My Computer, Trash, a Firefox icon, a shortcut to my documents (not My Documents), a shortcut to my downloads folder, this picture of Hope Sandoval and a hint of Chanel No. 5.
My desktop is bare. Just my wallpaper, with the icons hidden. My desktop icons are in a panel on the task bar (which is on the right side of the screen, and, of course, hides when not in use.
I do my best to keep the icons[sup]*[/sup] organized, though occasionally Windows gives me the finger and decides to rearrange them.
Tends to drive other people nuts when they try to use my computer. Which is a bonus.
[sup]*[/sup] All program shortcuts - to open documents, I have My Computer set as a drop-down menu set at the top of the task bar, and navigate through that.
I have random icons on my desktop from applications that automatically install stuff there but I never use my desktop. All the items I use frequently are in my quick launch toolbar (which is very tidy). I use windows exporer to get to my files.
This thread has encouraged me to clean up the mess!
Recycle bin is the only icon on my laptop. I have Firefox pinned to the taskbar. Everything else is properly filed.
Most of my coworkers have a desktop full of shortcut icons. They don’t know where anything is located on the server and every year they spend ~3 weeks bitching because none of their shortcuts work.
I like mine clean, but my hot bar only holds so many go-tos, so…I found the background that makes your desktop look like a computer desk and shelves, and everything that IS on there is nice and neat! My wastebasket is under the desk, and on top of the desk is a sunflower. Go go, Plants vs. Zombies
At home I usually have 1-2 columns of stuff. At work, I file it away when it hits ~6+ columns or when the clutter starts affecting performance.
I said some stuff. I have about 60 organized icons across two screens. It’s about 80% empty space.
My home desktop is completely unorganized, but I really only play a couple games and internet and email. I do have some stuff where I can find it easy.
The computer screen ones are similar: as empty as possible, with stuff I’m working on “now” and daily-used shortcuts directly on the background but everything else in folders.
The table at work is mostly empty (at the end of the day, all that’s left on it is my laptop, the phone and some old computer stuff which is not mine); the one at home has my pocket-emptier, two notebooks (the one I use to track WoW stuff and the one I use to write shopping lists), the computer’s monitor, a glass with pencils, the book I’m reading… - but that’s because at work I have both a set of drawers-on-wheels and a cleaning service, so we’re required to clear tables. Plus, I don’t think my bosses would be very happy to see a copy of “the latest collection of articles by A. Pérez-Reverte” on my table at work.
Projects that I’m actively working on — where 85% of the files and folders generated will go into the trash can once they’re done — go on my Desktop. That’s what it’s for. I have a couple of folders permanently on my Desktop that partially organize that but the freshest & newest are outside of even those. The 15% that I keep get filed away in permanent folders & subfolders.
Then I have all my volumes (drives, mounted shares, etc) on my Desktop, plus the trash can (OS 9 style, thank you very much).
I’m not one of those people who puts all their PROGRAMS on the desktop and who access everything that they do on the computer via the Desktop.
My work computer is a Dell laptop. I use an older MS Office version that had a toolbar feature. This is where I store my shortcuts to the programs I use frequently. The rest of the desktop is clean.
A few months ago, I had to leave the job site for a short time. One of my coworkers stopped by to ask me some questions, and while he waited for me he made desktop shortcuts to about half a dozen programs. He also changed some of my default settings in Word and made IE my default web browser. When I got back, he showed me that he had set up my laptop “properly.”
He no longer works for us…