The Recycle Bin icon in Windows Vista or Windows XP does not refresh after you empty the recycle bin or delete a file or a folder. Instead, the Recycle Bin icon is stuck on either the empty icon or the full icon. However, if you press the F5 button on the keyboard to refresh the Desktop manually, the Recycle Bin icon refreshes correctly.

The Recycle Bin does not appear on the desktop in Windows Vista or in Windows XP. Therefore, you cannot use the Recycle Bin to do such tasks as restoring a file that was deleted.

After posting my tip on how to “Restore Your Vista Recycle Bin Icon“, a number of readers commented on how their icon didn’t work right after restoring it. Even with items in the bin, the icon remains ‘empty’. Well, one of my readers found the fix. Keep reading →

I‘ve mentioned previously how to remove the Recycle Bin from your desktop, and how to restore it. Now lets take a look a bit further into how the Recycle Bin works, and at some of the ways you can reconfigure how it behaves. Keep reading →

Some people don’t like any icons on their desktop. If this is you, simply right-click your desktop, choose View from the menu, and choose Show Desktop Icons, which will turn them off if they are currently on. Other people don’t mind the icons, they just would prefer not to have the Recycle Bin icon on the desktop. In that case, here’s how to turn it off: Keep reading →