How to use IconShepherd

If you are asking why do my desktop icons keep moving, you came to the right place: IconShepherd helps keep the desktop icons in order.

First, after you have arranged the desktop icons the way you like, click the IconShepherd icon in the taskbar notification area (or double-click its desktop icon) and use the Remember icons now - Save as command to save the current layout of the desktop icons for use in the future.

Then, next time Windows messes up your desktop icons, use the Restore icons command on the IconShepherd menu to move the icons back into their positions as they were when you saved them. Yes, it's that easy!

You can save as many icon layouts as you want. You can find this capability especially useful if you often switch monitors or change the screen resolution. You could save several icon layouts, one for each screen configuration that you use, and then restore the appropriate layout from the menu, when needed.

If you rearrange the desktop icons frequently, instead of remembering to use the Save As command after each rearrangement, you can make IconShepherd remember the changes of the icon positions automatically for you. To do that, use the Options command on the IconShepherd menu, and select the Remember icons automatically when icons are moved option:

When this option is enabled, you don't need to do anything to "use" IconShepherd, it just runs half-asleep quietly in the background, waking up only when the icons on the desktop are moved. When that happens, it memorizes and keeps track of the icon layouts as they are changing.

If you find the desktop icons messed up every time you log in to Windows, you can find another option of IconShepherd useful: Restore icons automatically when Windows starts. You can select to restore the icons from a specific layout you saved, or from the last layout that you used.

If you need to delete some of the stored icon layouts, or rename them, or change their order, you can use the Manage Icon Layouts screen to do all that:

You can also use this screen to export the icon layouts into a file to back it up or save for later, or to transfer the layouts to a new computer.

In addition to remembering the positions of the desktop icons, IconShepherd also gives you a quick way to launch the desktop icons without actually using the desktop. (You may find this capability useful if you often find your desktop covered with many open applications, forcing you to minimize or close them in order to reach an icon on the desktop.) If you click the IconShepherd taskbar notification icon with the right mouse button, you should see the Desktop item on top of its regular menu. If you open the Desktop item, it should show separate menu listing all icons that your desktop has, similar to the following:

The left part of this menu shows the items from your personal desktop folder, and the right column contains the items form the common desktop folder, shared with other user accouns. (Many applications install their icons into the common desktop folder.) If you click an item on this menu, it should open just like when you double-click the same itom on the actual desktop. This way, you don't need to minimize or move around open windows covering the desktop; with IconShepherd Desktop menu you can open them much faster.

Note that if you would rather not have this menu, you can hide it using the Options for IconShepherd screen.

Finally, you can use IconShepherd on the command line or in a batch file. And, if you manage a large computer network, you will find the IconShepherd Administrator's Kit of great help.

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