"Show Desktop" Shortcut Doesn't Work

[Guest Skippybox]

My "Show Desktop" shortcut/button on the Quick Launch toolbar on the Taskbar

no longer works. This is one of the default buttons provided with the Quick

Launch toolbar.

 

The shortcut icon has changed to a generic one and the Properties reflect

that it is now a SimTowns Sounds type of file. I believe the file is intact,

since in Notepad the functionality appears to still be there. I just think

that the file thinks it's a SimTown Sounds file.

 

The file has a .scf extension, so maybe SimTown is simultaneously using this

Windows extension. However, in the registered file types list, no .scf

extension exists for either Windows or SimTown. I don't have SimTown

installed.

 

Obviously, the Show the Desktop menu command still functions when you

right-click the taskbar, as this would not be affected.

 

So how do I return functionality to the "Show Desktop" button? Thanks!

[Guest VanguardLH]

Re: "Show Desktop" Shortcut Doesn't Work

 

"Skippybox" wrote in

<news:0B189BBD-8B4E-41F4-AE47-FDA3920802C9@microsoft.com>:

> My "Show Desktop" shortcut/button on the Quick Launch toolbar on the Taskbar

> no longer works. This is one of the default buttons provided with the Quick

> Launch toolbar.

>

> The shortcut icon has changed to a generic one and the Properties reflect

> that it is now a SimTowns Sounds type of file. I believe the file is intact,

> since in Notepad the functionality appears to still be there. I just think

> that the file thinks it's a SimTown Sounds file.

>

> The file has a .scf extension, so maybe SimTown is simultaneously using this

> Windows extension. However, in the registered file types list, no .scf

> extension exists for either Windows or SimTown. I don't have SimTown

> installed.

>

> Obviously, the Show the Desktop menu command still functions when you

> right-click the taskbar, as this would not be affected.

>

> So how do I return functionality to the "Show Desktop" button? Thanks!

 

In a DOS shell, run:

 

assoc .scf

 

It should return .scf is associated with SHCmdFile (Shell Command File).

Then, in regedit.exe, go to:

 

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\SHCmdFile\shell\open\command

 

It should show explore.exe as the filetype handler.

 

So did you install some software called SimTowns, like some simulation

games (Sims, perhaps)? Looks like it wanted to associate with the .scf

filetype. It might've asked you as a configuration option during the

install and let it go ahead to change that association.

 

Read Microsoft's KB article 190355 to see how to restore the Show

Desktop icon in the QuickLaunch toolbar. However, you will need the

registry info above to restore the filetype association back to

explorer.exe to handle shell scripts. You could run the following in a

DOS shell:

 

assoc .scf=SHCmdFile

[Guest Skippybox]

Re: "Show Desktop" Shortcut Doesn't Work

 

What a wonderfully simple solution! I thought this would be hard to fix, but

boy was I surprised. I greatly appreciated the suggestion.

 

When I ran "assoc .scf" in Comand Prompt it returned: ".scf=SimTown.SCF".

 

In regedit.exe, in HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\SHCmdFile\shell\open\command it still

showed explorer.exe as the filetype handler.

 

So I just ran "assoc .scf=SHCmdFile" and the shortcut/button worked again.

I didn't have to restore the icon, it simply returned.

 

I didn't install SimTown, I just ran it on my computer before I had the

problem. If I did install it, would the installer use an extension already

in use by Windows? Why would software developers (or Windows developers)

even use an extension already claimed? Isn't there any collaboration on file

types? It seems strange to me. Thanks again.