Is there any way to remove icons from the Control Panel?

Is there any way to remove icons from the Control Panel?

This question was answered on January 25, 2001. Much of the information contained herein may have changed since posting.

---

There are times when some applications or device drivers will add Control Panel Applets when they are installed These applets are there usually to manipulate some feature of the device or software Unfortunately, when these drivers or apps are uninstalled they do not remove the icon/applet from Control Panel To fix this, do the following.

1 Make a backup of the registry before starting (Click on Start, Run, type 'scanregw' and click 'OK' Answer yes if it asks you anything.)

2 Make sure the Control Panel is closed.

3 Click on Start, Find, Files or Folders, type '*.cpl' in the search field and make sure C: is in the 'Look In' field Most of the .cpl files will be in the Windows\System folder.

4 Locate the .cpl file that corresponds to what you want to remove If you are not sure of the name, double-clicking each .cpl file will launch its corresponding applet so you can ID it.

5 Once you have located it, right click on the file, select Rename and change the file extension to something like .xxx or .bak.

6 Open Control Panel and the icon/applet should not be there anymore There is no need to restart the system, you are done.

About the author

Posted by Brian of Data Doctors on January 25, 2001

Need Help with this Issue?

We help people with technology! It's what we do.
Contact or Schedule an Appointment with a location for help!