Re: reinstate desktop icons
I believe you're referring to the "Tiles" in your Start Screen, which is not your Desktop. You can toggle between your Desktop and your Start Screen by pressing on the Windows Key. Once you're in your Desktop (which looks like the Normal Desktop in Windows 7, vista, XP...), right click anywhere, and under "View" you should find "Show Desktop Icons".
If you're using a different OS, let us know.