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Questions tagged [desktop]

The part of a graphical user interface upon which other elements like icons, windows, toolbars or widgets are placed. For questions about software that provides this interface (like Gnome or KDE), use the [desktop-environments] tag. For questions about non-portable personal computers, use the [desktop-computer] tag.

In computing, the desktop is the part of an operating system's graphical user interface (GUI) that acts like a physical desktop, allowing other interface elements to be placed upon it and moved around at will. The desktop may thus contain icons for files and folders, various interactive widgets, toolbars or task bars, as well as windows. This type of interface is ubiquitous in modern operating systems, including Windows, OS X and Linux.

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Is there a way to fake a dual (second) monitor

Is there a way to fake a dual monitor for testing. I have only one monitor and I have to make an application that is suitable for two monitors. The second monitor screen should appear as a window on my primary monitor.
Michael van der Horst
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Icon? file on OS X desktop

When I ls my Desktop from terminal (by using ls ~/Desktop), I see a file named Icon?. As far as I can tell, it's empty (nano Icon? shows nothing). It doesn't show up on my actual Desktop, and open Icon? shows the Finder alert This item is used by…
Chris
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slow windows desktop keyboard shortcuts

I've got a couple of shortcuts on my desktop and on some of them I've configured the "Shortcut key" to a keyboard combination. For example I have a shortcut pointing to d:\documents\todo.txt and I've set Shift + Alt + T. This naturally opens up…
cherouvim
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Disable auto-refresh tabs in Chrome Desktop

Since a recent update in Chrome (Windows, desktop) if I change to some tabs, which haven't been opened for a longer time, Chrome automatically performs a refresh on the page. It only happens, when the tab hasn't been opened for a longer time. It's…
clementino
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How to force Windows to save desktop icon positions?

Is there a way to force Windows to save desktop icon positions?
Jelle Geerts
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How can I get to the recycle bin without the desktop icon in windows 7?

I hate having anything on my desktop. I usually remove all the icons from the desktop, even the recycle bin. Occasionally I need to access the recycle bin, but having to re-enable the icon just to open it, is annoying. I was hoping I could use the…
rmontgomery429
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How do I remove a MyBook's "WD SmartWare" virtual CD from my desktop?

I recently got a Western Digital MyBook external hard drive to enable Time Machine. It has its software installed on a "virtual CD" called "WD SmartWare" which shows up on the desktop any time the drive is plugged in. Since I will use this virtual…
Justin Love
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How do I reduce the desktop icon size in Windows 7?

How can I reduce the size of my desktop icons if the video resolution is already on the highest setting?
Sauron
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What are these green checkmarks on my Desktop icons?

I was playing the solitaire they added back in Windows 10 and when I closed it I noticed there were these green checkmarks on my Desktop icons: What are these green checkmarks on my desktop? How do I get rid of them?
Ken
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Can you change the location of the Desktop folder in Windows?

Right now the files on the desktop are located in C:\Users\Joseph\Desktop. So when I go to that folder in Windows Explorer and create a new text document, it would appear on my desktop. What I need is something like this: I want the files on my…
Pacerier
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"Show Desktop" sometimes sets a window to "always on top"

No worries, not another "where is my show desktop button gone" question. What I found under Windows 7, when you use the "Show Desktop" feature (I prefer the ⊞ Win + D shortcut) and then bring all windows back by using it again, some windows behave…
Mephane
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Hide desktop.ini for the desktop view only; still show hidden and system files

Is it possible to hide desktop.ini on the desktop, but show it when viewed in Windows Explorer? Essentially, I need to be able to see hidden and system files when using Windows Explorer, but I don't like the two desktop.ini files on my desktop…
David Beckman
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How to vertically split widescreen into two virtual workspaces on Ubuntu/Gnome?

My new laptop has a big 16:9 screen, and I'm finding it hard to fully utilize it during the 95% of the time that I'm not watching HD movies on it. I'd like to set it up as a kind of virtual dual screen by splitting the physical screen into two…
David
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Can a fake second display be enabled in Windows 10?

I just updated to Windows 10 and discovered that Microsoft broke this method of adding a fake second monitor: Is there a way to fake a dual (second) monitor which I rely on for scaling some small programs to full screen with OBS. The "Detect" button…
xperia64
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How do I rotate Windows 8 screen?

Most mobile devices like tablets or smartphones have an orientation sensor that signals the OS to rotate itself when the device is rotated. But having installed Windows 8 on a desktop (or virtual machine), how do I rotate the screen? Obviously, this…
Vladimir Sinenko
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