Icons Active all the time

Hi can anyone help me all my shortcut Icons and folders are active on my desktop even after I went to advanced settings and checked off drop shadows.Thank you.

 

Hi Dano and welcome,

Open Windows Explorer or My Computer and click on Tools > Folder Options. Tag the option labeled "Double click to open an item (single click to select). "

OK the change.

Then you will want to go back and enable the drop shadows again I'm sure, to make things look nicer. FYI, enabling drop shadows is the only selection I opt for since disabling all others makes Explorer open faster.

 

Icons active all the time.

I tried folder options and the problem is still there.Can anyone help.Thank you.

 

Can you explain a little more what you mean by "active ". Are they highlighted all the time as they would be when you use the double click option and click on them once, do they always open with a single click, or what? It's not real clear to me what you mean.

 

Icons highlighted all the time

hi Zander
yes they are highlighted all the time.Thank you for your help.

 

Well, I was able to re-create on my computer what I think you're saying. So, try this. Right click on the desktop>properties>desktop and click the customize desktop button. Then click the web tab and make sure the line that says "lock desktop items" isn't checked. Then, you also have to make sure the line you mentioned previously that says "use drop shadows......" is checked.

 

Hi dano35ie,
The problem your having is unclear because there is two problems with different solutions that can be display the symptoms that your describing.

One is if the icons are showing their box background color rather than being transparent. They still behave normally taking two clicks to open or one click to highlight. Each still only opening one program at a time when clicked on.

Two would be that they are transparent, as they should be, but are now all highlighted and because they "all have focus" and are "active as a group" are showing background-box color. One click (rather than two) on any one of these opens all the programs at once causing the taskbar or desktop to filled with opened or opening programs. [*As a sidenote this may be a stuck keyboard. The shift key likes to do this on occasion] A funky mouse or an oversensitive mouse drag on the desktop will also do this].

While I believe it has now been established that all icons behave normally, [one click to highlight two clicks to open] but the problem is they have all lost transparent background. Just to make double sure the problem is crystal clear, is it problem One or Two?

 

Hi Ann. Just thought I'd let you know that I received a PM from dano35ie asking if he could send me a pic of what it was he's looking at. I gave him an email address to send it to but am still waiting for it. When I get it, I'll post it here so everybody can see just what it is he's looking at.

My suggestion didn't do it so my guess is that the problem is number two of your two thoughts on this. I was kind of thinking along the same lines as your mouse suggestion or, possibly a stuck key on the keyboard? I don't know if that could do it or not but I can see where it might be possible.

Anyway, when I get the pic, I'll post it so you can see for sure what it is we're dealing with here.

 

Thanks Zander. I will be waiting for the picture. Hopefully this will help to figure out what is going on.

 

Icons highlighted all the time

I think it may be 2 as the Icons work normally but as you say they all have lost their transparent background.Thanks for your help.

 

OK, here's a picture of what we're dealing with here. This would be number one of Ann's suggestions as to what this is.

dano35ie, did you try my suggestion above? If so, just to make sure we're talking about the same thing here, first go to control panel>system>advanced and click the settings button under performance click the settings button. Then make sure the line that says "use drop shadows....." IS checked. Don't forget the apply button.

Then, right click on the desktop>properties>desktop>customize desktop>web and once again make sure the line that says lock web items IS NOT. Also, if there's anything listed in the box under web items that has a check next to it, remove it too.

It wasn't really clear in your PM if you had tried this or not so I thought I should make sure.

 

Ref icons Highlighted

Thanks Zander & Ann.I have it working now the problem was I had a temp file on the web tab on customize desktop and I removed it as you said and hey presto it worked.
Keep up the great work and thanks again for everything.
Danny

 

OK, thanks for letting us know. I'm glad that was it. I wouldn't know where to go from there if that wasn't the problem.

 

Good job dano35ie, and I didn't doubt for a nano second that Zander would be able to fix it once the problem was clearly understood. Thanks for the update dano35ie.

Sorry Zander, for jumping in here. Impatience for resolutions, particularly for such common nuisances, often cause's me to do things before I think. I should have waited for your ideas to pan out. Only excuse is, there was no way for me to know that pm-ing was going on. The struggle to clearly define the original problem was causing me extreme empathy pains. I know this type of multiple member input can be a peeve for many members

Opps, as a side note to surferdude2...no doubt you would have been able to do this also.

 

My goodness Ann. No need for you to be sorry. I welcome your help anytime you're willing to offer it. It wasn't real clear to me which case we were dealing with either here. As for the PMing going on, you didn't miss much there either. Just a question as to whether he could send me a picture or not. I hadn't received the PM yet when you made your post, otherwise I would have posted about it sooner. Anyway, I thank you for being willing to jump in and help. You're input is always welcome.