What is Desktop and how to work with it - in simple words for beginners. Desktop: what is it? Basic interpretations of the term Issues of using attributes

One day, after turning on the computer again, I discovered an unknown desktop.ini file appearing on the desktop. I was wondering what desktop.ini was and how it appeared in folders and on the desktop.

Deleting the desktop.ini file via the recycle bin is usually done, however, after a reboot it is restored. It is noteworthy that desktop.ini can constantly increase in number - if you do not delete the file, with each reboot it reappears on the desktop. The number of times the reboot occurs, the number of copies will appear. I managed to figure out what the desktop.ini files mean, and most importantly, how to remove the Desktop ini.

I learned that desktop.ini is a standard set of Microsoft Windows configurations. Such files are present in every operating system and are necessary for its functioning. Usually they have hidden attributes and the user cannot see these icons. The .ini configuration file contains settings that determine the appearance of the system folder. Here are collected the characteristics of such parameters as text color, drawing, etc. Inside the file you will find clearly structured data. The configuration is written divided into sections, each of which has several lines of settings. Each parameter in desktop.ini is assigned a specific value. The configuration file works based on this principle.

Why are there problems displaying desktop.ini?

After a short study of the issue, I discovered that most often failures with configuration files occur precisely when the system boots, so another instance of desktop.ini appears after turning on the computer. The sudden appearance of this file may be caused by changes in the corresponding settings. In some cases, the user can enable the display of hidden files, for this reason desktop.ini also appears. We figured out what desktop.ini is, now let’s talk about how to remove it.

Removing desktop.ini icons

Naturally, the main problem for me was finding a solution to the problem with desktop.ini, since the icons did not disappear by themselves. If your computer has a default setting that hides system files as hidden, but desktop.ini is still visible, you need to use the following method, which I find very effective.

• Open “Explorer” and in the ribbon, where all the buttons and window options are located, look for the tab we need – “View”;
• Once you open this tab, you need to find the settings settings;
• In the “Options” window, go again to the appearance settings tab. There should be a checkmark in the “Hide system files” box;
• I unchecked this box and confirmed my decision. Next, you need to minimize the open windows;
• After taking the steps, a couple more desktop.ini will appear on the desktop. We delete these files without a doubt;
• Next, you need to return to the setting with which I started and check the box to hide system files.

After the unnecessary desktop.ini files are deleted and the settings are restored, you need to restart the computer. I was pleasantly surprised to find that desktop.ini stopped appearing! And it’s time to forget once and for all what desktop.ini is.

Desktop.ini on the desktop can be a real mystery for many Windows users. Moreover, the desktop.ini file usually appears as two identical .ini files on the desktop, regardless of the version of Windows.

Since most of the users do not know what desktop.ini is and where it comes from on the desktop, so many people perceive it as a virus or a dangerous program. However, this file does not pose any danger.

In this article we will tell you what desktop.ini is, where it came from and how to remove it from your desktop.

What are .ini files?

.ini files are plain text files that contain configuration data used by various programs. Most .ini files contain information about the location of system files necessary to run certain programs. You can open any .ini file with Notepad and see what it says.

Typically a file. Ini contains text like this:

Almost every program installed on your computer requires an .ini file to function properly. This way, even if you delete the .ini file on your computer, the program will recreate it.

Ini files are usually hidden, and the only reason why you can see the .ini file on the desktop is because you have checked the box next to “Show hidden files”. In short, .ini files are always present on your computer, they're just usually hidden.

Where is desktop.ini on my desktop?

If .ini files are used by applications, programs and folders, then why does the desktop show them? In fact, the desktop is another folder on your computer that is unique to each user account. Moreover, there are two desktop folders on your computer: one made up of user files and the other made up of shared folders. What you see on your desktop is a combination of these two folders. So two desktop.ini files on your desktop means two folders.

How to remove desktop.ini from desktop?

To hide desktop.ini on your desktop, go to Conductor, then click on View on the top panel, select Options, then go to the tab View and check the box next to " Hide protected system files».

Desktop (from English “desktop”) is the main working environment that allows us to use the computer comfortably.

Judge for yourself, without a desktop it would be much more difficult. Desktops are different.

It looks something like this:

Something like this:

In general, as you already understand, they are different, beautiful and not so beautiful.

We will look at the desktop area using Windows 10 as an example.

Conventionally, the desktop can be divided into two areas: the shortcut area (red line) or the main area and the taskbar (yellow line).

Let's look at everything in order. Let's start with the taskbar.

Task bar.

What exactly is the taskbar?

Task bar is a part of the interface that is displayed on the edge of the screen and is used to monitor already running programs or to monitor changes in the operation of our operating system. That is, it contains all the most important things: the Start panel, the Quick Launch bar, running applications, important Windows icons (sound, Internet connection, etc.), language switch, clock and notification area. Let's start sorting everything out in order.

Start panel - what is it?

This is the main menu of our entire computer. It can be opened by clicking the “Start” button on the screen or the “Win” button on our keyboard.

What can we do using the Start menu?

Yes, anything: we can create shortcuts, open settings, open recently installed or frequently launched applications. The Start menu is the heart of our operating system.

Quick Launch Toolbar is an area in the taskbar that helps us get quick access to the most frequently used applications. We can both add and remove applications from there. How to do this? To add an app there, we just need to drag a shortcut from the Shortcuts area to our panel, after which it will be pinned.

Running applications– this section in the taskbar helps us see all our open applications, switch between them, notice changes in them, etc. In my opinion, this is one of the most important areas in the taskbar. Without this area it would simply be impossible to comfortably use a computer.

Important icons of the Windows operating system - what can we include there?

This includes the volume of the operating system, the Internet connection, where all important applications are also hidden.

This menu is very convenient due to its compactness and usefulness.

Occupying an extremely small area, this area contains all the important elements of the operating system.

Language bar– this panel helps us understand what language our operating system uses to write text.

We can change the text using the key combinations “Ctrl” + “Shift”, “Shift” + “Alt” or by clicking on this panel with the LMB (left mouse button) and selecting the language that we need.

All these changes will be shown by our language panel.

I think there’s no point in talking about the clock, so let’s move straight to the notification area.

This area displays absolutely all notifications that relate to the operation of applications, the operation of our operating system, the operation of our services, etc.

It plays a huge role for the user.

Thanks to this area, the user always knows what changes have occurred on his computer. This panel also has several icons for quickly setting up the computer, which also allows us to use our device more comfortably.

Shortcuts area.

Now that we're done with the taskbar, we can move on to the shortcuts area. Why does it even exist?

In this area we can place shortcuts, files and documents that are important to us so that we don’t have to search for them for a long time.

I don't think everyone knows what labels are, so I'll explain. Shortcuts are icons that contain the addresses of your main programs. Let's say your program is installed somewhere deep in your computer and constantly searching through dozens of folders is simply terrible. Therefore, you simply create a shortcut to the launch file of your program and place it on your desktop. When you double-click on your shortcut, it launches your program. It's fast and convenient.

Shortcuts can be created not only for programs. You can use them for various folders, files, documents, etc.

You can create our shortcut from any file.

How to create a shortcut?

In fact, everything is very simple. You right-click on the desired file (right-click) and select “Create shortcut” there.

Next to your file, exactly the same icon of your file with the same name appears, but “Shortcut” is also added there. Then you simply take this shortcut and move it to where it is most convenient for you.

What labels must be on the labels area?

First of all, there should be a “My Computer” icon to access any file on your computer, a “Trash” icon where all deleted files are located, and a browser icon. This is the main thing that should be there.

Tip one:Never store large, bulky files on your desktop.

Firstly– when you reinstall your operating system, all these files will simply disappear.

Secondly– the presence of such files on the desktop greatly slows down our computer.

Tip two. Try to keep shortcuts on your desktop to a minimum.

First of all, the huge number of shortcuts makes it difficult to quickly and comfortably use our computer.

But if you still need to place a lot of shortcuts, then try to group them into folders.

Desktop.ini is one of the most mysterious files in the Windows operating system according to many average users. This format can be found on the desktop, and most have no idea where they come from or what to do with them. Users often perceive them as dangerous viruses and programs that require urgent action. In fact, files of this type are not dangerous. Let's look at what they are for and how to get rid of them.

Removing the Desktop.ini file from the desktop.

The Windows operating system gives the user the ability to configure access to folders and files and set other parameters. About “desktop.ini” we can say that these are hidden OS configuration settings located in each individual folder. The display of the folder, its appearance, installed icon, name, properties and much more depend on them. All permission overlay information is stored as initialization text. Each program creates this file, and if deleted, resumes it. The document automatically saves all settings changes in hidden mode. INI files are always present on the computer, the user just doesn’t see them. If you see them on your desktop, then you have the display of hidden files enabled. They can be made visible by setting the appropriate resolution as follows:

1. Go to “My Computer” or “This Computer” (depending on the version of Windows).
2. Open the file explorer. To do this, you can also use the Windows + E keys.
3. In the main menu, select the “View” tab and go to “Options”.
4. We find the column “Change folder and search settings”.
5. In the parameter window, go to the “View” tab.
6. Uncheck the “Hide protected system files” checkbox.
7. We confirm the decision and apply the changes.

ADVICE. It is not recommended to enable the display of hidden components, since accidentally deleting them can lead to irreversible consequences for the OS.

Why do they appear on the desktop?

You can see desktop.ini on the desktop in all versions of Windows, including Windows 7, Windows 10. A logical question arises - why does the desktop show them if these files belong to folders? The answer is simple: the desktop is also a folder that is created individually for each individual user. Let's say even more - the system creates two desktop folders. One of them contains the user’s personal files, the other contains public files. The operating system combines them and displays them on the main page that you see when you boot your PC. This is why you can see two desktop.ini documents.

Is it a virus

Desktop.ini is a hidden system file that is certainly not dangerous and is not a virus. This is simply a document that describes user settings. However, many malware disguise themselves as system files, and this case is no exception. If you see desktop on your computer and desktop even when you have disabled the display of hidden elements, this may indicate the presence of a virus. Such dangers can be easily detected using any antivirus program.

Is it possible to remove desktop.ini

You can delete the desktop.ini file; this will not entail any consequences dangerous to the system. But all user settings of the folder will be reset to “factory” settings, i.e. System-wide default options will take effect. After each deletion, the operating system creates a new text document that will again save all changes. This is an automatic process. It's better to just leave the documents hidden and not pay attention to them.

How to delete from desktop

You can delete files in the standard way, through the drop-down menu when you right-click. But, as described earlier, it is better to simply hide them through Explorer.

How to use desktop.ini

With these text documents, you can change basic folder settings using a few simple procedures:

• Assign icons and badges;
• Create tooltips about the contents of a folder when you hover over the cursor;
• Set up access.

You can change the folder style like this:

1. We select the one we want to configure and make a backup copy of the contents just in case.
2. Open the command line with administrator rights. To do this, click “Start” – “Windows Services” – “Command Prompt”. Right-click on the window that opens. We find the “Advanced” item and there will be a section in it that allows you to run as administrator.
3. The system will ask for permission to make changes. We confirm.
4. To make the folder we need a system folder (activate the “read-only” setting), enter attrib +s “Folder location” into the command line.
5. Create a desktop.ini file there. You can do this using a notepad.
6. Save the file under the system name “desktop.ini”. Through the “Properties” menu we make it hidden.

IMPORTANT. When saving the file, select “Unicode” in the “Encoding” item. This will allow you to read and correct the contents of localized strings yourself.

Some useful string functions:

• IconFile – for setting a personal icon. If you don't like the standard yellow icon, you can use this line to specify the path to the image that will be used instead.
• IconIndex – to select the desired icon. These two entries work together, so set this line to "0". If there is more than one image in the path to the icon you specified, then set the desired number.
• InfoTip – to set a hint about the content. In the line you just need to write what will be displayed when you hover the cursor.
• NoSharing – restricts access. To disable it, enter “1”; to enable it, enter “0”.
• IconArea_Text – allows you to select the color of the component names.
• Owner – to indicate the owner of the folder. In the same field you can specify your login and password for access.

As a result, we see that desktop.ini is not something malicious or dangerous. This is a system configuration file that can be very useful. If you still have any questions, ask them in the comments.

Sometimes it happens that users are very surprised when, for no apparent reason, they find files unknown to them as objects on the “Desktop”; many simply do not know. And some even mistake them for viruses or the consequences of their influence, which is a deep misconception. Next we will look at what these files are, why they appear and whether they can be deleted.

Desktop.ini: what are these files?

So, it’s worth starting with a description of the extension of these files. We assume that Desktop.ini files have appeared on the desktop. What kind of objects these are is not difficult to figure out by looking at the expansion. INI corresponds to an abbreviation for the English term Initial or Initialize, which in a computer environment can be interpreted as initialization, or, more simply, configuration settings of an application.

But why then is the file located on the “Desktop” and not in another place? The fact is that the contents of such objects may be partially responsible for the settings of the screen or the available workspace (although this is not always the case). In other words, when the program starts, it initially accesses the settings file, which is used to display the workspace of the application itself.

And the creation of such files after installing some program with a location on the desktop is a standard process. Many users do not understand why these objects became visible. The answer is simple: apparently, the mode for displaying hidden files and folders, as well as protected system objects, was turned on. Thus, to remove them from the work area, you can simply disable the corresponding view functions in Explorer, but more on that later.

Desktop.ini files on the Desktop: how to open them?

Many inquisitive users try to see exactly what information a file of this type contains. As a rule, by default in Windows, no viewing or editing program responds to such files. But you can open them simply - in a standard Notepad, since the files are initially text files.

This can be done via RMB, selecting “Open with...” and selecting the appropriate application. But you can first simply launch Notepad and open the file through the standard menu, specifying “All files” in the type, since the default format is TXT.

File contents

As a rule, the contents of the Desktop.ini file (Windows 7 or another system is used, it doesn’t matter) won’t tell the average user anything special.

Typically, configuration files located on the Desktop have only two lines. One contains data about the Shell initialization class, the second refers to the dynamic library used, necessary for the operation of a specific application and located in the System32 system directory.

Questions about the feasibility of removal

But most users have a completely natural question about the possibility of deleting such files. In general, by and large, it is not recommended to do this, although deleting it will not affect the performance of the system.

But disruption of the operation of some user programs may occur. Let's assume that the user has configured some application for himself and saved the settings, moreover, for the screen. They will be located not only in XML files in the main application directory, but also in the Desktop.ini file. What is this in terms of parameters? These are the same user settings that the program will apply every time it starts, unlike those that were initially installed.

But if such a file is really not needed, the question of how to remove Desktop.ini can be solved quite simply by selecting the object and pressing the Del key or the Shift + Del combination to delete it, bypassing the Recycle Bin. You can also use the most common right-click context menu. The question is: is it worth doing such things?

Hiding files

Isn’t it easier to simply hide such objects so that they, as they say, are not an eyesore? Desktop.ini files in Windows 8 or any other system can be removed from the workspace using the standard Explorer menu, called, for example, through the Win + E combination.

Here, however, you need not only to deactivate the line for displaying hidden folders and files, but also to check the box for hiding protected system objects. Only in this case, Desktop.ini files are guaranteed not to be shown on the “Desktop”.

Instead of an afterword

That's all about Desktop.ini files in a nutshell. What these objects are is probably already a little clear. It remains to clarify the most important question regarding their removal. In principle, it is better not to do this, but simply hide it. With this approach, both the settings and the user programs themselves will not be affected. As a last resort, when setting new parameters after deleting such files, whether you want it or not, they can again be created and placed on the “Desktop” automatically, without your participation.

If files of this type are still visible in the workspace after applying the above settings, you can use RMB on the selected object and select the properties line. In the new window, you just need to check the box next to the “Hidden” attribute line. Now the file will definitely not be visible in the work area.

Yes, and such files should not be considered viruses. Of course, some current threats can masquerade as configuration initialization files, but in this case this is not a question. If you want, of course, you can check these objects with an anti-virus scanner, for example, through RMB or by specifying the scan area in the antivirus itself in the form of “Desktop”, but most likely the result of identifying threats will be negative. Therefore, doing such things is just a waste of time.