What does a grayed-out shortcut indicate?

Question

This morning I notice I have a new shortcut on my desktop - "desktop.ini"

It is grayed out, yet I can open it and see the minimal contents, namely:

[.ShellClassInfo]
LocalizedResourceName=@%SystemRoot%\system32\shell32.dll,-21769
IconResource=%SystemRoot%\system32\imageres.dll,-183

I don't know how this "ghost" file got there, why it's there, or even whether it's a "rogue" file.

Does anybody have any insight on what would cause that file to suddenly appear with its washed-out appearance?

UPDATE

I just realized - that file on the desktop is not a shortcut after all - it is the actual file. So where does this file normally belong? I'll move it back to there and get it to stop cluttering up my desktop.

Solution 1

Windows uses these "hidden" system files to store metadata about the folder. It is not a rogue or harmful file. You can delete them but they'll probably come back. Use the options others have given if you don't want them to be visible.

Solution 2

It's just a system file, designated to be 'hidden'. You can set folder preferences to Show/Hide Hidden Files/Folders if you like. Common files are .BAT, .DLL, and .INI

Solution 3

The icon in question is grayed because it's a so-called System file. It is normally there, but is normally hidden.

Open Windows Explorer, then click on Tools > Folder options (you might have to press the ALT key first), then go to the View tab. Make sure Hide protected operating system files (Recommended) is checked. If it is, click on Don't show hidden files, folders, or drives (to turn off Show hidden files, folders, and drives) to make the icon disappear from the Desktop.

Comments

[B. Clay Shannon-B. Crow Raven]

I know what kind of file it is; I just don't get why it will show up all of a sudden on my desktop as a shortcut.

[trpt4him]

Where does the shortcut point to? Maybe it's there because you dragged or copied files from another folder that had the file in it.

[B. Clay Shannon-B. Crow Raven]

No, I never drag files onto my desktop. Location is "C:\Users\clay\Desktop"

[B. Clay Shannon-B. Crow Raven]

And I just noticed - it's not a shortcut at all - it is the actual file.

[B. Clay Shannon-B. Crow Raven]

Yes, I found this: tech-recipes.com/rx/6108/…

[B. Clay Shannon-B. Crow Raven]

From where? I see no "Tools" either when right-clicking on the desktop, nor in Windows Exploder...

[PsychoData]

I added a better explanation of how to get to The folder options page.