Windows XP forum: missing the recycle bin icon

Try right-clicking your desktop and selecting "properties." On the window that comes up, select the "desktop" tab, then click "customize desktop." On the next window, select "recycle bin (full)" and click "restore default," then repeat with "recycle bin (empty)."

If that doesn't work, when using Tweak UI, just left-click "desktop" (NOT the plus sign next to it) and you'll be presented with a list of possible desktop options. Just make sure that Recycle Bin is checked. You can also click "repair" in Tweak UI, then select "rebuild icons" from the drop-down menu and click "repair now."

Hope this helps,
John

1] Does the recycle bin show up in Windows Explorer? (Start > All Programs > Accessories > Windows Explorer).

In the left hand pane the Recycle Bin icon should be displayed.

If it does, highlight it, and see what deleted files are stored in it in the right hand pane. Delete them. See if that restores the bin to your desktop. You may have to reboot to see if it is restored.

2] If that doesn't work, go here;
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_abc.htm
select R and scroll down to "Recycle Bin - Repair or Replace". Right click the link and select "Save as".

Save this reg file to your desktop. Then right click it and select Merge. This is a registry repair so if your anti-virus kicks in with a warning that it is a virus, accept that it is not as Kelly's Korner is a reputable utility resource.

Hope this sorts it for you.

Mark

This works. I was able to recover important file

This solution worked perfectly for me (here in 2009). I had tried redoing the registry, the properties attempt, and others to no avail. The Kelly's Korner file did the trick quickly and easily. Even my contractor computer specialist couldn't find the fix! Thanks again.

simply create xyz.reg file and paste the following and double click the xyz.reg file and click yes..you are done..



REGEDIT4

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\explorer\Desktop\NameSpace\{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}]
@="Recycle Bin"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}] @="Recycle
Bin" "InfoTip"="Contains deleted items you can permanently remove or restore."

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}\DefaultIcon]
@="shell32.dll,31" "Empty"="shell32.dll,31" "Full"="shell32.dll,32"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}\InProcServer32]
@="shell32.dll" "ThreadingModel"="Apartment"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}\ShellFolder]
"Attributes"=hex:40,01,00,20

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}\shellex]

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers]

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers\{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}]
@=""

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}\shellex\PropertySheetHandlers]

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}\shellex\PropertySheetHandlers\{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}]
@=""

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}\shellex\ExtShellFolderViews]

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}\shellex\ExtShellFolderViews\{5984FFE0-28D4-11CF-AE66-08002B2E1262}]
"PersistMoniker"="file://C:\\WINDOWS\\web\\recycle.htt"

I don't know if you noticed, but this discussion was started nearly 2 years ago, and the poster who you have replied to has not contributed any other posts since August 2005. It is not wise resurrecting old posts and people here see the age and often pass on by. You would do well to create your own discussion and seek help that way.

In addition, the person you are replying to for help offered a way to change the Windows XP registry. The registry is the core of the XP Operating System, the heart if you like, and making any changes to it without knowing what you are doing can cause irreparable harm. Changes can produce unexpected results, and can even stop Windows from working altogether.

Before you consider whether you want to make your own discussion, have you read through the other solutions offered in all the posts in this one? If so, what results did you get. You could post those results in your new discussion if none of them work for you.

Mark

did you try reloading windows

Personally, I've never liked the recycle bin. It's one of the first things I hack the registry to eliminate.

Instead I use Eraser 5.3 and Spybot's Secure Shredder.

I've read a few places that emptying the bin only compresses it's contents, and moves them to a less used sector. They then will only be written over when you are running out of HD space.

That may not be true, but I prefer the alternatives. Many people like the recycle bin in case they want to undo a deletion. I'm just very careful what I erase.

I used every registry tweak and then removed them because i got nothing.
Then i read Mark Flax's reply. Well ladies and Gents. this was at least for me the ticket i was waiting to bnuy.
It worked flawlessly. Thank you Mark and thanks for leaving these posts so they can be used. I am no novice but I can tell you as I just turned sixty I prescribe to the theory that one can only hold so much information in the gray matter then the stuff you remembered first falls out your ear and it is lost until you find the information somewhere else. No Really! Just kidding but I did forget this neat little trick and it was everything I wanted and it did the trick.
This deserves ten atta boys and fifteen thanks
Stan

To recover the Recycle Bin, first you must know how it got deleted...

To delete the Recycle Bin icon from the Windows XP/2003 desktop follow these steps:
1. Open Registry Editor by typing ''Regedit'' in
Start - Run
2. In Registry Editor, navigate to the following
registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Desktop\NameSpace

3. Find the following key:
{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}

Delete the above key.
Note: As always, before making changes to your registry you should always make sure you have a valid backup. In cases where you're supposed to delete or modify keys or values from the registry it is possible to first export that key or value(s) to a .REG file before performing the changes.
4. Close Registry Editor.
There is no need to reboot. Just wait a few seconds and see how the icon disappears from the desktop.
5. In order to restore the Recycle Bin icon to the desktop just re-create the missing key in:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Desktop\NameSpace
(just copy/paste, including the brackets).
Done!
Hope it works for U! Chow

I cannot find a recycle bin icon in my right desktop of my windows xp home page. Thanks joesherm

Go to Start > All Programs > Accessories > Windows Explorer. If the recycle bin is there, click and drag it to your desktop. This should recreate your icon.

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=810869

hiya icant find my recycle bin in my laptop.i am using windows 7.can u help me pls to find out the icon