A If Dial-Up Networking has been installed on your PC, Windows displays the Network Neighborhood icon on your desktop, even though it doesn't actually do anything for your dial-up connections.ItÆs also redundant if you donÆt connect to any networks. However, deleting the icon is no easy task ù dragging it into the Recycle Bin simply doesn't work. But that doesnÆt mean that it canÆt be done. There are at least two ways of banishing the Network Neighborhood icon from your desktop.

The easiest way to zap the icon is to use TweakUI, one of Microsoft's PowerToys for Windows, which lets you adjust many of Windows settings, including which icons are displayed on your desktop. If you use Windows 95, you can download TweakUI from www.microsoft.com/windows95/downloads/contents/wutoys/w95pwrtoysset/default.asp. If you use Windows 98, you can find TweakUI on the installation CD, in the tools/reskit/powertoy folder.

Caption: Windows' System Policy Editor lets you remove the Network Neighborhood icon

Once youÆve installed TweakUI, select Start-Settings-Control Panel-TweakUI, and click the Desktop tab. Scroll down the list of Special desktop icons and click to remove the tick next to Network Neighborhood. The Network Neighborhood icon should disappear from your desktop almost immediately.

The second way to remove the icon is to use the System Policy Editor (poledit.exe), which is on your Windows CD. On the Windows 95 CD itÆs in the Admin/Apptools/Poledit folder; if you use Windows 98, itÆs in the tools/reskit/netadmin/poledit folder. Run poledit, and if you are asked to æOpen a Template FileÆ, choose admin.adm in the same folder, then click Open. Next, select File-Open Registry and double-click the Local User icon. Navigate down to Local_User-Shell-Restrictions, and click in the checkbox next to Hide Network Neighborhood. Click OK, then select File-Save. Restart Windows and the Network Neighborhood icon is history!