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Restore the Recycle Bin to the Desktop in Windows XP

By Mark W. Kaelin

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Restore the Recycle Bin to the Desktop in Windows XP

Registry Edit

Registry Edit

For many users, the Recycle Bin typically found on the Microsoft Windows Desktop is an important facet of the graphical user interface and the overall operating system experience. However, under certain conditions which we will not go into here, the Recycle Bin has been known to disappear from the Windows Desktop. This quirky behavior is no big deal for Windows Vista and Windows 7 users because the fix is just a few clicks away under Desktop Prosperities.

However, for Windows XP users there is no simple way to add back the Recycle Bin to the Desktop. They have to resort to a Windows Registry file edit. In this How do I gallery you will find out what to edit to restore the Recycle Bin icon to the Windows Desktop.

Note: The Windows Registry is a vital component of the operating system. A corrupted Windows Registry could result in a PC that will not boot to into Windows. Back up the Windows Registry before you doing any edits.

To start the Registry Editor in Windows XP, type regedit into the Run Dialog box.

This gallery is also available as a TechRepublic blog post and download. Image created by Mark Kaelin for TechRepublic.

Restore the Recycle Bin to the Desktop in Windows XP

Editor

Editor

Click OK and you’ll open up the Registry Editor.

This gallery is also available as a TechRepublic blog post and download. Image created by Mark Kaelin for TechRepublic.

Restore the Recycle Bin to the Desktop in Windows XP

Navigate

Navigate

Inside the Registry Editor you will navigate to this entry:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Desktop\NameSpace

This gallery is also available as a TechRepublic blog post and download. Image created by Mark Kaelin for TechRepublic.

Restore the Recycle Bin to the Desktop in Windows XP

Create new key

Create new key

Right-click on the NameSpace registry key and then navigate to New | Key.

This gallery is also available as a TechRepublic blog post and download. Image created by Mark Kaelin for TechRepublic.

Restore the Recycle Bin to the Desktop in Windows XP

A new key

A new key

Type the following string in the new key (copy and paste it would be your best bet):

645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E

You should now have a new registry key.

This gallery is also available as a TechRepublic blog post and download. Image created by Mark Kaelin for TechRepublic.

Restore the Recycle Bin to the Desktop in Windows XP

Edit the key

Edit the key

In the right-hand pane, double click the Default entry to reveal a dialog box like the one shown. Change the text in the Edit String box to read Recycle Bin and click OK.

This gallery is also available as a TechRepublic blog post and download. Image created by Mark Kaelin for TechRepublic.

Restore the Recycle Bin to the Desktop in Windows XP

Return of the Recycle Bin

Return of the Recycle Bin

You should now have a key with an entry similar to the one shown. Close the editor and for the sake of making sure your registry edits were successful, reboot your PC to restart the operating system. When the Windows Desktop reloads you should have an active Recycle Bin.

This gallery is also available as a TechRepublic blog post and download. Image created by Mark Kaelin for TechRepublic.

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By Mark W. Kaelin
Mark W. Kaelin has been writing and editing stories about the information technology industry, software, hardware, gaming, finance, accounting, and technology geekdom for more than 30 years.