Is it safe to delete .ini files in my desktop?

Asked By 200 points N/A Posted on -
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Hi,

First of all, I am not the only user of our desktop.  So I cannot really say if there was a change in the configuration settings of our computer. But as for me, I did not change any thing.

Our desktop is operating on Windows Vista. The issue is that, I am seeing desktop.ini files on the desktop. I am afraid to delete it thinking that I may not be able to boot it again or I might ruin our computer. So as of the moment, I didn't do anything on it. What I want to know is how to get rid of it?

Please help me.

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Best Answer by Sam_Ryle
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Answered By 0 points N/A #126360

Is it safe to delete .ini files in my desktop?

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Hi there, 

Desktop.ini is important and normally should not be removed.  There may be a setting that needs to be adjusted in order for it not to appear.  Normally it should be hidden. Here's what you should do, so that it  stays hidden.

  1. Open Windows Explorer and go to Tools then Folder Options.
  2. In the Folder Options window, go to View tab.
  3. In view tab look for Don't show hidden files, folders or drives and Hide protected operating system files. Click them to check their corresponding boxes.
  4. Close Folder Options and restart your computer.

Hope that helps.

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Answered By 0 points N/A #126361

Is it safe to delete .ini files in my desktop?

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Hi Earl,


Desktop.ini is a common file, that is used internally, by all versions of Microsoft Windows to store data regarding, how a folder is displayed using Windows Explorer.

It does not harm your computer in any way, so it is safe to leave them as they are. You can try to delete them, but you will notice that they will automatically be restored the moment you do so.

If the appearance of these files bothers you that much, you can use folder options to prevent these files from being displayed.  They are usually marked as 'system files' and there is a way to hide them using Folder Options.

1) Go to Start -> Control Panel -> Appearance and Personalization -> Folder options

2) Click on the 'View' tab.

3) make sure the box for 'Hide protected operating system files' is checked.

That done, you should now have no more annoying Desktop.ini's displayed.

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Answered By 0 points N/A #195618

Is it safe to delete .ini files in my desktop?

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Desktop.ini files are the hidden file that are used to modify settings on Windows folder that has the file. You can safely delete these from any of the directory. But these ini files are associated with some folder and deleting them will alter the settings to go back to its original settings.

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Answered By 590495 points N/A #293543

Is it safe to delete .ini files in my desktop?

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An INI file (.ini) is an initialization file. The term “ini” in the extension name stands for “initialization” and it is used by Microsoft Windows. These files are just plain text files used to set parameters for some applications as well as the operating system. In the Microsoft Windows operating system, there are two common INI files: the “win.ini” and the “system.ini” files.

These files contain statements that set different parameters for the peripherals, screen colors, passwords, mouse, keyboard, and others. If you are seeing different INI files on your desktop, don’t just delete them without checking where they are located. Deleting them might cripple an application or the operating system itself so be very careful. Right-click an INI shortcut on your desktop and select “Properties”.

The next screen should direct you to the “Shortcut” tab of the desktop item. In the “Target” field, check the path of the file to know where it is located. Open Windows Explorer and navigate to that location then create a backup copy of that file. Once the backup has been created, try deleting the file from your desktop.

After this, check if the file has been deleted from its original location on your drive. If the file hasn’t been deleted, go to the next INI file on your desktop and repeat the same steps until you clear your desktop from all INI files.

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