[Solved]Deleted desktop icon back on every start

A Former User @wdburgdorf

@wdburgdorf if ya deleted desktop icon and it re-appears after every reboot..

then try this..

the only way to show if there's a program or sumthing preserve 'n the icon or files is that you reboot your Computer to Safemode.. delete these icons or files and reboot back to Safemode again to see if the icon still exist..

it will help to narrow down things..

wdburgdorf

wdburgdorf @Guest

@nvmjustagirl The icon does not re-appear after reboot. It re-appears each time I start Opera.

A Former User @wdburgdorf

@wdburgdorf said in Deleted desktop icon back on every start:

@nvmjustagirl The icon does not re-appear after reboot. It re-appears each time I start Opera.

wnen ya get the time..

boot your pc to Safemode..

open opera

if icon appears

delete the icon

reboot back to Safemode

to see if the icon still exist..

burnout426

burnout426 Volunteer @wdburgdorf

@wdburgdorf said in Deleted desktop icon back on every start:

I restarted, no difference, then uninstalled and reinstalled, no difference.

Okay. I wondering if it's limited to certain GPUs. What GPU and driver do you have? It's probably a lot of trouble, but if you want to test, you can uninstall your GPU drivers so that you just have a plain, generic, Windows driver with very few resolutions just to see if there's a difference. Then, go back to your normal drivers.

It probably won't show any difference, but it's something else to rule out. Since no one knows the cause. I mean, it looks like Opera's creating the icon itself, but not sure why.

Via the Task View button on Windows 10, can you delete all your Windows 10 desktops so you only have one? Maybe it's not multiple monitors but multiple desktops. (Wasn't clear if yo utried that when trying only one monitor.)

@wdburgdorf said in Deleted desktop icon back on every start:

And Opera also set itself to be the default browser without asking - a rather aggressive move

You always need to click the "options" link in the installer, review the default options and change them if you want.

burnout426

burnout426 Volunteer @burnout426

@burnout426 said in Deleted desktop icon back on every start:

Via the Task View button on Windows 10, can you delete all your Windows 10 desktops so you only have one? Maybe it's not multiple monitors but multiple desktops. (Wasn't clear if yo utried that when trying only one monitor.)

I tried creating multiple desktops and messing around with Opera in different desktops, but that didn't cause Opera to create a desktop icon.

wdburgdorf

wdburgdorf @burnout426

@burnout426 @nvmjustagirl

Desktops: I did delete the second desktop already

Safemode: I'll try this when I find time, maybe this afternoon. I am sure that the icon will still be gone after reboot, but will see if it appears when starting Opers

GPU: Too much effort for very low chance of interesting result
It's a Nvidia 1060, nothing unusual, I think

What I will also check, is if this is related to user accounts. I'll try if this happens on other accounts.

Default browser: "You always need to click the "options" link in the installer, review the default options and change them if you want."
Yes, that's how it usually works, but not this time, no choice of options. Will pay attention next time.

burnout426

burnout426 Volunteer @wdburgdorf

@wdburgdorf said in Deleted desktop icon back on every start:

What I will also check, is if this is related to user accounts.

Sounds good.

Also, another user had this issue even with a standalone installation of Opera, which is super-weird as a standalone installation of Opera should never create a desktop shortcut on it's own. If yo uwant, download the Opera installer, launch it, click "options", set "install path" to a folder named "Opera Test" on your desktop, set "install for" to "standalone installation", uncheck "import data from default browser" and install. Launch that Opera. It shouldn't create a desktop icon. But, if it does, that's suggesting something else is creating the icon.

burnout426

burnout426 Volunteer

Another thing you can do is to use Process Monitor. Start it up and then launch Opera. Then, you can look for the createFile that creates the Opera Browser.lnk file on the desktop and check to see what process is creating it. If it's Opera, that's not going to help much. But, if it's not, that'd be telling.

wdburgdorf

wdburgdorf

The Process Monitor is interesting. Took me a while to get it right. Please find the three log entries that I found for the icon attached.

Well actually, "You do not have enough privileges for this action." - I cannot attach. So here are the contents:

"Time of Day","Process Name","PID","Operation","Path","Result","Detail"
"14:56:55.3420591","launcher.exe","15572","CreateFile","D:\Desktop\Opera browser.lnk","SUCCESS","Desired Access: Generic Read/Write, Delete, Write DAC, Disposition: OverwriteIf, Options: Sequential Access, Non-Directory File, Attributes: A, ShareMode: None, AllocationSize: 0, OpenResult: Created"
"14:56:55.3426861","launcher.exe","15572","CreateFile","D:\Desktop\Opera browser.lnk","SUCCESS","Desired Access: Generic Read/Write, Delete, Write DAC, Disposition: OpenIf, Options: Sequential Access, Synchronous IO Non-Alert, Non-Directory File, Attributes: A, ShareMode: None, AllocationSize: 0, OpenResult: Opened"
"14:56:55.3544577","launcher.exe","15572","CreateFile","D:\Desktop\Opera browser.lnk","SUCCESS","Desired Access: Read Attributes, Disposition: Open, Options: Open Reparse Point, Attributes: n/a, ShareMode: Read, Write, Delete, AllocationSize: n/a, OpenResult: Opened"

mathias87

mathias87

I'm encountering this bug as well for at least a week.
Opera version 64.0.3417.92.

Looking forward to a solution.

burnout426

burnout426 Volunteer

Okay, so it appears to be Opera's launcher.exe. Can you check the properties of the shortcut or pinned taskbar icon to make sure the command is just "C:\Program Files\Opera\launcher.exe" and nothing else?. Also, try starting Opera directly by browsing to the Opera program files folder and launching launcher.exe directly to see if it makes any difference.

"D:\Desktop\Opera browser.lnk"

That's weird. Do you have a D drive with a Desktop folder on it? You said Opera is installed to:

Installations-Verzeichnis: C:\Program Files\Opera
Profil-Verzeichnis: C:\Users\Myself\AppData\Roaming\Opera Software\Opera Stable
Cache-Verzeichnis: C:\Users\Myself\AppData\Local\Opera Software\Opera Stable

, so I don't see why Opera would try to generate a desktop icon on "D:".

If there's no "D:" or D:\Desktop folder, I guess Opera might default to creating the file on your normal desktop.

Do you have a junction set up between d:\desktop and C:\Users\Myself\desktop?

burnout426

burnout426 Volunteer @mathias87

@mathias87 Are you using Windows 10? Using multiple monitors? Do you have another drive besides C:? Can you check with Process Monitor too?

burnout426

burnout426 Volunteer

Did you ever doing anything like this: https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/74971-move-location-desktop-folder-windows-10-a.html?

If you look at "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders" in the registry, what's it say for the Desktop entry? By default, it should say %USERPROFILE%\Desktop.

A Former User @burnout426

@burnout426 i see the D : drv that he posted from The Process Monitor thingy

umm maybe he may have a virtue D drv that starts with windows that he has forgotton about.. lol

i agree he says he did install Opera on C drv and that hes got two monitors and two desktops..

he has never answered your question about which windows he has got..

@wdburgdorf - when ya get the time could ya please answer all of the new questions burnout426 has asked..

plus this old one - which Windows are you running ? !..

Go to your - start - run - then type winver - in the box.. it will tell ya which windows and build ya got in the window that will open up..

burnout426

burnout426 Volunteer @Guest

@nvmjustagirl said in Deleted desktop icon back on every start:

he has never answered your question about which windows he has got

I assumed Win10 when looking at the user-agent string he posted.

A Former User @burnout426

@burnout426 yea he is running 10 like ya said..

theres sumthing about his desktop icon - weird

would it help if when the icon appears again to right click - properties and him paste the target feild and the start in feild to see if The Process Monitor thingy are matching up or not..

and post the launcher.exe propertis out of the File Explorer.. And if or if it pinned to taskbar

and does File Explorer show a D drv when it opens.. C drv will show but does D..

which when he deletes the icon then restarts opera and icon appears again

then how is restarting opera.. lol *i give up

mathias87

mathias87 @burnout426

@burnout426 said in Deleted desktop icon back on every start:

@mathias87 Are you using Windows 10? Using multiple monitors? Do you have another drive besides C:? Can you check with Process Monitor too?

Yes, Windows 10. One monitor. No other drive besides "C:".
How do I open this process monitor? And what can I do with it?

burnout426

burnout426 Volunteer @mathias87

@mathias87 said in Deleted desktop icon back on every start:

How do I open this process monitor? And what can I do with it?

https://forums.opera.com/post/187831

wdburgdorf

wdburgdorf @Guest

@nvmjustagirl Hi again, sorry, I'm snowed under currently.
Yes, Win10. Desktop is on D. Simply selected in folder options. That (alone) cannot be the issue. I have the same setup on another PC, no problem there.
About user rights, I also don't think that's it. I removed Opera, then installed it on my admin account. Same issue there. Unfortunately, there was no option to install for all users, so now I don't have it anymore on my normal user account.

(I also found out how Opera made itself default without asking: On one of the installation screens is a small link that says "Options" - and there I found the default opt out. That's a bit sneaky, don't you think. Not your fault, sure, but maybe you have contacts to talk to about that?)

burnout426

burnout426 Volunteer @wdburgdorf

@wdburgdorf said in Deleted desktop icon back on every start:

Yes, Win10. Desktop is on D. Simply selected in folder options. That (alone) cannot be the issue. I have the same setup on another PC, no problem there.

Can you compare ""HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders" on both computers to see if any of the differences stand out?

@wdburgdorf said in Deleted desktop icon back on every start:

About user rights, I also don't think that's it. I removed Opera, then installed it on my admin account. Same issue there.

So, Opera was running as a normal user account initially.

Unfortunately, there was no option to install for all users, so now I don't have it anymore on my normal user account.

Uninstall Opera (you can keep your data if you want). Delete "C:\Program Files\Opera" for good measure. Then, launch Opera's installer and click the "options" link. Change the "install path" to "C:\Program Files\Opera". Then, you should be able to change the "install for" to "All Users". Then, make sure to adjust the other checkbox and options. Then install.

That'll get things back to normal. And, just for kicks, try Opera again on the admin account to see if the icon is still created. If not then, I'm wondering if it's an all users setup + running Opera as normal user + a different desktop. But, I assume that alone isn't the cause if that's what you do on the other computer.

Is your D drive formatted as NTFS fat/fat32 or extFAT?