WHy cant i have any icons/shortcuts on my desktop? How do i fix it?

Question

I tryed dragging for examle internet exploorer and it says this folder already contains a file "Internet Explorer" Would you like to replace it? I clicked Yes and No and nothing happens dont have any shortcuts, not even recycle bin, what do i do to fix it

Answer 1

Right click the desktop and make sure that "Show Icons" is checked in the properties box.

Answer 2

right click in an empty area on the desktop,
select: arrange icons by
show desktop icons(there should be a small check mark beside it)