1. Try this: Open the "Settings" and click on "System" to open the system settings. On the left pane, click on "Tablet mode" and turn it off. Close the Settings window and check if your desktop icons are visible or not.
If that does not fix it, try the suggestions here:
https://www.drivereasy.com/knowledge...ows-10-solved/ or this one:
https://appuals.com/desktop-icons-ar...in-windows-10/
2. Windows Shortcuts are an extremely poor cousin of Apple's Aliases and do not work as efficiently. Are these program, folder or document shortcuts?
If they are program shortcuts you can right-click them and choose Troubleshoot compatibility.
Other option: I found this on MS support site:
Code:
Open an Administrator CMD window. If you can’t find a way, use these steps:
Press CTRL+Shift+ESC to open Task Manager.
Click File > Run New Task
Make sure you have a check mark beside “Create this task with administrative privileges”
Type CMD
Type the following commands at the CMD prompt:
dism /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth
sfc /scannnow
If the above commands both completed and show no remaining issues, run these commands:
powershell
Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers |Where-Object {$_.InstallLocation -like "*SystemApps*"} | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml"}
3. No idea. Could be a compatibility issue possibly caused by using an old version of the printer utility or printer driver. Check if there is an update to the printer utility or driver. The Printer Utility may itself have an update option somewhere. Or alternatively go to their website to check for updates that maintain compatibility with your model printer. I recall needing to update the printer utility for one of my printers many years ago.