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Thread ID: 26355	2002-10-25 06:48:00	I think my desktop is haunted	Pauline (641)	Press F1

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
92874	2002-10-26 06:37:00	Just look at last weekends< pressf1.co.nz to see how many people SLOOOOOOW their computers down. More icons and taskbar startups handicap the potential speed they have available	Rod ger (316)
92875	2002-10-26 06:57:00	Hello Pauline, the acid test as to whether you have too many icons is whether they appear slowly one by one as your desktop opens when booting windows. They should all pop up at once. If they appear one by one then the icon cache file that holds them is too small, so some have to be fetched from their program folders which takes time. This can also cause them to appear in different places on the desktop. The icon cache file can be increased in size from its default value if this is your situation with your desktop, I can give the details if you want. Cheers	Terry Porritt (14)
92876	2002-10-26 07:20:00	Don't know about Pauline, but I'd be interested Terry :-)	B.M. (505)
92877	2002-10-26 07:38:00	So your best option is to have no desktop Icons. And haveing them in hidden toolbars like I do, does that use up RAM? What is the best way to access your programs without useing up RAM?	Danger (287)
92878	2002-10-26 08:32:00	Dangerger, I wasnt really aware that icons took up ram, they are stored in a hidden file in windows called shelliconcache. BM, these are the instructions courtesy Livingston & Straub, "More Windows98 Secrets" to increase the cache size. There are also web sites if you do a Google search that say the same thing. One web site goes further with more extensive registry editing to give a selection of choices of file size in folder options. 1. Click Start, Run, type regedit, and press enter. 2. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\windows\Curr entVersion\explorer. Highlight this key in the left pane of your registry editor. 3. Right click the right pane and choose New, String value. 4. Rename the string value Max Cached Icons . 5. Double click Max Cached Icons in the right pane, type the value 2048 , and click OK. Thats it. The default value (not shown in the registry) is 512. I think actually I've typed this out before, maybe it should be a FAQ. Also see the registry FAQ. (I tried making a .reg file just to import the Max Cached Icons line but for some reason even though it said it had been merged successfully, I couldnt see the change in the registry. A .reg file would have been the easiest way to add this line. I could export and import the whole explorer branch, but not just the line I wanted. There must be a reason for that.)	Terry Porritt (14)
92879	2002-10-26 08:34:00	Terry, I am also interested in increasing my icon cache size. I just did a quick count and I have 30 icons on the desktop (some are .txt files temporarily parked there). I have noticed sometimes that my icons are slow to display upon startup. This may be why when I go into control panel where all 34 icons are displayed as "large icons" they all seem to flicker once when the folder is opened. This doesn't happen when I change the settings to "List". Pauline, I had a look at your "Desktop screenshot" compliments of Susan B's PressF1 Desktop webpage. Some of your most used programs shortcuts could be dragged down onto the quick launch bar and activated from there. You can then delete the large icon off your desktop. Jen	Jen C (20)
92880	2002-10-26 20:08:00	Thanks Jen, I have got my desk top down to 14 now. I didn't think that it was that slow to load but then I haven't got anything to compare it to. I have just kept the ones that are used alot & removed the ones that don't. Pauline.	Pauline (641)
92881	2002-10-26 20:53:00	Thanks Terry, that excised the demons from my Desktop. All 47 Icons load no problems now! Cheers Bob	B.M. (505)
92882	2002-10-26 23:34:00	Thats really good, BM. My desktop was in a real mess with slow icons loading before I found that tip. What I also do now is to group shortcuts into folders and just have one icon to the folder. Maybe I'll post that as a tip, there's nothing clever about it but it reduces the number of icons on the desk top. Keep watching F1!	Terry Porritt (14)
92883	2002-10-26 23:52:00	Yeah Terry, thats kink of what I have. No icons tho, just folders in my hidden tool bar at the top of the screen. For instance, I have a folder called My Programs which has six folders called security, updates, gaming, maintenence, registry, system tools. Each of these has the programs that apply to each for instance maintenence has Adaware, disc cleanup, defragmenter, Enditall, Internet options, Regcleaner, system restore, and scandisk. This way if I am doing a maintenence session I am sure of not missing any steps out. All these folders open up automatically to show there contents once I have clicked on My Programs. It also saves sifting through all those programs that you don't use much. And doesnt obscrure my lovely desktop picture.	Danger (287)
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