Folder Icon Won't Change 1

[stduc]

I keep my iexplorer favourites organised into folders. I like to change the folder icons to make finding a link easier. For instance. Anything to do with travel goes in a travel folder and the icon is a train, rather than the default folder icon.

Yesterday, for no apparant reason they all reverted to the default folder icon. If I try to reset them to the icon I want, they revert immediately.

The required desktop.ini file is present in each folder, apparantly containing the necessary information. This is the contents of the travel folder desktop.ini file

[.ShellClassInfo]
IconFile=%USERPROFILE%\My Documents\Icons\Monopoly\railroad.ico
IconIndex=0

Even stranger, only the favourites folder is affected. Any other folders I have changed the icon on are unaffected and still display my preferred icon.

Any thoughts anyone?

 

[linney]

Try System Restore and see if that corrects it.

Customizing Folders with Desktop.ini

http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/d...hell_basics/shell_basics_extending/custom.asp

Have you seen this third party program?

http://www.clonesoft.com/shellicons/index.htm

 

[stduc]

Didn't help I'm afraid :-(

Something somewhere isn't right. But I'm puzzled that only the favourites folder is effected.

 

[linney]

Have a look at the results via Safe Mode.

See if using another user name in Normal Mode has any effect?

The Desktop.ini File Does Not Work Correctly When You Create a Custom Default Profile

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;321281&FR=1&PA=1&SD=HSCH

Not a problem unless you use it in a Path etc., but you are referring to the folder as FavoUrites, while Microsoft refer to it as Favorites

 

[stduc]

I do mean Favorites, not favourites.

As far as I can see the ini file is OK and if I repeat the procedure to create it then the displayed icon changes - for all of a second. It's as if something else is over-riding it back to the default icon.

 

[linney]

Icons may be incorrectly displayed in Internet Explorer 6

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;904367&FR=1&PA=1&SD=HSCH

Are you on a Domain, even if you are not, see if any Group Policy restrictions are causing this problem?
Even some security/anitspyware programs might have a setting interfering?

Wherever the icon that you wish to display is located, make sure the security permissions are correct.

Not sure what else to suggest, it is not the sort of problem to consider a re-install, is it?

Try running ChkDsk to check your drive for errors. Right click your Drive icon/ Properties/ Tools/ Error Checking.

Run the System File Checker program from the Run Box by typing.....Sfc /Scannow in it and have your XP CD handy.

HOW TO: Verify Unsigned Device Drivers in Windows XP

http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q308/5/14.asp

If they don't work you could try repairing windows by running it over itself. You will lose all your windows updates but your files will be untouched.

How to Perform an In-Place Upgrade (Reinstallation) of Windows XP (Q315341)

http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q315/3/41.asp

 

[stduc]

Thanks for trying linney, But its an explorer, not an i.e. issue. I hadn't installed anything, so I can't see how its driver issue.

Like you indicate, its a minor irritation. Certainly not worth a re-install, or even a repair. Seeing as all the updates would take a few hours to repeat!

I posted in the hope someone would know a quick fix. Before posting I googled and also searched this site.

 

[linney]

Have you tried clearing and repairing the Icon Cache?

Icon problem after using TweakUI
thread779-715732

A FAQ about icons in general.

http://www.softwaretipsandtricks.com/windowsxp/articles/565/1/Windows-XP-FAQ-I

 

[BadFrog]

Another suggestion would be to save your favorites folder somewhere else and anything else you may want from your profile, then delete your profile and let windows make you a new one. Then copy your favorites folder back in and see if you can change them then.

"Once you can accept the universe as matter expanding into nothing that is something, wearing stripes with plaid comes easy"
Albert Einstein

 

[stduc]

There's definately something up with my user profile! I just discovered I am limited to 15 open explorer windows!

I created a new user - no explorer issues or icon issues.

So that leads me to the following question.

What's the quickest & best way of re-creating myself? I really can't face re-customizing everything!

 

[linney]

To copy a user profile", see Help and Support program

227575 - Cannot Copy Current User Profile

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;227575&FR=1&PA=1&SD=HSCH

811151 - How to Copy User Data to a New User Profile

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;811151&FR=1&PA=1&SD=HSCH

 

[BadFrog]

In our environment we typically save the, "desktop" and the, "favorites" folders to another location then log the user off, logon as admin, delete the user in questions profile then have the user log back on to create a new profile and then finally copy the desktop and favorites folder into their new profile.

If your not sure you could just do a quick comparison between your old profile and the new user profile you just created and see which folders have different files.

Hope that helps!

"Once you can accept the universe as matter expanding into nothing that is something, wearing stripes with plaid comes easy"
Albert Einstein

 

[stduc]

Thanks for all the assistance guys.
I created a new user & verified that the problems were user related by logging into the new account and verifying that I could open lots of folders at the same time (I got bored after 27!). I also changed a few icons in my favorites. Using an Admin account I then copied my old user account as specified in ???? At which point I logged back into the new user. I found I had copied the problems! I then had a brainwave & reset all folder options (My computer -> View -> Apply to all folders). Amazingly this worked & 'new user' could open more than 15 folder. (I got bored around the 25 mark this time!). Then I had a second brainwave and logged back into an admin user and changed a couple of the folder icons in 'new users' favorites folder. - They stuck! I logged back into 'new user' and changed some more, they all stuck!
At this point I repeated these procedures from the admin account on my account and that worked. So I deleted the new user account.

Windows never fails to amaze me! I have no idea why this worked and fixed the problems. But I'm glad it did.

 

[stduc]

I spoke prematurely.

The folder icons in 'my favorites' reverted as soon as I added a new bookmark.
But I can sill open more than 15 explorer windows.

Now the icons have reverted, I can't change them. It 'pretends' to, but doesn't.

I guess I can live with this, but it niggles.

To check for the obvious I have.

Done a full scan with McAfee, adaware, spybot and hijackthis.
I have run registryfix.
All came up clean.
I have googled till I have run out of keywords to search for!
So right now I am stumped.

 

[stduc]

Serendipity struck!

While googling for something else entirely I found some advice to set customised folders as system folders.

I did this and the icons seem to be sticking now. I had to set them from admin user and I had to re-apply the icons and then set the attrib.

As myself I have added and deleted a few bookmarks so far without issue.

To set the System attribute on a folder. Open a CMD window, navigate to the folder containing the one you have customised and type Attrib +s Myfolder. Where Myfolder is the name of the folder.