The Recycling Bin icon has disappeared from the desktop. This problem first occurred a while ago when I logged into Windows and noticed that the icon was missing. I managed to locate the Recycling Bin but the only method to get the icon back to the desktop was to create a shortcut. However, I have now accidentally deleted the icon (again) and forgotten how to find the Recycling Bin’s location again. Would it be possible to recover the Recycling Bin, preferably in the original form not the shortcut form. The computer is running Windows Vista.

The method that you previously used to locate the Recycling Bin and create a shortcut was likely opening Windows Explorer and then finding the Recycling Bin within the various groups of files and folders which allowed you to drag the Recycling Bin to the desktop, thus creating a shortcut. However, this is not the optimal solution (as you have discovered) as this just creates a shortcut on your desktop rather than having the actual Recycling Bin icon. To recover the actual icon onto the desktop, right-click in an empty space on your desktop and select “Personalize”. In the window that appears under the “Tasks” heading, click the “Change desktop icons” link in the left-hand column. A new window should appear titled “Desktop Icon Settings”. This allows you to modify the icons that appear on the desktop. Under the “Desktop Icons” heading, tick the “Recycle Bin” icon and then click OK. The Recycling Bin icon should now appear on the desktop.