut icon you just created over the Start button – but don’t release the mouse button yet. When the Start menu appears, move the shortcut up to the top, just below the shortcuts for your Web browser and e-mail program. Now release the mouse button to drop the shortcut into position. (If you miss, you can drag it up or down into any position.)
- Hide all icons on the desktop. In Windows XP, right-click any empty space on the desktop and choose Arrange Icons By. Click the Show Desktop Icons menu option to remove the checkmark. Within a few seconds, your desktop will be completely clean and uncluttered.
To access any of the icons on your desktop, click the Desktop shortcut you created on the Start menu. You might want to organize the Desktop folder a little more, with a subfolder for program shortcuts, another for Downloads, and so on
Ed Bott 
For me, at least, hiding the icons on the Desktop belies the reasons for using the Desktop to temporary storage in the first place: immediacy (I can see them without having to open Explorer windows) and aesthetics (if I have too many files on the Desktop, I am forced to clean some of them up in order to see the background again).
I have several folders where I dump website/IE shortcuts. They’re also easier to read that way. For programs and others, I have other folders. Two or three does the trick.
I haven’t had a shortcut on my desktop in a year and a half – since I created TaskTracker:-! (Sorry for plugging my own wares, but I couldn’t let this one go.) But if you really like shortcuts, with TaskTracker’s virtual folders you can instantly create desktop folders with shortcuts to any documents (or other files) you choose.
What about the Windows key plus D. Collapses everything out of the way to the taskbar so you can click on the icon and then brings it all back up afterwards so you can resume work. Shorter cut than mousing all the way over to a start menu and selecting from a list.
Re: desktop icons, I took a radical tack a year or so ago — all I have on mine is the Recycle Bin, thanks to a nifty inexpensive utility called TrueLaunch Bar ( http://www.truelaunchbar.com/ ). I have reduced 98 (!) icons for programs I use every day, important file shortcuts, and utilities, etc. to only 10 icons in two rows to the right of START. Since the TLB icons pop up the lists, I can access any of the 98 shortcuts with one click. I find it’s a great way to maximize screen real estate.
I tried this for about 10 minutes and didn’t like it as I am accustomed to just hitting Windows Key-M to get to the desktop where I keep recent files. After bringing the icons back I can no longer open any of the jpegs on my desktop. If I move them elsewhere they open just fine, but double-clicking one from the desktop causes a quick flash on the screen and it doesn’t open. If I right-click and Open With->Windows Picture and Fax Viewer the program opens and says “No preview available”. Googling this issue just returns a bunch of pages about people who had problems with jpegs saved from AOL, which is not the case for me, most of them were emailed pics I saved from gmail in Firefox. Very frustrating.
I have the same problem as Aaron. Any fixes?
Aaron & Tyler,
Here is the solution if you are still interested…
If you are not going to use the Desktop shortcut as described, simply delete it and your files (images, etc) will open as they did before.
Not sure why this is, but I tried it as an experiment, had the same results with opening a jpg, and it works again after deleting the shortcut.
Hope that helps.