desktop shortcuts moving by themselves

[placou 1968]

what would cause the original google earth shortcut (desktop) icon to change locations with virus total icon, also on desktop?

for virus total i had to select an icon from what i believe to be a default list of icons provided by vista basic.

the setting i use is align to grid, not auto arrange.

i cant notice/identify any computer problems/use issues, and the change in the shortcuts is not a big deal, i just wanted to ask because i have read posts over and over about persons noticing a subtle change(s) that they left alone, then later realized a subtle change was the begining of larger problems to come.

this has only happened twice, both yesterday and this a.m.

[jim]

With Windows (any version) it is almost impossible to stop desktop icons changing position regularly. However, there are many free programs (Desktop Restore, Custom Save/Restore etc.) you can use to put them back where you want. it's a pain and has always driven me mad.

[Anupam]

I am on Windows 8, and I too am confused by the icons arranging themselves as they please.

I think it has something to do with "Sort by". I have set sorting according to Item Type. If you don't like them moving around, maybe sorting by Name will help.

[rikishi19]

I've never had an issue with this. My settings are align to grid, and for sorting, it is turned off (nothing ticked). Then every icon should stay wherever you place it. The only time they should then move is if you change the resolution of the screen or have dual monitors and unplug one.

[Anupam]

Originally Posted by rikishi19

and for sorting, it is turned off (nothing ticked).

I see no option to turn off sorting. There are four options... Name, Size, Item type, Date modified. There is no option to turn off sorting. I think that has always been the case.

[Joe A.TT]

Placou, I don't think if one or two desktop icons swap or change positions it's a big deal. It's a good thing to remain observant though.

Personally, I don't have much of an issue with icons rearranging themselves, with a few minor exceptions. Whenever I install a new program and I allow it to create a desktop shortcut, it always seems to put its icon directly below the Recycle Bin in the top left corner. This also happens if I upgrade Adobe Reader. It's not a big problem really, I just drag it to wherever I want after.

My settings are "Auto-arrange icons" is ticked, and "Align to grid" is not ticked.

Anupam, you are right. There's no option to turn off sorting - at least not an obvious one. By default, all the radio buttons should be off, which means no sort-order is chosen. If you turn on a radio button for one of the sort options, you can't turn it off by clicking on it again. However, I notice when I drag and rearrange the desktop icons to my liking, any previously chosen "sort" options gets turned off. So I guess that's the way to "turn off" all sort options. And yes, I do drag my icons to suit.

[rikishi19]

I'm not sure how to turn it off then once one has been chosen. I never select one, so I have never needed to turn it off, not sure how this would be done if clicking the ticked option doesn't turn it off, I'm sure there must be a setting hidden in Windows somewhere that will do this. You can try what Joe said as I'm not willing to enable a sort option if I may not be able to disable it, that's an irritating headache I can do without

[v.laurie]

Wandering icons os a well-known Windows problem. No guarantees on how well this works but here is an article originally written for Vista. I haven't personally tried it. Back up before trying it.

[Jojo Yee]

Originally Posted by Joe A.TT

My settings are "Auto-arrange icons" is ticked, and "Align to grid" is not ticked.

Anupam, you are right. There's no option to turn off sorting - at least not an obvious one. By default, all the radio buttons should be off, which means no sort-order is chosen. If you turn on a radio button for one of the sort options, you can't turn it off by clicking on it again. However, I notice when I drag and rearrange the desktop icons to my liking, any previously chosen "sort" options gets turned off. So I guess that's the way to "turn off" all sort options. And yes, I do drag my icons to suit.

Unchecking "Auto arrange icons" automatically turns sorting off, guys.

[Remah]

Originally Posted by Jojo Yee

Unchecking "Auto arrange icons" automatically turns sorting off, guys.

It doesn't turn it off but the sort option will be unchecked. If you return to auto arrange then the sort sequence will reappear.

To turn the sort off you need to manually move an icon while auto arrange is on.