BACKSTORY: I was out of town for a while and I forgot to turn my computer off. When I came back I saw that a desktop.ini file was on my desktop (using Windows 7). I thought that was odd because I knew it was a system file and it usually didn't show up due to the fact that I had disable the feature to show system files. Also it wasn't translucent like the other system files. I went to my control panel and saw that the "Hide protected operating system files" was indeed enabled. This puzzled me so I disabled the setting and another one was on my desktop like it usually is hidden. So now I have to desktop.ini files on my desktop: one hidden and one not hidden. I am doing an antivirus check to see if anything was going on and I will give an update soon. I am pretty sure these files are harmless and could be deleted but I would rather get another person's opinion on the subject. Thanks! UPDATE: I did an anti-virus scan and it seems I have no problems. It is odd because the file seems to maintain system file properties such as not being able to be edited and other things. Also I have tried restarting my computer and it is still not hidden. So the question remains: What should I do with the file and what caused it?