Tip If you haven’t already done so, you can create desktop icons for My Computer and
My Documents by right-clicking the desktop and choosing Properties. In the
Display Properties dialog box that opens, click the Desktop tab, and then click the
Customize Desktop button. Under Desktop Icons, choose My Documents and/or
My Computer.
If you get tired of going through the Start menu to launch a favorite program, you can easily put a
shortcut to that program right on your desktop. In some cases, however, you might not know the exact
name and location of the file needed to start the program. If so, instead of using Windows Explorer,
follow these steps:
1. Click the Start button, choose All Programs, and work your way to the option that enables you
to start the program to which you want to create a shortcut. However, don’t click that option.
Instead . . .
2. Right-click the menu option and choose Send To Desktop (create shortcut).
The Start menu might cover the new icon. If so, close it by clicking any neutral portion of the desktop, or
by pressing the Esc key.
Removing Desktop Shortcuts
To keep your desktop from getting too cluttered, you might occasionally want to remove shortcuts that
you’re not using much any more. This is simple to do. Just right-click the shortcut icon and choose
Delete. A dialog box displays asking for confirmation. To complete the job, simply click the Yes button.
If you ever do this by accident, and you catch the error right away, you can undo the deletion by rightclicking
the desktop and choosing Undo Delete. If it’s too late for that, you can recover the shortcut icon
from the Recycle Bin, as discussed under “Using the Recycle Bin” in Chapter 12.