Getting Rid of Those Annoying Arrows in Shortcut Icons
Oh, how I hate to see those small arrows in shortcut icons after my desktop appears. Is that what you always say at one time or another. Unfortunately this is something that many people say too often.
Why? Because, it is a common occurrence for everyone using a computer. No matter what type of PC you have, as long as you are running Windows, you have experienced it or are experiencing it now. So what causes those unsightly arrows to appear anyway?
Basically, when you create a shortcut or program information file (PIF), this occurs every time a program is installed and a shortcut icon is added to be shown on the desktop, the icon that is generated has an arrow in the lower left corner. Microsoft Windows has a registry setting called IsShortcut that causes this arrow to appear.
Although this arrow does appear, based on the IsShortcut setting, removing the setting will result in the arrow disappearing. The procedure to do this involves editing the Registry. Remember, using Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall Windows. Before attempting this, make sure to backup the Registry first.
To backup the Registry. open the Registry by clicking Start, Run, Type Regedit. When Regedit opens, click Registry, Export registry file. You give the file a name and location to save it to.
Now comes the nitty-gritty.
If you do not want new shortcut icons to contain this arrow, use Registry Editor to search for and remove the IsShortcut value from:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\lnkfile
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\piffile
This procedure will work every time. Again, I must warn you. Tampering with the Registry can seriously jeopardize your system. Be careful as to what you are doing. If you feel uncomfortable with touching the Registry, ask a friend, who is a technician, to do it for you.
This way, the job gets down with no mistakes. But, I must say, if you follow the steps outlined above precisely, you will not have any problems whatsoever. Everything will work accordingly.
The next time you run your computer and you look at your desktop, you will not see any arrows, or any small images for that matter, anymore.
How nice that will be. Trust me. It works. I tried it on my machine and many others without a failure so far.
Just backup your Registry first for safety precautions. Because if you don't and you end of doing something you shouldn't have, you will be responsible for re-installing the operating system. What a chore that will be.
Harry Husted is a freelance writer and author. His writing projects include ghostwriting, copywriting, web site content, and DTP. His credits include articles for Internet Day, Internet World, Advertising Today, Advertising Age, L-Advertising, and a host of others. Harry is also an author of three books, Learn How to Repair Computers: Get Certified in 15 Weeks, How to Write Your Way to Millions, and How to Find and Start a Legitimate Home Business. He can be reached by sending email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or visit his site at http://www.creatingwords.com
This article is copyright (c) 2002 by Harry Husted, and may be reprinted in it's entirety as long as this byline and copyright statement is included.