Windows Vista Lost display desktop tray icon

Hi, Goddez1 --

I am stuck with the "paste" into my search line. I blue out the bolded text, click on "copy," open the start menu, pull down the "paste" command, and the start menu disappears, along with the search line. I have tried it several times, and the same thing keeps happening.

I actually do know how to cut and paste (will wonders never cease?), but I don't know how to keep the start menu available.

 

????Pulled down the paste command??????

It's a click in the search field to give focus and a right click paste.

If not you can simply hand type this out on the search line, referring to shell:Quick Launch

You can also try typing or pasting this using the startmenu>run line.

 

Vista has cut, copy, paste, save as, etc. on the "Page" drop-down menu. You mean I really don't know how to copy & paste?? That's how I've been doing it for months!

I'll just type it into the search box, then....

OK. Here's what happened: I typed it in with a space between "quick and "launch," and it gave me a Google sidebar widget that I don't want. So, then I typed it in with no spaces and it gave me an odd-looking Google search bar in the middle of the screen that I don't want.

I'm now going to close my home page and all other pages and try again...

 

taskbar>startbutton globe>opens the startmenu> the search and runlines you should be using are located in vistas startmenu> Is this what you are using?

See this:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-vista/features/search-and-organization.aspx

 

I got a page that looks like a Google search page. The second choice was Quick Launch, with "open quick launch" in the text of the entry. So, I clicked on that.

Then I saw a folder with something red and blue sticking out of it, so I clicked on that, but it took me back to a page which just listed by name all of the icons I have in my tray next to the orb.

 

Thats the quick launch folder, opened showing your current shortcuts. This is folder that I want you to drag and drop the "show desktop.lnk" into.


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Curious, what happens when you hit the Keyboard combo "winkey + R "

 

I dragged the red & blue folder from the shell:quicklaunch search onto the desktop and into the "Show desktop" folder. But I still don't have the blue icon in my tray.

One of the many times I tried entering "shell: quicklaunch" into the start box (it wasn't accepting the search for some reason), the blue desktop icon showed up on my start menu AND on the desktop. I tried to slide it down into the tray, but it kept popping back out, so I deleted it. At that point, I was able to re-try the "shell: quick launch" search.

There are pieces of hair on my keyboard.

 

Now ALL of the tray icons which were on the left side of my screen beside the orb are gone. (There were four of them).

And I have four new Google-related icons on the right side which I cannot delete. There isn't even a "delete" choice on any of the right-clicked menus. I don't want any of them!

I may need medication.

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I uninstalled Google desktop, which got rid of all of the unwanted icons, and after the restart, I got three of the four left-side icons back. No desktop still, however.

 

Three new ways to get this job done. Try each, in turn, untill one works.

Windows Vista places the quick launch folder in:

"C:\Users\your account name\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch "

You can manually navigate to this folder and open it. To begin this rightclick your startbutton(globe) and select explore. This will open winexplorer in your user account already, you only then need to navigate through the list opening these in turn:
+AppData
+Roaming
+Microsoft
+Internet Explorer
+Quick Launch

see picture:
http://www.petri.co.il/images/quick_lnch_2.gif

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Just right-click an empty spot on the Quick Launch toolbar and select "Open Folder ". It may take patience but a blankspot can be found and when you do this option will be there.
http://www.petri.co.il/images/quick_lnch_1.gif

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If you have extracted the "show desktop.lnk" and it is on your desktop can you rightclick on it and see if you the option to "Add to Quick Launch ". If so click on it this option.

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Does the short winkey+D work for you?
What happens when you use winkey+R?

 

Another happy accident!

I tried the first method, but never found "Open Folder" when I right clicked on the empty toolbar. I decided to look at the picture on the link you posted, but it wouldn't open.

On to method two. Hmmm... Not exactly what you asked me to do, but since I had the blue desktop icon and the Quick Launch icon on my desktop, I thought I'd just see what happened if I dragged the blue icon into the Quick Launch icon.

And voilà. The blue destop icon appeared as if by magic in my icon tray. It won't go into the spot saved for it, but I'm not being picky. I maneuvered it around so that it's easy to get to, and life is good once more.

And once more you have pulled through for me, goddez1. Thanks so much for hanging in there through all of my frustration. Is there any way to give you brownie points?

 

phew!

Your most welcome.

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Are you purposely ignoring or avoiding these questions for some reason?

1] Does the shortcut winkey+D work for you?
2] What happens when you use winkey+R?

The winkey is your keyboard key that has an emblem on it that looks like the "windows flag ". It is usually located in between the ctrl and alt on the left side of keyboard spacebar key.

See picture:
http://hacknmod.com/wp-content/old/pics/2232-1.jpg

http://www.answers.com/topic/windows-key-technology

 

Yes, I'm avoiding them because sometimes they work and sometimes they don't. I suspect it is because I'm doing something wrong, like not holding them all down simultaneously or something like that. It seems like you have to hold down four keys, and I only have one hand that can stretch.

The first time I used winkey + D, it worked like magic. I guess I got lucky. I've never been able to get winkey + R to work.

 

Now, just curiosity on my part. I wasn't sure if winkey+R would work on vista anyway. I was hoping this would open your "run line ". I guess this is good for xp but a no-go for vista. At least not without some tweaking. As I recall it worked on my install of vista. Oh well! Point is mute if it doesn't work for you.

-----Show desktop shortcut, however, should work------------

Key combo is only a two finger/two keys procedure, noclue. They don't even have to pushed at the same time. You can push and hold the winkey down and then hit the D key at your leisure. The only key factor is in making sure you hold the winkey down.

---I wonder if the search shortcut works---------------

Again, just out of curiosity, what happens if you hit winkey+F?

To do so:
Push the winkey down and hold it down, then tap the F key.

 

You would have gotten a kick out of watching me try to hold down the winkey, the shift key (it's a capital D in the instructions), the letter "d ", and the + key. No wonder it never worked!

Just holding the two keys (winkey and D or R) is doable, even for my hands, and it works like a charm. I get my desktop and also what looks like the old "run" in IE.

Glad you persevered with this. It's handy to know... Does the Vista search box replace the run box?

 

What a picture that would be:

I had a hunch you may have been trying 4 keys at once and hoping for a simultaneous synced punch. You do tend to take what you see or read literally in the truest sense.

Run is still com.exe.

Vista's search is special however. I think I gave you a couple of links for a quick studyup. It may be helpful for you to some reading on it. You will find it easier to do many things using your vista tools and utilities as they are meant to be used. The reason for the studyup is many things need to be setup, tweaked or customize so a tool will work for you the way want it to.

Good to know that the winkey shortcuts work for you, as these may come in handy for future visits to the board.

For example use winkey+R copy and paste bold line on the run line:
%Appdata%\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch

What happened...........

 

Ut Oh!

Silence......all this was suppose to do was open your quick launch folder. It was only meant as a demonstration/example of what can be accomplished using some of vistas quicker shorter alternative ways of getting things done.

Don't fret if this didn't work or some other snafu occurred. Let's let sleeping dogs lie for a while so we can at least bask in the glow of the recent victory.

 

An excellent plan, goddez1! Glowing is always good... I'm sure I will come up with something else, anyway. And, yes. I do have a tough time with instructions because I tend to take things literally. Part of that learning problem... However, you do present things so that I can understand them. Were you ever a teacher?

This is the first time I've read the term "studyup." I think those were the links I couldn't open. ?? Which ones do you think I should start with?

 

Oops, sorry. Posted in the wrong forum.