Return the Internet Explorer icon to your Vista desktop

Return the Internet Explorer icon to your Vista desktop

As you may remember, Windows XP's Desktop Items dialog box had a check box that allowed you to put Internet Explorer's icon on the desktop. However, there isn't a similar check box in Vista's Desktop Icon Settings dialog box.

In order to get the Internet Explorer icon back on the desktop, you have to edit the registry. Before I show you how, I have to remind you that editing the registry can be tricky, so make sure that you create a restore point and have a recent backup.



To launch the Registry Editor:

1. Click the Start button.



2. Type Regedit in the Start Search box.



3. Press [Enter].



4. When the Registry Editor appears, navigate to the following folder: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\ CurrentVersion\Explorer\HidedesktopIcons\NewStartPanel



5. Click anywhere inside the NewStartPanel folder.



6. Pull down the Edit menu and select the New | DWORD (32-bit) Value command





7. When the new value appears, type in the following code, including the brackets: {871C5380-42A0-1069-A2EA-08002B30309D}



8. Press [Enter] twice.



9. When you see the Edit DWORD (32-bit) Value dialog box, type 0 in the Value Data text box





10. To complete the operation, click OK and close the Registry Editor. In a few moments, you'll see an Internet Explorer icon on your desktop.

Caution: Editing the registry is risky, so make sure you have a verified backup before making any changes.

How to backup Windows registry?

How to compact Windows Registry?

How to repair Windows Registry?

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