Deleting Desktop Shortcuts b596928 27.06.2007 23:56:00 Any deletions made to desktop shortcuts are not being saved. When my machine is re-booted the deleted shortcuts re-appear. Also I deleted a file from Program and all associated references, and it too reappears when my machine is rebooted, even though the files have been un-installed. What am I doing wrong?

Re: Deleting Desktop Shortcuts "R. C. White" <rc[ at ]grandecom.net> 28.06.2007 15:48:09 Hi, b596928. First of all, since this "windows.file_system" newsgroup is "generic", which operating system are you using? WinXP? Vista? Something else? HOW are you deleting shortcuts? Step by step, what keys do you press and what results do you see? Usually, when we tell Windows to Delete a desktop shortcut, we get a pop-up that reminds us that this deletes only the shortcut and not the actual program; do you see this pop-up? [Quoted Text] > Also I deleted a file from Program and all associated references, What does this mean? Is "Program" the name of a folder? Do you mean "Program Files"? "Deleted" is NOT the same as "Uninstalled". When it works, Delete removes the files from the computer (or into the Recycle Bin). When we use Add/Remove Programs (in WinXP) or Programs and Features (in Vista), the computer removes the pointers needed to run the application, but it does not delete the files. Do you have the necessary permissions to delete the shortcuts and files? Are you the Administrator, and signed on as such? Finally, WHICH shortcuts are you trying to delete? Some are special and may call for different methods. RC -- R. C. White, CPA San Marcos, TX rc[ at ]grandecom.net Microsoft Windows MVP (Running Windows Live Mail beta in Vista Ultimate x64) "b596928" <b596928[ at ]discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message news:57DE3DF8-77BB-45CD-9163-D8F33AD4C3A0[ at ]microsoft.com... > Any deletions made to desktop shortcuts are not being saved. When my > machine > is re-booted the deleted shortcuts re-appear. > Also I deleted a file from Program and all associated references, and it > too > reappears when my machine is rebooted, even though the files have been > un-installed. > What am I doing wrong?

Re: Deleting Desktop Shortcuts b596928 29.06.2007 01:52:01 The Operating System is WINDOWS 2000 Professional SP4. These Programs deleted are programs located in the sub-directory Program Files. The initial removal was executed using Uninstall. When I delete the shortcut I do get the pop-up message indicating that it does not delete the program "R. C. White" wrote: [Quoted Text] > Hi, b596928. > > First of all, since this "windows.file_system" newsgroup is "generic", which > operating system are you using? WinXP? Vista? Something else? > > HOW are you deleting shortcuts? Step by step, what keys do you press and > what results do you see? Usually, when we tell Windows to Delete a desktop > shortcut, we get a pop-up that reminds us that this deletes only the > shortcut and not the actual program; do you see this pop-up? > > > Also I deleted a file from Program and all associated references, > > What does this mean? Is "Program" the name of a folder? Do you mean > "Program Files"? > > "Deleted" is NOT the same as "Uninstalled". When it works, Delete removes > the files from the computer (or into the Recycle Bin). When we use > Add/Remove Programs (in WinXP) or Programs and Features (in Vista), the > computer removes the pointers needed to run the application, but it does not > delete the files. > > Do you have the necessary permissions to delete the shortcuts and files? > Are you the Administrator, and signed on as such? > > Finally, WHICH shortcuts are you trying to delete? Some are special and may > call for different methods. > > RC > -- > R. C. White, CPA > San Marcos, TX > rc[ at ]grandecom.net > Microsoft Windows MVP > (Running Windows Live Mail beta in Vista Ultimate x64) > > "b596928" <b596928[ at ]discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message > news:57DE3DF8-77BB-45CD-9163-D8F33AD4C3A0[ at ]microsoft.com... > > Any deletions made to desktop shortcuts are not being saved. When my > > machine > > is re-booted the deleted shortcuts re-appear. > > Also I deleted a file from Program and all associated references, and it > > too > > reappears when my machine is rebooted, even though the files have been > > un-installed. > > What am I doing wrong? >

Re: Deleting Desktop Shortcuts "R. C. White" <rc[ at ]grandecom.net> 29.06.2007 14:10:58 Hi, b596928. [Quoted Text] > The Operating System is WINDOWS 2000 Professional SP4. OK. Thanks for letting us know. I haven't run Win2K in over 7 years, so my memory of it is getting hazy, but the basic rules are still the same in WinXP and Vista. Getting completely rid of a no-longer-needed application is usually a 3-part operation: 1. Uninstall the application. Most programs can be removed by Control Panel | Add or Remove Programs. Some applications come with their own UNinstall program; if your app has this, then run it. And some apps - especially older DOS apps and those written for early versions of Windows - don't need to be "installed" at all; just click on the EXE file and they run; for these, no UNinstallation is needed or possible. 2. Delete the application's files. Most well-behaved applications install their files into a sub-folder (which they may create) within the C:\Program Files folder. For example, C:\Program Files\Quicken holds the hundreds of files and sub-folders that Quicken needs to run. We can delete all these files and folders one at a time, or simply delete the entire Quicken folder (from Windows Explorer by using the Delete command, or from the Command Prompt by using the "rd" or "rmdir" command to Remove Directory). Other applications are not so well-behaved and we have to hunt down and destroy their files, but often there is only the one executable file. 3. Delete the Shortcut. Once the executable file is gone, the shortcut is useless, because it points to a file that no longer exists. But it is entirely possible to delete the shortcut without deleting the application that it is supposed to start - or vice-versa. A shortcut is only a convenience (like a real-life shortcut), not a requirement; we can still run the application by other means. It's important to note that neither 1 nor 2 will automatically accomplish 3. Even after you uninstall the program and delete all its files, you STILL need to delete the shortcut. Just right-click on the shortcut's desktop icon and click Delete. MAYBE you've done 1 (and 2?), but have not yet deleted the shortcut. So every time you reboot, the icons are still on your desktop, but they don't do anything because the apps are gone. You STILL haven't told us WHICH shortcuts or applications are involved. As I said, some are special to Windows and can't be deleted in the "normal" ways. RC -- R. C. White, CPA San Marcos, TX rc[ at ]grandecom.net Microsoft Windows MVP (Running Windows Live Mail beta in Vista Ultimate x64) "b596928" <b596928[ at ]discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message news:2872CFDC-2D39-4F0A-8227-2EF6CB916596[ at ]microsoft.com... > The Operating System is WINDOWS 2000 Professional SP4. > > These Programs deleted are programs located in the sub-directory Program > Files. The initial removal was executed using Uninstall. > > When I delete the shortcut I do get the pop-up message indicating that it > does not delete the program > > "R. C. White" wrote: > >> Hi, b596928. >> >> First of all, since this "windows.file_system" newsgroup is "generic", >> which >> operating system are you using? WinXP? Vista? Something else? >> >> HOW are you deleting shortcuts? Step by step, what keys do you press and >> what results do you see? Usually, when we tell Windows to Delete a >> desktop >> shortcut, we get a pop-up that reminds us that this deletes only the >> shortcut and not the actual program; do you see this pop-up? >> >> > Also I deleted a file from Program and all associated references, >> >> What does this mean? Is "Program" the name of a folder? Do you mean >> "Program Files"? >> >> "Deleted" is NOT the same as "Uninstalled". When it works, Delete >> removes >> the files from the computer (or into the Recycle Bin). When we use >> Add/Remove Programs (in WinXP) or Programs and Features (in Vista), the >> computer removes the pointers needed to run the application, but it does >> not >> delete the files. >> >> Do you have the necessary permissions to delete the shortcuts and files? >> Are you the Administrator, and signed on as such? >> >> Finally, WHICH shortcuts are you trying to delete? Some are special and >> may >> call for different methods. >> >> RC >> >> "b596928" <b596928[ at ]discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message >> news:57DE3DF8-77BB-45CD-9163-D8F33AD4C3A0[ at ]microsoft.com... >> > Any deletions made to desktop shortcuts are not being saved. When my >> > machine >> > is re-booted the deleted shortcuts re-appear. >> > Also I deleted a file from Program and all associated references, and >> > it >> > too >> > reappears when my machine is rebooted, even though the files have been >> > un-installed. >> > What am I doing wrong?