Windows 10: Strange, inert icon appearing on desktop

Discus and support Strange, inert icon appearing on desktop in Windows 10 Support to solve the problem; Starting yesterday I found a small icon on my desktop. It floated above all windows, was unmovable, and didn't respond to mouse clicks. When I... Discussion in 'Windows 10 Support' started by goldrich, Apr 9, 2017.

  1. goldrich Win User

    Strange, inert icon appearing on desktop


    Starting yesterday I found a small icon on my desktop. It floated above all windows, was unmovable, and didn't respond to mouse clicks. When I rebooted, it was gone, but today I have the same problem -- with a different icon!

    Here's what today's looks like:

    Strange, inert icon appearing on desktop [​IMG]

    How can I get rid of it?

    Thanks --

    -- Fred
    Dell laptop
    Windows 10 Home, Version 1607, Build 14393.953
    Intel Core 15, 4 GB RAM

    :)
     
    goldrich, Apr 9, 2017
    #1

  2. How to get rid of "Play and Explore" panel. It caused my desktop icons to disappear.

    All the icons on my desktop disappeared shortly after I installed Windows 10

    All I see is an inert desktop with no icons. The cause seems to be "Play and Explore" and the other panel similar to it. which are on a layer above the desktop

    I am stuck in one user. can not change user, even when restarting

    The show tasks button disappeared and many other problems

    Need to fix or revert to windows 7

    Extremely frustrating
     
    FrankChebib, Apr 9, 2017
    #2
  3. KBoyke Win User
    Desktop display shows background only

    Hello,

    I LOVE my Surface Pro 3!! Lately, however it has been asking strangely. Icons are no longer visible on my desktop. Swiping in from the left causes the icons to appear for a microsecond then they disappear.

    I can still access all of my desktop applications from the desktop folder that is pinned to the task bar but I am concerned about not being able to see/use the icons directly.

    There are no error messages on display.
     
    KBoyke, Apr 9, 2017
    #3
  4. lmaneke Win User

    Strange, inert icon appearing on desktop

    Makes me wonder if you have an app that may be malfunctioning and causing the issue.

    I would go to task manager, and click on the startup tab, and disable all the startup programs. Reboot and see if it appears. If it is gone, then start turning back on each program one at a time and reboot, basically a process of elimination.

    If disabling all programs doesn't work, try creating another user profile and see if the same icon appears.

    Odd issue.
     
    lmaneke, Apr 10, 2017
    #4
  5. goldrich Win User
    This time, after rebooting, it hasn't yet come back. I'm keeping an eye on the desktop to try to pin down just what sets it off.

    In the mean time, it would be great if someone just happened to recognize the icon!

    Thanks for your help. I'll post a follow-up as the situation develops.
     
    goldrich, Apr 10, 2017
    #5
  6. Bree New Member
    It looks like a horizontal mini scroll bar, available in the 'virtual scrolling' settings for a Synaptics touchpad, for example...

    https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/...b-43c1fac6d079
     
  7. goldrich Win User
    That's a great hint, thanks! My laptop has a Synaptics touch pad, but I prefer to use my mouse. From time to time I touch the keypad -- either for convenience, or by accident because it sits between me and the keyboard!

    I'll keep an eye on that and see what I can figure out.
     
    goldrich, Apr 4, 2018
    #7
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Strange, inert icon appearing on desktop

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