If you are running Windows 7 on your computer you might have noticed that there is a Homegroup icon on your desktop.
Homegroup is a new feature of Windows 7 that enables easy file-sharing with other Windows 7 computers in your network.
Even if you don’t use this feature, the icon will still be on your desktop. You can not remove this icon the normal way.
I’ve found that some register changes will remove/hide the icon.
Download this zipped .reg file, unzip it, run it and accept the warning.
Now refresh your desktop (F5) and the Homegroup icon is gone!
If you want to disable Homegroup completely, follow these steps:
– Start -> type ‘services.msc’ in the search box and press enter.
– Look for the following 2 services: ‘HomeGroup Listener’ and
‘HomeGroup Provider’.
– For both services do the following:
Double click on the name to open the properties screen.
Set Startup type to Disabled and stop the service if it is running.
August 24th, 2010 at 23:44
thank you it was indeed really an informative read