# Why the heck does my computer keep taking Wordpad shortcuts off the desktop? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 17, 2005, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-heck-does-my-computer-keep-taking-wordpad-shortcuts-off-the-desktop/317363 "2005-08-17T01:30:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![andrewdt85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/71e660/32.png) [@andrewdt85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andrewdt85)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2005, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-heck-does-my-computer-keep-taking-wordpad-shortcuts-off-the-desktop/317363/1 "2005-08-17T01:30:12Z")
I don’t have Microsoft Word b/c I had my hard drive cleaned out a while back. Whenever I make a shortcut to Wordpad on the desktop, when I get back on my computer it’s gone! Then I have to do a Search for Wordpad again and open it to make a document. Did Gates design Windows to automatically delete shortcuts to other word programs besides Mic Word? :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2005, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-heck-does-my-computer-keep-taking-wordpad-shortcuts-off-the-desktop/317363/2 "2005-08-17T01:39:28Z")
> [@andrewdt85](#): > > Did Gates design Windows to automatically delete shortcuts to other word programs besides Mic Word? :smack: Yes, he did. He doesn’t want the maker of WordPad to get any of his money. Ahem. Now. Are you saying that the association to WordPad is lost and the shortcut remains, or are you saying the entire shortcut is missing from the Desktop? If the latter, what about other shortcuts - do they remain on the Desktop? And by “back on the computer,” what do you mean specifically - you Quit and Restart Windows and the shortcut is gone, or you add a shortcut, leave it on, then come back and it’s gone? Do other people share this machine and you logon as a specific user? ---
**Author:** ![andrewdt85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/71e660/32.png) [@andrewdt85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andrewdt85)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2005, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-heck-does-my-computer-keep-taking-wordpad-shortcuts-off-the-desktop/317363/3 "2005-08-17T03:45:28Z")
Well, I put the wordpad shortcut on the desktop, and IIRC it eventually disappeared- this seems to have happened frequently, b/c I found myself doing a Search to find the Wordpad program often. Just the shortcuts dissapear, not the program. Also, you can kind of disregard this op for now- until I actually verify that this disappearance happens over a period of time as I suspect it has before (believe it or not, I can’t be certain- observant, aren’t I?) They haven’t dissapeared just after one log off/log on, so it seems good so far… ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2005, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-heck-does-my-computer-keep-taking-wordpad-shortcuts-off-the-desktop/317363/4 "2005-08-17T04:32:37Z")
Try rebooting instead of just logging off and on. Also, have you looked in your recycle bin? How often do your fingers wander near the delete key? Could you possibly be accidentally deleting it? The most common cause of disappearing icons on my computer is when one of the geek cats walks across the keyboard. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2005, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-heck-does-my-computer-keep-taking-wordpad-shortcuts-off-the-desktop/317363/5 "2005-08-17T16:05:49Z")
Doesn’t XP do strange things like automatically delete and hide things from the users? Frustrating as hell, and it sounds like it’s happening to you. Check everything in your control panels, and you’ll probably find a way to stop it from happening. ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2005, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-heck-does-my-computer-keep-taking-wordpad-shortcuts-off-the-desktop/317363/6 "2005-08-17T16:14:19Z")
XP will place “unused” desktop icons in a folder called “unused desktop icons”. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2005, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-heck-does-my-computer-keep-taking-wordpad-shortcuts-off-the-desktop/317363/7 "2005-08-17T16:16:00Z")
Try making other shortcuts, and see if it only happens with Wordpad.