Personal User Shell Folders

How to Fix a Personal User Shell Folder Displayed as a Standard Yellow Folder Icon in Vista​

   Information

If you open your personal user folder in the Start menu or from C:\Users\(user name), and a user folder has a standard yellow folder icon instead of the special green folder icon, then this will show you how to restore the green folder icon for that particular user folder.

   Note

This usually can occur when the desktop.ini file in the shell folder is missing or incorrect, or the user folder has no read only attribute set to it.

EXAMPLE: Special Green Personal User Profile Folder Icons

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OPTION ONE

For the User Name Folder

NOTE: This is the User Name folder that appears in the Desktop folder tree view in Windows Explorer or the Start Menu.

1. Right click on a empty area of the desktop and click on Personalize.​

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2. Click on Change desktop icons in the upper left corner. (See screenshot below)​

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3. In the lower box, click on your User Name folder to highlight it in blue. (See screenshot below)​

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4. Click on the Restore Default button. (See screenshot above)​

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A) Click on Apply.​

NOTE: If it did not restore the default User Name folder icon, then proceed to step 5.​

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B) Go to step 6.​

5. Click on the Change Icon button. (See screenshot below step 3)​

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A) If not already in the top line, then click on the Browse button and browse to C:\Windows\system32\imageres.dll.​

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B) Select the default User Name folder icon and click OK. (See highlighted in blue icon in the screenshot below)​

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6. Click on OK. (See screenshot below step 3)​

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OPTION TWO

For the User Folders in the User Name Folder

1. Verify that the user folder has it's correct default path in METHOD THREE here.​

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STEP ONE:​

Shell Command​

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2. Open the Start Menu.​

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3. Type in the Shell command (see table below) for the Personal User folder and press Enter..​

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User Folder	Shell Command
Contacts	shell:Contacts
Desktop	shell:desktop
Documents	shellersonal
Downloads	shell:downloads
Favorites	shell:Favorites
Links	shell:Links
Music	shell:My Music
Pictures	shell:My Pictures
Saved Games	shell:SavedGames
Searches	shell:Searches
Videos	shell:My Video

4. This will open the personal user folder from it's location.​

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5. Close the personal user folder window.​

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6. Check to see if the personal user folder has turned back to the special green folder in the start menu.​

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A) If yes, then your done.​

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B) If not, proceed to STEP TWO below.​

STEP TWO:​

Replace Desktop.ini File for User Folder​

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7. Have Show hidden files and folders dotted and Hide protected operating system files (Recommended) unchecked in Folder Options.​

NOTE: For how, see OPTION TWO here:How to Hide or Show Hidden Files and Folders in Vista​

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8. Click on the download button below to download the User Folders.zip file, then click on Save and save it to the Desktop.​

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9. Right click on the User Folders.zip file (on Desktop) and click on Open.​

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10. Extract the same folder(s) for your user folder name with the standard yellow icon displayed to the Desktop.​

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11. Open the extracted folder and right click on the desktop.ini file and click Copy. (See screenshot below)​

NOTE: This file is set as a hidden file. This is why it is faded.​

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12. Open the user folder that has the standard yellow folder icon displayed.​

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A) Right click on a empty area in the folder's window and click Paste.​

NOTE: If you are asked if you want to replace the old desktop.ini file, then click Copy and Replace. (See screenshot below)​

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B) Repeat step 11 for each user folder you need to fix.​

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13. Close all windows.​

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14. Open a elevated command prompt.​

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15. If prompted, click on Continue in the UAC prompt.​

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16. In the elevated command prompt, type the command below (see table below) for the user folder name you need to fix. (See screenshot below table)​

NOTE: This will set the user folder as Read-only. You can Copy and Paste these to make it easier for you. ​

WARNING: If you have changed the default location of your user folder, then you will need to type the full path of it's new location after attrib +r instead of the default %USERPROFILE% location below. For example, attrib +r D:\New location​

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User Folder	Command
Contacts	attrib +r -s -h %USERPROFILE%\Contacts /S /D
Desktop	attrib +r -s -h %USERPROFILE%\Desktop /S /D
Documents	attrib +r -s -h %USERPROFILE%\Documents /S /D
Downloads	attrib +r -s -h %USERPROFILE%\Downloads /S /D
Favorites	attrib +r -s -h %USERPROFILE%\Favorites /S /D
Links	attrib +r -s -h %USERPROFILE%\Links /S /D
Music	attrib +r -s -h %USERPROFILE%\Music /S /D
Pictures	attrib +r -s -h %USERPROFILE%\Pictures /S /D
Saved Games	attrib +r -s -h %USERPROFILE%\"Saved Games" /S /D
Searches	attrib +r -s -h %USERPROFILE%\Searches /S /D
Videos	attrib +r -s -h %USERPROFILE%\Videos /S /D

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17. Repeat step 16 for each user folder that you replaced the desktop.ini file for.​

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18. Close the elevated command prompt.​

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19. Restart the computer, or logoff and login again for the changes to take effect.​

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20. Confirm that the folder icon is back to normal.​

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21. You can now delete the downloaded folders on the desktop and set your hidden files and folders settings back to normal in step 7 above.​

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That's it,
Shawn

Related Tutorials

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• How to Change a Folder Icon in Vista
• How to Use the Vista Shell Command
• How to Change a Personal User Folder Location in Vista
• How to Rebuild the Icon Cache in Vista
• How to Restore a Missing Personal User Folder in Vista
• How to Fix a Public Folder Displayed as a Standard Yellow Folder Icon in Vista
• How to Change a File Extension Type Icon in Vista
• How to Prevent or Allow User Profile Folders Location Change in Vista
• How to Change the Default Location of a User Profile in Windows 7 and Vista

 

[Brink]

You're welcome Shmish. I'm happy to hear that you got it sorted.

Shawn

 

[jim817]

I just wanted to add something.

Before, my Desktop folder showed the default yellow folder icon, even after restarting with the correct desktop.ini file and rebuilding the icon cache.

For those who have the same problem, renaming the folder (with the correct desktop.ini file) works. When you rename the folder, Vista automatically changes it back to its original name and the icon also restores.

I just wanted to mention it for those who still have this problem even after following Brink's steps.

 

[Ojaser6]

Thanks, Brink, U ROCK!

Just have to ask you another question:

In the Public folder, are the folders supposed to be yellow or blue? Coz I got yellow folder icons in the Public folder, and they look right. The yellow folder icons have the right contents inside the icons, eg. On the yellow public music folder icon, there is a CD and music note. What does your's look like?

PLEASE REPLY FAST!

Thanks! :D

 

[Brink]

You're welcome Ojaser.

Your Public folder icons sound like they are ok.

http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/172301-public-folder-icons-restore-default-icon.html

Shawn

 

[jillybean]

I have tried everything to bring back my user folder icons; music, documents, and downloads are still the stupid plain folders.. HELP!

 

[Brink]

Hello Jillybean,

Double check to make sure that they are set with the correct default path using Method Three in the tutorial below.

http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/148461-personal-user-folder-restore-missing-folder.html

Hope this helps,
Shawn

 

[jillybean]

I have already done that, everything seems to be great, i even restored my folders back to the default location C drive. I just moved them to another location on the drive, E drive so the C drive wouldnt get too full.

 

[Brink]

Did you do every step in this tutorial and restarted afterwards to restore the icons?

 

[jillybean]

I have restarted several times to see if that changes things and it doesnt, somehow i have made the music folder icon reappear after moving the folder back to the c drive.. the documents and downloads folders are both still missing their icons.

 

[Brink]

Jillybean,

Can you post a screenshot of the registry location below? Be sure to have all of the right pane included in the image. I will see if I can spot anything that should not be there.

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders

 

[jillybean]

here is the screenshot

 

[Brink]

Ok,

Right click on ONLY these values listed below in the right pane and click on Delete, then Yes to approve.

• {4C5C32......
• {567845.......
• {7D1D3A......
• {BFB9D5.......

Your Pictures and Video folders are not set to the default location. Method Three will show you how to below.

http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/148461-personal-user-folder-restore-missing-folder.html

Hope this helps,
Shawn

 

[jillybean]

I never bothered moving my pictures and videos because there icons seemed to be working. i want to move my music folder back to the E Data drive.... my itunes stopped working, this will fix the problem right? i just dont wanna lose the music icon again...

I have done what you said, am i suppose to see a change to the missing icons on documnets and downloads? because nothing seems any different!

 

[Brink]

itunes will look for the Music folder at it's default location. That is why it will not work when you move the Music folder.

Delete the folders in the Start menu, and after you have restarted the computer, they should change back. If not, then repeat this tutorial for them. They show the correct path in the registry.

 

[jillybean]

delete which folders in the start menu??

 

[Brink]

The yellow user folders (Documents & Downloads) that have not turned back to the greenish folder yet.

 

[jillybean]

if i delete them from the user folder they will reappear? what about the stuff stored in them, will i lose it?? sorry for all the questions!

 

[Brink]

No problem Jillybean,

Backup anything you do not want to lose in them to another location, then delete them. Since the registry location shows as the default folder path for them, they will automatically get rebuilt after restarting the computer (1 or 2 times).

 

[jillybean]

i restarted my machine 3 times now and they havent reappeared, the documents folder on the start menu did bring back the icon but when you click on it nothinh happens.

i now have two documents folders, somehow limewire has done this and both of them still doesnt have the glass icon!!! grrrr

 

[Ojaser6]

did you download the package of desktop.ini files? that worked for me