Windows 10 The "This PC" icon disappeared, and I know how to fix it, by why did it?

[rotwang]

Spontaneously the "This PC" icon on my desktop (Windows 10), disappeared. I know how to fix it, and I did, but my question is why does that happen? I haven't done anything unusual lately. So I'm worried it's either the hard drive beginning to fail or a virus.

What are some possible reasons that might happen?

(I'm a developer, so no problem to talk in arcane terms.)

thanks

 

[Neemobeer]

An update possibly or something programmatically changing the setting.

 

[rotwang]

An update possibly or something programmatically changing the setting.

Thanks but I have automatic updates turned off (thanks to that whole "automatic reboot" thing that almost made me switch to mac).

So there's no updates.

 

[davehc]

Try this:
Right click the task bar and select the task manager.
Under the processes tab, scroll down to the "Windows processes" section and look for the "Windows explorer"
Right click it and "restart"
See if the default nav pane settings have returned.

 

[rotwang]

Try this:
Right click the task bar and select the task manager.
Under the processes tab, scroll down to the "Windows processes" section and look for the "Windows explorer"
Right click it and "restart"
See if the default nav pane settings have returned.

Like I said in the original post:

I know how to fix it, and I did, but my question is why does that happen?

You maybe missed that.

Or the title:

"The "This PC" icon disappeared, and I know how to fix it, by why did it?"

 

[davehc]

Sorry Missed it!
Curiosity. Did you use that method, or another way? It could possibly help other members who experience the problem
Of course, logging out or restarting would do the same thing.

 

[rotwang]

No problem, it happens to the best of us, I thank (almost) any response attempt at all!

I'll look at my notes when I get home and follow up.

Actually as I'm typing this- if you go right now on your desktop and click the icon and press the delete key, the dialog suggests something about going to personalization settings in the cp. I think that's what I did (although not from seeing a dialogue since it was gone first, right. just from googling a bit.)