Early on I was told to keep the desktop as clear as possible from icons and files, to speed up system performance, but then read that there was no affect. Currently, wifey has well over 100 files and folders on her desktop. The computer (several years old) has gotten much slower in the past year or two. I'm wondering if the two are related. Are they? Will any icon/file slow the system down? How about just large files? I'm not talking about a slow startup, just general lagging throughout the day.Paul MS Office 2010 Windows XP SP3

It is generally recommended to keep the desktop as clean as possible and not use up all the space in Windows partition.Do two thingsUse Disk Cleanup.http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310312Use CCleaner to remove temporary files.http://www.filehippo.com/download_ccleaner/Use Disk Defragmenterhttp://support.microsoft.com/kb/314848Some tips to speed up XPhttp://www.microsoft.com/athome/setup/optimize.aspxhttp://reviews.cnet.com/4520-10165_7-5554402-1.htmlhttp://www.wikihow.com/Speed-up-a-Windows-XP-Computer Click Mark as Answer if this post answers your question.

It is generally recommended to keep the desktop as clean as possible and not use up all the space in Windows partition.Do two thingsUse Disk Cleanup.http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310312Use CCleaner to remove temporary files.http://www.filehippo.com/download_ccleaner/Use Disk Defragmenterhttp://support.microsoft.com/kb/314848Some tips to speed up XPhttp://reviews.cnet.com/4520-10165_7-5554402-1.htmlhttp://www.wikihow.com/Speed-up-a-Windows-XP-Computer Click Mark as Answer if this post answers your question.

It is generally recommended to keep the desktop as clean as possible and not use up all the space in Windows partition. So the issue is space taken up in the Windows partition, and not the desktop per se? It doesn't matter if the icons or files are in teh desktop directory itself, or in a sub-directory? Paul MS Office 2010 Windows XP SP3

The desktop is always located in the Windows Directory. And if your desktop is cluttered with 100 icons it will take more time to refresh/load them than it will take to load say 5 icons. Click Mark as Answer if this post answers your question.

each user has a "desktop" folder and in it should only contain shortcuts, ie Shortcut (.lnk)however some poorly written programs set up / install themselves to the "desktop folder" instead of the "program files" folder.as the result of these programs and their associated files being immensely larger than simple tiny shortcuts, program files inside the desktop folder have the propencity to decrease performance and even crash the user account.but you can double check and even organize the desktop via the desktop folder by right clicking on the start button and exploring the user accounts. the shortcut links and program files should be easy to distinguish via the file type and file size columns in the explorer.my suggestion is that if you find any programs inside the desktop folder, you should uninstall them or delete them or move them.then reinstall the programs and ensure the setup under the program files folder. db`...> DatabaseBen, Retired Professional - Systems Analyst - Database Developer - Accountancy - Veteran of the Armed Forces - @Hotmail.com "share the nirvana mann" - dbZen ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > >

In addition to the comments from others, note that System Restore monitors your desktop. Thus, if you have large files (e.g., applications and/or installers) on your desktop, your Restore Points will take up more space and you will have fewer available Restore Points. (See: How Do I Test System Restore http://bertk.mvps.org/html/tips.html#3 )