Things can be 'off-screen' and still in the folder. It has happen to me more than once and it is really a pain when  you open a preference pane and it is off-screen so you can't necessarily close it.

Ed Wall

On Oct 19, 2012, at  6:00 PM, rdavis wrote:

> Have you tried relaunching the Finder? Or rebooting the machine?
> 
> And it is a good idea to keep the desktop clean with as few items as possible. I myself had a terrible clutter there and didn't realize how much of a performance hit I was taking until I got rid of most of it.
> 
> --------------------
> Rick Davis
> 
>>> On 19 Oct 2012, at 00:46, Geoff Roynon wrote:
>>> 
>>>> Have you checked your folder - <user>/Desktop?
>>>> 
>>>> Keeping files on the desktop is not good practice and creates a lot more work for the O/S.
>>>> 
>>>> Jeff
>>> 
>>> Geoff
>>> 
>>> In file view, there are folders there.
>>> 
>>> That it should not be good practice to put stuff on the desktop is something I can understand. But in the present situation, the desktop is not functioning properly.
>>> 
>>> I have looked at all Finder options and I don't see what allows me to make the necessary changes.
>>> 
>>> At the present, I have a desktop picture and nothing else. Very frustrating.
>>> 
>>> 
>>> T
>> Not sure what to suggest - you could try a safe boot (hold the shift key while booting). That may show the missing files.
>> 
>> Jeff
> 
> 
> ------------------
> リック・デーヴィス
> Rick Davis
> rdavis at mx6 dot nns dot ne dot jp
> 網駅 http://www.yin.or.jp/user/rdavis