Can some of you computer buffs help me out here please?

My computer is suddenly behaving oddly. I used to 'save' pictures etc. fine straight on to my desktop..ok? Now, however, when I save things they never appear on the desktop at all. Worse still, when I go to search for them and try to move them, it tells me " The source and destination file names are the same " And doesn't let me move them - unless I create a 'shortcut' What is this thing doing??? and how can I revert it back to just 'saving' things at will on my desktop? Thanks for all your help geeks! This is driving me crazy. - Oh, I'm not super savvy on computers, so please keep advice basic in respect for my mentality! Thanks so much in advance :)