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Shortcuts Tips

RESTORE THE SHOW DESKTOP SHORTCUT

If you have Windows 98, or Windows 95 with Internet Explorer 4 and the web update installed, then you have a Quick Launch bar on the left side of your taskbar. You can drag whatever shortcuts you like to this Quick Launch bar and get the ability to single click on the icon in order to immediately launch the associated program. One of the default icons placed on this Quick Launch bar by Windows is an icon for "Show Desktop". When you are deep inside one or more windows, if your taskbar is visible, then clicking on that icon will immediately minimize all the windows down to the taskbar and show you your normal desktop. Well, it is possible to accidentally (or even deliberately, of course) delete this useful little button. How do you restore it? You have to create a text file, with the Notepad accessory, for example, which contains the following lines:

[Shell]
Command=2
IconFile=explorer.exe,3
[Taskbar]
Command=ToggleDesktop

Now, when you save this text file, make sure its name is ShowDesktop.SCF, and make sure it is saved in the Windows subdirectory that has this path to it: \Application Data\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch. Now you will get back that icon for Show Desktop on your Quick Launch bar.