Organize Your Desktop: Avoid the Mushroom Patch

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around strategies for organizing desktop icons and managing digital clutter. Participants share personal experiences and methods for maintaining a tidy desktop, exploring both technical solutions and humorous anecdotes.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants express frustration with the accumulation of desktop icons, likening them to "sprouting mushrooms" and seeking advice on how to manage them.
  • One participant suggests reinstalling Windows annually as a way to start with a clean desktop.
  • Several participants propose using folders to organize shortcuts, with one noting that this method helps clear clutter while keeping items accessible.
  • A participant outlines a step-by-step approach to decluttering, emphasizing the importance of distinguishing between shortcuts and actual programs.
  • Another participant mentions using a desktop environment that minimizes the need for desktop icons altogether.
  • Some participants share their personal habits, such as keeping downloaded files organized and using a taskbar instead of the desktop for program access.
  • There is a humorous exchange about the challenges of remembering folder contents, with one participant mentioning a "chili folder" containing recipes.
  • Another participant suggests considering external hard drives for additional storage and organization.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree on the need for organization but present multiple competing views on the best methods to achieve it. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the most effective strategies.

Contextual Notes

Some participants express uncertainty about their organizational systems, indicating that their methods may not be fully effective or remembered. There are also references to personal preferences that may not apply universally.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be useful for individuals looking for practical tips on managing digital clutter, as well as those interested in sharing and learning from others' organizational strategies.

wolram
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I am sure this has been done before however, i have icons pop up on my desk top like sprouting mushrooms, i am never sure which ones to keep or delete, if i delete a short cut i am bound sure to need it and have to search for the program later on ,so how do you keep your desk top from looking like a mushroom patch?
 
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I don't. I have to reinstall Windows at least once a year and each time I start with clean desktop, that takes care of the problem.
 
wolram said:
I am sure this has been done before however, i have icons pop up on my desk top like sprouting mushrooms, i am never sure which ones to keep or delete, if i delete a short cut i am bound sure to need it and have to search for the program later on ,so how do you keep your desk top from looking like a mushroom patch?
Folders.
 
You can make a folder *** on your desktop, and move the shortcuts there. Clears away the clutter, and you can still find them easily.

-----

*** Point mouse arrow over desktop, right-click, select "New", select "Folder"
 
Redbelly98 said:
You can make a folder *** on your desktop, and move the shortcuts there. Clears away the clutter, and you can still find them easily.

-----

*** Point mouse arrow over desktop, right-click, select "New", select "Folder"

Well i never, what a good idea ,i seem to learn one thing and forget two about computers every day :smile:
 
wolram said:
... i seem to learn one thing and forget two ... every day

Would you consider a job in governing our nation over here across the pond? It sounds like you would be much better at it than who we have now. :smile:
 
Redbelly98 said:
Would you consider a job in governing our nation over here across the pond? It sounds like you would be much better at it than who we have now. :smile:


For certain i would, if i could have Turbo as my chef and Evo as my advisor, and some guarantee that no one would shoot me.
Turbo, would all so be a valued advisor.
 
wolram said:
For certain i would, if i could have Turbo as my chef and Evo as my advisor, and some guarantee that no one would shoot me.
Turbo, would all so be a valued advisor.
You may regret that guarantee after a few days in office.
 
wolram said:
For certain i would, if i could have Turbo as my chef and Evo as my advisor, and some guarantee that no one would shoot me.
Turbo, would all so be a valued advisor.
I am honored! I would be proud to be President Wolram's chef and advisor, and I could sub as bodyguard, too if you'll let me bring my Glock 20.
 
  • #10
Here is how I do it.

First, get rid of the things on your desktop that you absolutely know that you won't need.

Second, get rid of the things that you just think that you won't need. Make sure that what you are deleting is a shortcut. If you get rid of the shortcut, the program that it links to is still in your computer, and all you do is simply search for the program, and add another shortcut of it to you desktop if you need it again (that literally takes 5 seconds).

Third, if there are any actual programs on your desktop (not shortcuts, but programs themselves), although this shouldn't be the case anyway, you should just put the programs in a different file and replace the desktop icon with a shortcut.

This should only leave the things that you know that you abolutely need, and when something comes up in which you need a shortcut that you got rid of, you now know how to restore it easily and quickly.
 
  • #11
gnome with a couple of panels + compiz fusion. Can't live without anymore and don't really need to have anything on desktop.
 
  • #12
Good you don't have a wider monitor, I am in Warsaw and your clock is already somwhere near Taipei.
 
  • #13
Borek said:
Good you don't have a wider monitor, I am in Warsaw and your clock is already somwhere near Taipei.

:smile: I deleted that post because it was stretching the thread too much. He can repost a smaller version when he gets a chance.

I don't keep any program icons on my desktop. I hate that and you can't get at them when you have other stuff open anyway. I keep everything down on the bar at the bottom (I don't remember what it's called on Windows...where the "Dock" would be on a Mac, which is where everything is on my Mac). The only things that accumulate on the desktop are downloaded files, which I either delete quickly or file away every few weeks. If they get past three columns of files, I can't stand it and clean up then, even if it means I have a lot of "miscellaneous" folders.
 
  • #14
I have lots of folders, trouble is i forget what they are, i even have bike photos in a chili folder,
i will have to move them some day.
 
  • #15
Moonbear said:
:smile: I deleted that post because it was stretching the thread too much...

Ah, that explains it.

Borek, for a moment I thought you were doing the Sarah Palin thing, not responding to what was posted and instead responding to what you imagine should be posted.

(Actually, pretty much all the debaters do this ... she was just more blatant about it. But I digress.)
 
  • #16
Redbelly98 said:
Borek, for a moment I thought you were doing the Sarah Palin thing, not responding to what was posted and instead responding to what you imagine should be posted.

Would you believe it... At first I planned to write that clock is on Alaska but I have consulted my monitor direction with Google Earth :smile:

And Taipei is valid only today, most of the time it will be Madagaskar, but I had to rotate my desk to get access to the wall behind.
 
  • #17
Well, thanks for clearing things up! :confused:
 
  • #18
right click and hit view then details. This is very nice for looking at a large quantity. This will only work if they are in a folder.
 
  • #19
wolram said:
I have lots of folders, trouble is i forget what they are, i even have bike photos in a chili folder,
i will have to move them some day.

I've always used folders. I try to make them general: Music, Pictures, Games, Downloads. Then I sometimes place related program shortcuts in the folders aswell.
 
  • #20
wolram said:
I have lots of folders, trouble is i forget what they are, i even have bike photos in a chili folder,
i will have to move them some day.

Have you considered an external hard-drive?

And by the way, you are officially awesome for having a chili folder.
 
  • #21
Math Jeans said:
Have you considered an external hard-drive?

And by the way, you are officially awesome for having a chili folder.

My chili folder is busting at the seams, if i cooked one recipe a day i would have to live to about 100 to use them up.
 
  • #22
Math Jeans said:
And by the way, you are officially awesome for having a chili folder.
Doesn't everyone? :confused:
 
  • #23
turbo-1 said:
Doesn't everyone? :confused:

Unfortunately, I'm the only one in my area who actually enjoys spicy foods.
 

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