Windows Recycle Bin does not refresh after being emptied

After emptying the Recycle Bin, you would expect the desktop icon to refresh from a full Recycle Bin to an empty one. However, if your Recycle Bin was ever deleted from the desktop, this simple functionality may no longer work. To resolve this situation...

1. From the Desktop Icon Settings window, click the icon labeled Recycle Bin (full).
2. Click Change Icon.... The Change Icon window will display.
3. Click Browse, and navigate to C:\Windows\System32\imageres.dll.
4. Scroll through the icons and select the empty Recycle Bin then click OK.
5. Back at the Desktop Icon Settings window, you will repeat this same process for the icon labeled Recycle Bin (empty), only this time you will select the full Recycle Bin image. Click: OK once this is done.
6. Click Apply.
7. Now simply reverse the changes you just completed. Click Recycle Bin (full) and change the icon to the full Recycle Bin image. Click Recycle Bin (empty) and change the icon to the empty Recycle Bin image.
8. Click OK to close the Desktop Icon Settings window. The Recycle Bin should now function as you would expect: When full, it will display the full icon. When empty, it will display the empty icon.

Restore missing icons to the desktop

Certain icons (the Recycle Bin or Computer, for example) are always expected to be on the Windows desktop. However, since it is possible to remove these oft used shortcuts, it is important that you know how to restore them.

1. Right-click on an empty space of the desktop then select Personalize.
2. From the left-side menu, select Change desktop icons. The Desktop Icon Settings window will display.
3. Choose the icons you wish to display on the desktop then click OK.

You may notice that after restoring the Recycle Bin, that it no longer changes from the full icon to the empty when it's content are emptied. There is an easy fix for this as well.

Enable TCP/IP and Named Pipes then connect SQL Server Management Studio

1. Select SQL Server Services then right-click SQL Server Browser and select Properties.
2. Switch to the Service tab then set the Start Mode to Automatic. Click OK.
3. Right-click SQL Server Browser then select Start.
4. From the left pane, select SQL Server Network Configuration > Protocols for SQLEXPRESS.
5. Right-click TCP/IP then click Enable. Click OK. Repeat this step to also enable Named Pipes.
6. From the left pane, select SQL Server Services then right-click SQL Server (SQLEXPRESS) and select Restart.
7. Select Start > All Programs > Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 > SQL Server Management Studio. Note: I may be necessary to run SSMS using the Run as administrator option in the right-click menu. If so, type the administrator password then click Yes.
8. In the Connect to Server window, type the details for your server connection. Note: The Server name will likely need to be in the format ComputerName\InstanceName. For example, my computer name is Zeus and my SQL Server instance name is SQLEXPRESS. As a result, my Server name is set to Zeus\SQLEXPRESS.
9. Once you have made the necessary changes, click Connect.

Installing Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 Express

1. Download Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 Express and begin the installation.
2. From the SQL Server Instalation Center, select Installation > New installation or add features to an existing installation.
3. Accept the license terms then click Next.
4. After a few moments, the Feature Selection window will display. Select the desired options. During my installation I chose:
   
   • Database Engine Services
   • SQL Server Replication
   • Management Tools - Basic
   • SQL Client Connectivity SDK
5. Click Next.
6. Click Next to use the default instance configuration: SQLExpress.
7. Click Next to use the default service account and collation settings.
8. Configure the desired authentication options then click Next.
9. Set your error reporting preferences then click Next.
10. Once installation is complete, click Close then exit the SQL Server Instalation Center.