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• ‹ Customize Windows Vista
• Customize Vista's Desktop
• Customizing the desktop
• Change desktop icons' size
• Auto Arrange & align desktop icons
• Sort desktop icons
• Show or hide desktop icons
• Common desktop icons settings
• Change the desktop background
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Show or hide common icons on the desktop in Windows Vista

This tutorial shows you how to customize which system icons should be visible or hidden on the desktop in Windows Vista. This option already existed in Windows XP, but you will access it differently in Windows Vista. The desktop icons these settings affect include Computer, Network, your profile folder, and the Recycle Bin.

Show or hide system icons on the desktop

You can customize which system icons Windows Vista displays on the desktop.

To access these settings, open the Control Panel (click the "Control Panel" button in the Start Menu). In the Control Panel's search field, type "desktop": this will display all options relating to the desktop (or containing the word "desktop" in their description).

One of the first options displayed after you filtered settings by typing "desktop", is the "Show or hide common icons on the desktop" link. This will launch the "Desktop Icon Settings" window.

Desktop Icon Settings

The top section of the Desktop Icon Settings window contains a series of checkboxes; by default, Windows Vista displays all of the following system icons on your desktop: Computer, User's Files (which is your profile folder), Network, Recycle Bin, and Control Panel.

Simply check or uncheck the checkboxes of the icons you would like to show or hide from the desktop. Once you are done, click OK, and close the Control Panel. These changes take effect immediately.