W10 22H2 Desktop rogue icon won’t allow me to rename, delete, or replace it

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Yesterday, I somehow created a rogue icon that I cannot rename or delete or replace.

Properties>Web Document and Properties/Details show the URL as https://www.wayfair.com/decor-pillows/pdp/eddie-bauer-camano-island-quilted-throw-erb1340.html and the link works properly through leftclicking the icon.

Properties>General shows as Camano Island Throw Blanket by Eddie Bauer $46.99$84.00 (419) Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars.419 total votes Fast Delivery FREE Shipping Get it by Wed. Mar 29 Eddie Bauer Cotton Quilted Throws are great to use in any room of your home. They are 100% cotton, which might suggest too many or illegal characters, or it might not…

But, having tried the usual “solutions”, I’m powerless to rename or delete or change that pesky desktop icon. I’ve wrestled with this thing all day to no avail (mumble, mumble, mumble), so any and all suggestions will be more than welcome.

Thanks!

 

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Boot from a Live Linux USB or CD and delete the icon.

1 user thanked author for this post.

Microfix

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Thanks for your suggestion, “W B”, but I’m not a Linux guy and I’m not interested in becoming one. However, if you have a favorite distro or two, let me know where to get it and where to get help; it’ll be my “rather than bashing my forehead on my keyboard” alternative.

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I had something similar with few months back(self created) Network Shortcuts here on my Win10 desktop, I had got out of the habit over the years of simply “left clicking on the icon and dragging it physically across the Desktop, hover over over the Recycling Bin and release.”

Its something I haven’t done anything like since Win95, I know you have probably tried it, it bugged the life out of me too when I encountered the phenomenon.

The only other way I can think of is by Win PE window via Win10 Boot disk and delete manually.

If its too big as you suspect a Hirens Boot disk is out there for free as an option although I believe a Linux doesn’t have a “hang up” about characters so a Linux boot disk is probably a good call. Is Hirens Linux? or Win PE? Its another daily driver I haven’t used for years lol

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This happened on my system a few days ago. I tried everything I could think of and many online suggestions. I finally decided to use System Restore. I had Restore Point for a day before. When it completed the nasty little bugger was gone. I could be wrong but this seems to be a recent phenomenon, which makes me suspect Windows Update.

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Windows update would not put a wayfair icon on your desktop.

Susan Bradley Patch Lady

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Certainly Windows Update wouldn’t generate a Wayfair icon, but might it do something that would allow that icon to become bulletproof? Even so, my last Windows Update happened a week before this icon showed up

I can drag the icon around on the desktop, and I can create a deletable shortcut to it.  But when I do anything that would normally affect that icon–dropdown menu delete, dragndrop delete, dragndrop or copy into another folder, rename, cut, copy–nothing happens.

I’ll take a look at Event Viewer and System Restore tomorrow.

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More likely a onedrive/sync thing than a Windows update.

Is it located here?  C:\Users\<YourUserName>\Desktop

Susan Bradley Patch Lady

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What happens when you attempt to delete it? Anything in the event viewer?

Susan Bradley Patch Lady

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Thanks for participating here, Susan. Here are answers to your questions.

1. No matter what I have done to and with that icon, it always comes right back to the same spot on my desktop, although I can drag and drop it at any unoccupied spot.
2. I do not use OneDrive.
3. Yes, it is located at C:\Users\<YourUserName>\Desktop.

I’ve been too busy to look at Event Viewer so far, but I plan to do so after dinner.

😉

 

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Try to drag it into the Recycle Bin.

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lanshark

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I’ve dragged that folder into the recycle bin many times, JoeG, but it doesn’t stay there, it just reappears in the same place on the desktop.

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This utility (or one that had a similar name) I had used to delete files or folders that can’t be deleted normally.  https://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/unlocker.html  It sounds like the portable version is better.

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lanshark

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Energy Saver,  your suggestion worked!

The Rogue shortcut on my desktop is gone, thanks to you and Unlocker, which failed on the first shot but displayed a message (see attached) giving me another try. I selected DELETE and clicked OK, and it responded that the file had been deleted–and it wasn’t kidding! I had previously tried DeadLock without any luck, but Unlocker (portable) downloaded from the Major Geeks website did the job!

My sincere thanks go to all of the AskWoody folks who took the time to read and respond to my plea.

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Very rarely, the permissions of a Windows object such as a file can get clobbered. Very rarely, you have to go into the security properties of a file and edit them. Right click file, then properties, then security. Compare the permissions of the short-cut to other short-cuts. If the permissions are wrong, edit the permissions, so they match. You will need an admin user account to edit security permissions. Hope this is the cause of your permissions problem.  I generally give myself enough permissions to delete the file, then shift delete it, and it’s gone.

Windows 10 22H2 desktops & laptops on Dell, HP, ASUS; No servers, no domain.

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lanshark

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Sorry for the no author post, forgot to sign in….again.  Writing note to remind me.

lanshark wrote:

Camano Island Throw Blanket by Eddie Bauer $46.99$84.00 (419) Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars.419 total votes Fast Delivery FREE Shipping Get it by Wed. Mar 29 Eddie Bauer Cotton Quilted Throws are great to use in any room of your home. They are 100% cotton,

Is this the name of the shortcut as it appears in File Explorer? If so this is 251 characters and with the Path to the shortcut adding C:\Users\UsearName\Desktop the file exceeds the limit that File Explorer can recognize and as such can’t complete any actions you take on it using File Explorer.

Not sure if this will work but is worth a try.

First move any other shortcuts to web pages (.url files) to another folder.
Open a Administrator Command window
Change the current directory to your Desktop > C:\Users\YourUserName\Desktop (replace YourUserName with your user name)
At the prompt of your Desktop directory enter the following command:

del *.url

This command will delete all .url files located in the Desktop folder. If the command works you will see no response from the Command window, but all web page shortcuts should be gone from your Desktop.
Close Command window.

 

HTH, Dana:))

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lanshark

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Your suggestion, Drcard:)), is one I hadn’t thought of (thanks!!) so I moved 18 of my 19 desktop .url files into a new folder, leaving the rogue as the only .url on my desktop. See the attached file for the Command Prompt dialog, which ends in “The system cannot find the file specified.”

So the Rogue still reigns, but it was worth a try. Excuse me now while I put my safeguarded 18 .url shortcuts back into their proper places…

😉

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There is an old Rename trick that may work:
Bring up the Properties of the shortcut and select the General tab. The name of the shortcut is that long product description which you posted above. That name will be in the top box on that General tab. On regular shortcuts or files you activate the cursor in that name box and edit the name there and click OK which will rename the file without having Explorer do it. This might work for your too long name. If it will allow you to insert the cursor in that box, Backspace to remove characters (use the right & left arrows to move the cursor and remove many characters from the name). Click OK at the bottom.
If that shortens the name then you should be able to delete it.

HTH, Dana:))

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Regarding “a rogue icon that I cannot rename or delete or replace,” whenever I’ve run into that problem, I restart, and then I’m able to rename, delete, or move.

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My issue has been resolved through a suggestion from Energy Saver.

Thanks again to all who participated, especially to those who, like me, are wondering “Why didn’t I think  of that?”

Best regards,

Lanshark

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