# Help me remove this from my desktop **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 7, 2005, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-remove-this-from-my-desktop/307283 "2005-06-07T12:23:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![AsecretK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7ab992/32.png) [@AsecretK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AsecretK)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2005, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-remove-this-from-my-desktop/307283/1 "2005-06-07T12:23:15Z")
If any one can please tell me how to get rid of this. This is my daughters desktop and she has no idea how she got it on there and we can not figure out how to get it off. It is only there when she logs in under her login. We are running Windows XP. Thanks 🙂 Picture of desktop [here](http://img257.echo.cx/img257/3713/desktop3vp.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2005, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-remove-this-from-my-desktop/307283/2 "2005-06-07T14:02:23Z")
What happens when you right click on the screen, and do Properties --\> Desktop? IOW, is this a screenshot or a running application? Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2005, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-remove-this-from-my-desktop/307283/3 "2005-06-07T14:05:58Z")
What happens when you right-click on that sidebar thing itself? Do you get a different context menu than you’d see if you right-clicked on a blank part of the desktop itself? Does that little grey line (in between the bottom of the sidebar and the top of the taskbar) expand into anything when you mouse over it? ---
**Author:** ![citybadger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/45deac/32.png) [@citybadger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/citybadger)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2005, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-remove-this-from-my-desktop/307283/4 "2005-06-07T14:07:43Z")
I can’t test this because I don’t have a WinXP machine handy, but perhaps if you go to MyComputer\>C:\>Documents and Settings\>“account name”\>Desktop\>Tools\>Folder Options, you can twiddle with the setttings to get this to go away. ---
**Author:** ![AsecretK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7ab992/32.png) [@AsecretK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AsecretK)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2005, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-remove-this-from-my-desktop/307283/5 "2005-06-07T14:33:28Z")
I can click on the properties on the desktop but I don’t see anything that would make this disappear. The sidebar itself has no properties so I can’t hide it, delete it or move it. It does not appear to be a running application. You can click on the Folder Tasks, Other Places and Details. It is almost like having Windows explorer up without actually seeing the files. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2005, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-remove-this-from-my-desktop/307283/6 "2005-06-07T14:44:58Z")
Check for Spyware. ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Badger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/848f3c/32.png) [@Dead\_Badger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Badger)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2005, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-remove-this-from-my-desktop/307283/7 "2005-06-07T14:50:47Z")
That’s just the damnedest thing. The setting that controls it for normal folders is in Tools…Options, under the “General” tab, and is the “show common tasks/use classic folders” choice. This is a global choice for all folders - what happens if you go to the directory **citybadger** described, turn this option off, then turn it back on again? ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Badger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/848f3c/32.png) [@Dead\_Badger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Badger)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2005, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-remove-this-from-my-desktop/307283/8 "2005-06-07T14:54:27Z")
Ah, I’ve just found [this](http://www.dougknox.com/xp/scripts_desc/xp_commtask_desktop.htm) link which claims that it’s caused by a corrupted registry key, and provides a small program to correct it. I haven’t tested this program, however, and make no promises about it not screwing up your computer. ---
**Author:** ![AsecretK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7ab992/32.png) [@AsecretK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AsecretK)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2005, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-remove-this-from-my-desktop/307283/9 "2005-06-07T15:11:56Z")
Thanks everyone. I will try what **citybadger** and **Dead Badger** suggested when I get home. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2005, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-remove-this-from-my-desktop/307283/10 "2005-06-07T15:20:11Z")
…mushroom! ---
**Author:** ![JimMacMillan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7bcc69/32.png) [@JimMacMillan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JimMacMillan)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2005, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-remove-this-from-my-desktop/307283/11 "2005-06-07T15:56:51Z")
Wow, Am I missing something? Try this. [ul] [li]Click On “Tools”[/li][li]Mouse down and click on “Folder Options”[/li][li]Click on the “General tab”[/li][li]In the Task box click on the “Use Windows Classic Folders” button[/li][li] Click on OK or Apply and that should straighten it out.[/li][/ul] Jim ---
**Author:** ![JimMacMillan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7bcc69/32.png) [@JimMacMillan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JimMacMillan)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2005, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-remove-this-from-my-desktop/307283/12 "2005-06-07T16:04:42Z")
:smack: I should have looked at the image closer before running to the keyboard. In hindsight that is strange. Jim ☚