Vista - Vista Desktop Icons Randomly Change

I have added a number of desktop folders and shortcuts to my Vista Ultimate computer.

I have assigned bespoke icons to each desktop folder and shortcut - the ico files being stored in a dedicated folder on my C: drive. All the icons are 256 x 256 pixels in size.

However - sometimes, for no apparent reason, certain icons randomly revert to the explorer icon. Right clicking on the desktop and selecting "Refresh" has no effect. After a reboot - the icons may - or may not - correct themselves. It is worth noting that it is only the icons I have allocated that randomly change and it is not always the same ones. Icons allocated by a programme - such as Word, Excel, CCleaner or Acronis, are rock steady.

If I right click on the faulty ones the heading of the web document tab still shows the correct icon but I have to go through the procedure of changing the icon all over again to get the specific icon back on the desktop.

I have tried the various fixes suggested in another thread here - such as right click on the desktop>personalise>display and change the colours from 32 to 16 bit and back again. This had no effect other than to lose the dream scene setting.

I have tried making the desktop icon files read only but it has made no difference.

For other reasons I had cause to reformat the hard drive and do a clean install of Vista recently - I hoped that this would solve the icon problem - but it hasn't. I have searched the MS knowledge base in vain and am not able to ask Microsoft for advice because my Vista is OEM.

Hi Alanho,

Welcome to the forum.

You might try deleting the Desktop.ini (Hidden protected system file) in the folders that are acting up.

A) Do step 2 and 3 here: How to Hide or Show Hidden Files and Folders in Vista
B) Open the folder you changed the Icon for.
C) Right click on the faded Desktop.ini file and click Delete.
NOTE: The Desktop.ini file will be automatically be regenerated the next time you make a change to the folder.
D) Try changing the icon again to see if it will stick.

Shawn

Thanks for the suggestion - have just followed your procedure and will post results if and when the icons go grumpy again.

I regret that the suggested fix does not work.

The main problem is with shortcut icons contained within a folder on the desktop. The folder icons are more stable - but the shortcuts within the folder are still changing randomly.

One interesting thing is that if I try to change an icon back to the correct one - it refuses to accept the change. If so I first change the icon to one of the MS standard ones and then change that to the correct one.

However - there are times when this ploy will not work and the icon refuses to change back to the correct one whatever I do. To fool it I have duplicated all the icon files - calling the copy ico file No 2. I find that if the icon is stubborn and will not accept being changed back to the original file - I can get it to accept the copy. The next time it changes to the explorer icon - It will then accept the original ico file - and so on.

I am now convinced that there is a serious bug in Vista regarding the stability of desktop icons for shorcuts contained within a folder that have been changed to a bespoke one. I have therefore given up the ambition of having individual and appropriate icons for desktop shortcuts and will have to accept that sooner or later they will all gradually revert to the standard explorer one. Boring innit.

Alanho,

Sorry to hear that. I do not know what else to try. Hopefully the bug will be corrected with the release of the SP1 in the rumored Q1 of 2008.

Shawn

At long last I seem to have found a fix - my icons have been stable for several days.

The problem was confined to desktop shortcuts that opened a website link. Shortcuts to files, folders and programmes on the hard drive were stable - even when special icons were assigned in place of the standard windows icon.

This led me to the theory that if I could create a batch file to open each web site - and then place a shortcut on the desktop to open the batch file (assigning my chosen icon to each batchfile shortcut) - it may prove to be a suitable work-around. However - I am no computer techie and did not know how to create a suitable batch file.

I posed the question on various forums and someone came to my rescue which enabled me to create batch files for each of my website links and assign icons to each dektop shortcut which opens a batch file.

Several days have elapsed and all my icons have remained stable. There is no perceptible delay in opening a website via a batch file - so am a happy bunny.

Alanho,

I am gald to hear you found a way to resolve your problem. If you have the time, perhaps you can write up a new tutorial on your solution. I would be happy to help if needed if with it.

http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/


Shawn