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Symptoms

Issue 1

Considering the following scenario:

  • You create five or more shortcuts on the desktop of a computer that is running Windows 7.

  • These shortcuts are pointed to an external location. For example, the shortcuts are pointed to network resources or to removable storage devices.

  • The computer is disconnected from the network where the network resources reside. Or, the removable devices are disconnected from the computer.

  • You run the System Maintenance troubleshooter on the computer.

In this scenario, these shortcuts are deleted from the desktop.

Note These shortcuts are treated as broken shortcuts.

Issue 2

Considering the following scenario:

  • You create ten or more shortcuts on the desktop of a computer that is running Windows 7.

  • These shortcuts are pointed to executable files that were executed at least one time on the computer.

  • The executable files were not executed in the past three months.

  • You run the System Maintenance troubleshooter on the computer.

In this scenario, the System Maintenance troubleshooter offers to delete these shortcuts.

Note These shortcuts are treated as unused desktop icons.

Resolution

After you install this hotfix, you can disable the "Broken Shortcut" task or the "Unused Desktop Icon" task in the System Maintenance troubleshooter by configuring the registry. Detailed steps are described in the "Registry information" section.

Hotfix information

A supported hotfix is available from Microsoft. However, this hotfix is intended to correct only the problem that is described in this article. Apply this hotfix only to systems that are experiencing the problem described in this article. This hotfix might receive additional testing. Therefore, if you are not severely affected by this problem, we recommend that you wait for the next software update that contains this hotfix.

If the hotfix is available for download, there is a "Hotfix download available" section at the top of this Knowledge Base article. If this section does not appear, contact Microsoft Customer Service and Support to obtain the hotfix.

Note If additional issues occur or if any troubleshooting is required, you might have to create a separate service request. The usual support costs will apply to additional support questions and issues that do not qualify for this specific hotfix. For a complete list of Microsoft Customer Service and Support telephone numbers or to create a separate service request, visit the following Microsoft website:

http://support.microsoft.com/contactus/?ws=supportNote The "Hotfix download available" form displays the languages for which the hotfix is available. If you do not see your language, it is because a hotfix is not available for that language.

Prerequisites

To apply this hotfix, you must be running Windows 7 or Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (SP1).

For more information about how to obtain a Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2 service pack, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

976932 Information about Service Pack 1 for Windows 7 and for Windows Server 2008 R2

Registry information

Important This section, method, or task contains steps that tell you how to modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

322756 How to back up and restore the registry in Windows

To have us disable the "Broken Shortcut" task for you, go to the "Fix it for me" section. If you prefer to disable the "Broken Shortcut" task yourself, go to the "Let me fix it myself" section.

Fix it for me



To disable the "Broken Shortcut" task automatically, click the Fix it button or link. Then click Run in the File Download dialog box, and follow the steps in the Fix it wizard.




Notes

  • Please install the hotfix in "Hotfix download available" section at the top of this Knowledge Base article before you run the Fix it solution.

  • This wizard may be in English only. However, the automatic fix also works for other language versions of Windows.

  • If you are not on the computer that has the problem, save the Fix it solution to a flash drive or a CD and then run it on the computer that has the problem.


Then, go to the "Did this fix the problem?" section.



Let me fix it myself

To disable the "Broken Shortcut" task, follow these steps:

  1. Click Start start button , type regedit in the Search programs and files box, and then press ENTER.

    UAC If you are prompted for an administrator password, type the password. If you are prompted for confirmation, provide confirmation.

  2. Locate and then click the following registry subkey:

    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\ScheduledDiagnostics\

  3. On the Edit menu, point to New, and then click DWORD Value.

  4. Type IsBrokenShortcutsTSEnabled, and then press ENTER.

  5. Right-click IsBrokenShortcutsTSEnabled, and then click Modify.

  6. In the Value data box, type 0, and then click OK.

  7. Exit Registry Editor.

To have us disable the "Unused Desktop Icon" task for you, go to the "Fix it for me" section. If you prefer to disable the "Unused Desktop Icon" task yourself, go to the "Let me fix it myself" section.

Fix it for me



To disable the "Unused Desktop Icon" task automatically, click the Fix it button or link. Then click Run in the File Download dialog box, and follow the steps in the Fix it wizard.




Notes

  • Please install the hotfix in "Hotfix download available" section at the top of this Knowledge Base article before you run the Fix it solution.

  • This wizard may be in English only. However, the automatic fix also works for other language versions of Windows.

  • If you are not on the computer that has the problem, save the Fix it solution to a flash drive or a CD and then run it on the computer that has the problem.


Then, go to the "Did this fix the problem?" section.



Let me fix it myself

To disable the "Unused Desktop Icon" task, follow these steps:

  1. Click Start start button , type regedit in the Search programs and files box, and then press ENTER.

    UAC If you are prompted for an administrator password, type the password. If you are prompted for confirmation, provide confirmation.

  2. Locate and then click the following registry subkey:

    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\ScheduledDiagnostics\

  3. On the Edit menu, point to New, and then click DWORD Value.

  4. Type IsUnusedDesktopIconsTSEnabled, and then press ENTER.

  5. Right-click IsUnusedDesktopIconsTSEnabled, and then click Modify.

  6. In the Value data box, type 0, and then click OK.

  7. Exit Registry Editor.

Restart requirement

You do not have to restart the computer after you apply this hotfix.

Hotfix replacement information

This hotfix does not replace a previously released hotfix.

File information

The global version of this hotfix installs files that have the attributes that are listed in the following tables. The dates and the times for these files are listed in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). The dates and the times for these files on your local computer are displayed in your local time together with your current daylight saving time (DST) bias. Additionally, the dates and the times may change when you perform certain operations on the files.

Windows 7 file information notes


  • The files that apply to a specific product, milestone (RTM, SPn), and service branch (LDR, GDR) can be identified by examining the file version numbers as shown in the following table:

    Version

    Product

    Milestone

    Service branch

    6.1.760
    0.21xxx

    Windows 7

    RTM

    LDR

    6.1.760
    1.21xxx

    Windows 7

    SP1

    LDR

  • The MANIFEST files (.manifest) and the MUM files (.mum) that are installed for each environment are listed separately in the "Additional file information for Windows 7" section. MUM and MANIFEST files, and the associated security catalog (.cat) files, are extremely important to maintain the state of the updated components. The security catalog files, for which the attributes are not listed, are signed with a Microsoft digital signature.

For all supported x86-based versions of Windows 7

File name

File version

File size

Date

Time

Platform

Diagpackage.dll

6.1.7600.21097

77,312

24-Nov-2011

06:11

x86

Ts_brokenshortcuts.ps1

Not Applicable

3,618

23-Nov-2011

23:51

Not Applicable

Ts_unuseddesktopicons.ps1

Not Applicable

3,408

23-Nov-2011

23:51

Not Applicable

Diagpackage.dll

6.1.7601.21866

77,312

24-Nov-2011

06:04

x86

Ts_brokenshortcuts.ps1

Not Applicable

3,618

23-Nov-2011

23:51

Not Applicable

Ts_unuseddesktopicons.ps1

Not Applicable

3,408

23-Nov-2011

23:51

Not Applicable
For all supported x64-based versions of Windows 7

File name

File version

File size

Date

Time

Platform

Diagpackage.dll

6.1.7600.21097

77,312

24-Nov-2011

06:59

x64

Ts_brokenshortcuts.ps1

Not Applicable

3,618

23-Nov-2011

23:51

Not Applicable

Ts_unuseddesktopicons.ps1

Not Applicable

3,408

23-Nov-2011

23:51

Not Applicable

Diagpackage.dll

6.1.7601.21866

77,312

24-Nov-2011

06:55

x64

Ts_brokenshortcuts.ps1

Not Applicable

3,618

23-Nov-2011

23:53

Not Applicable

Ts_unuseddesktopicons.ps1

Not Applicable

3,408

23-Nov-2011

23:53

Not Applicable


Did this fix the problem?

  • Check whether the problem is fixed. If the problem is fixed, you are finished with this section. If the problem is not fixed, you can contact support.

  • We would appreciate your feedback. To provide feedback or to report any issues with this solution, please leave a comment on the "Fix it for me" blog or send us an email.

Status

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed in the "Applies to" section.

More Information

For more information about the System Maintenance troubleshooter, visit the following Microsoft website:

General information about the System Maintenance troubleshooterFor more information about software update terminology, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

824684 Description of the standard terminology that is used to describe Microsoft software updates

Additional file information

Additional file information for Windows 7

Additional files for all supported x86-based versions of Windows 7

File name

X86_15677abceb174092a989b09367dcf7cf_31bf3856ad364e35_6.1.7601.21866_none_7fb84d7e8f2091dc.manifest

File version

Not Applicable

File size

709

Date (UTC)

28-Nov-2011

Time (UTC)

22:21

File name

X86_7b6afe891cc7fe154b964413c3cd697d_31bf3856ad364e35_6.1.7600.21097_none_d92a18c3e4de095f.manifest

File version

Not Applicable

File size

709

Date (UTC)

28-Nov-2011

Time (UTC)

22:21

File name

X86_microsoft-windows-maintenancediagnostic_31bf3856ad364e35_6.1.7600.21097_none_8a4608cb841ba999.manifest

File version

Not Applicable

File size

16,212

Date (UTC)

24-Nov-2011

Time (UTC)

07:14

File name

X86_microsoft-windows-maintenancediagnostic_31bf3856ad364e35_6.1.7601.21866_none_8c4bff0f812a7240.manifest

File version

Not Applicable

File size

16,212

Date (UTC)

24-Nov-2011

Time (UTC)

07:11
Additional files for all supported x64-based versions of Windows 7

File name

Amd64_a06e65a5f615e7f612e57cedd3046791_31bf3856ad364e35_6.1.7600.21097_none_e8adad1a73ea2f5b.manifest

File version

Not Applicable

File size

713

Date (UTC)

28-Nov-2011

Time (UTC)

22:20

File name

Amd64_c21ff2bb8321aceae6022b0e9fd977f5_31bf3856ad364e35_6.1.7601.21866_none_a00d3b7c25356a3a.manifest

File version

Not Applicable

File size

713

Date (UTC)

28-Nov-2011

Time (UTC)

22:20

File name

Amd64_microsoft-windows-maintenancediagnostic_31bf3856ad364e35_6.1.7600.21097_none_e664a44f3c791acf.manifest

File version

Not Applicable

File size

16,216

Date (UTC)

25-Nov-2011

Time (UTC)

21:01

File name

Amd64_microsoft-windows-maintenancediagnostic_31bf3856ad364e35_6.1.7601.21866_none_e86a9a933987e376.manifest

File version

Not Applicable

File size

16,216

Date (UTC)

25-Nov-2011

Time (UTC)

21:00
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