Internet Explorer Option missing (XP & Vista)

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Has anybody an explanation why the option for Internet Explorer was removed from display properties
Right Click desktop>Properties>Desktop Tab>Customize Desktop button>General Tab>Desktop Icons
In the items the option for Internet Explorer has been removed, no explanation but we believe a recent update is responsible. The issue is also with Vista.
A further search has revealed KB943460 is the cause but cannot find an explanation.
Any Help appreciated

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See Restore, Enable and Display the Missing Internet Explorer (IE or IE7) Icon on Windows Vista Desktop and Restore Missing or Disappeared IE (Internet Explorer) Desktop Icon in Windows XP SP3.

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Hi Hans, sorry for the delay in the reply but there was a lot of content in your reply. Have now tried the lot and some succeeded in placing an IE shortcut on the Desktop but not with the same functionality of the original IE Icon there is no properties when you right click that icon. By this I mean you were able to get to the same place as going to Tools>Internet Options when IE is opened.
Personally rather than see people hack the registry they could achieve the same results by dragging the iexplore.exe file to the desktop and choosing to “Create Shortcut Here”
In your second link there is a link to a file reset_ie_icon.zip this file has been pulled off the web from a somewhat questionable looking web site, if anybody has a link it would be appreciated.
Removal of the Update KB943460 certainly achieved the status quo, but the warning about that updates interaction with the Operating System is terrifying

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It looks like you’ve created a standard shortcut to Internet Explorer, without the extra functionality of the special icon.

I have attached a zip file that contains the .reg file needed to restore the special icon. Open the zip file, then open the .reg file (or save it to your hard disk, then open it).

[ii]Added:[/i]: you may have to restart Windows to see the effect.

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Thanks again Hans, this option works by putting the Icon back on the desktop with all the previos options.
Now to be awkward, is there any way of using a toggle to remove it from the desktop. The usual method does not work. What we would like to do is switch it on/off as required.

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You could drag the icon to the Recycle Bin to remove it from the desktop, and restore it from Recycle Bin when you want it back…

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This is rather extreme, but it sounds like you might be talking about a training or teaching situation, so…

You could “clear” the desktop thusly:

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You guessed almost correctly, I do social work for the disabled, and have some who are trained in setting up IE from the desktop, others are capable of doing same from within IE. I guess at some stage I will have to let go of the past. From what I gather the reason for its omission is to pave the way for integration with IE8
I still long for DOS 3.3 and actually have a complete set of MicroCADAM presented on my retirement (seems a long time ago), but cannot get a stable enough system to run DOS 3.3 and MicroCADAM, I had to let go, I still have my IBM PS/2-60 with the microchannel architecture. That was between ISA and (Intel’s) PCI

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