Just refresh the icon cache by deleting the IconCache.db file from your profile directory (usually /Documents and Settings/Username/Local Settings/Application Data). It will be automatically recreated.
Thanks, that helped a lot together with speeding up my menu display in the Registry Editor at HKEY_CURRENT_USERControl PanelDesktop.
It used to be there, but I suspet that Windows XP Service Pack 2 changed the way the icon cache is handled. This file is no longer as described above.
IconCache.db doesn't seem to be re-built under XP SP2.
xp sp2 does not replace a deleted iconcache.db. To rebuild the icon cache, simply change screen color depth.
Ive been messing with this problem all freakin day! Changing the color depth was so simple and obvious.lol. Thanks soooo much man. Brilliant!
I have XP SP2 and all icons have reverted to the default icon. I have tried changing the icons but they refuse to change. I deleted the icon cache as above but XP did not rebuild it. I then restored the cache and changed the colour setting. XP rebuilt the cache (at least the file date changed to today) but the icons remained as the default icons.
Works good on Win XP SP2. To see results you must close "explorer.exe" task and run it again.
Changing the color depth worked perfectly - thanks !!!
To those who are saying it isn't there, it is, you just can't see it because it's hidden.
Changing colour depth fixed my corrupted icons on the task bar, no problem (XP SP2).
"I suppose they don't really have any computer knowledge." - How ignorant. I'm one of the ones who don't see this mystic file, and I'm about as IT-knowledgable as it gets (along with an IQ of 152, so don't think I'm stupid either!). The comment about changing color depth (ie, changing to 16-bit and applying, then back to 32-bit and applying) is what did the trick for me. My "My Computer" and "My Documents" icons were stuck in 16-bit mode, but everything else was fine. Even changing the icon to something completely different (such as one of the icons from "moricons.dll"), then back to the Explorer.exe-contained icon still resulted in the 16-bit version. To sum up: If that file doesn't seem to exist, chances are it doesn't on your system (like mine). Just try changing your color depth and see if this works for you.
Works as described. I don't know why some other users don't see this. I suppose they don't really have any computer knowledge.
Under XP-sp3. I tried all these tips but none of them seems to work. Deleted file + Explorer, + logoff, + restart, + change depht... each one in its turn. Nothing. There may be another trick to find but where? - Here?
thanx. its done 4 me.
I couldn't use TweakUI wich is the solution I knew since no internet available at the moment but changing color depth has resolved perfectly the issue for me.
There is not article text here on this page. I guess it it should be a 5 rating - can't complain about it.... it ain't there.
There wasn't any article, just a list of advertising links, as if you didn't know it already.
I think using the last tab in TweakUI is a far better way to do this, but unlike the user below, I'm going to disagree, you don't have to log off and on for it to rebuild it should do it right then and there in Windows XP at least.
This Article does tell what "IconCache.db" is and where it is usually located. But it does not tell specifically what information about Icons are store in this data base nor exactly how it is used.
i do NOT have the icon cache file (YES i can see hidden files) but i did get the tweak UI and used repair to rebuild icons. i logged off then back in but the icons still don't show, if its any help the quick launch icons got turned to default, but by going into the properties of each one and finding the icon that it had been set to again, this fixed each one.
Documents and Settings/Username/Local Settings/Application Data file not available on my pc. I am running Win XP SP2.
haw to crate a new file IconCache.db?
Icon cache can't be found on my XP SP2 system. Since it is probably the most used OS on earth and the instructions do not include us, I give it a Poor rating.
CHANGE COLOR DEPTH. Works like a miracle. Thanks so much.
Great help, That helped a lot.
Changing the color depth usually works. However, I had the problem on a virtual machine and couldn't change the color depth. I found that going to Display Properties -> Appearance -> Effects..., and checking "Use large icons" and applying that forced the cache to refresh.
It told me exaxtly what I wanted to know. I have been through two searches without this info. Thank uou!
Doesn't work -- the first few times it did work but not for long, and now it doesn't do anything. there must be a better answer. I haven't added new software or anything, and I've run every Tool I can think of.
hello. my windows dont show audio and some video icons, only generic type ones. i've tried to change the resolution from 32 to 16 bits, then log out, log on, wait a bit, and nothing changed. i've also had reintalled win (upgrade) before, that didn't helped too. the file IconCache.db isn't in my windows. even search did not find hih on entire c:. maybe it is because i've unninstalled a kind of sound software and removed some kind of file when asked what to do in dialog, because that file wasn't used for any application. any suggestions?
RE: Comment#41: You have a virus. This can be fixed from the registry if you remove the malicious association for .exe HKCR, but running a virus scanner should do this for you. If you know how to edit the registry make sure these values exist exactly as I have them below. @ means the default value. [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT.exe] @="exefile" [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOTexefileshellopencommand] @=""%1" %*"
It doesn't work. File is not recreated.
In order to work I had to delete the default user IconCache.db as well as my own user.
Will the people who keep saying that you can find the missing iconcache.db file by showing hidden files please read the posts from those who know how to show hidden files, know how to do a file search and still can't find it. I appreciate the changing colour depth trick and TweakUI fixes but does anybody know WHY microsoft changed the automatic rebuild behaviour or indeed how the icon cache is now supposed to work? ?
Works very good! I have managed to resolve the problem of having white background in the desktop icons, instead of transparent background.
Thanks, my autorun icons needed to be refreshed. Btw, i somebody can't find this try this: start > run > cmd /c attrib -h "C:Documents and Settings[user]Local SettingsApplication DataIconCache.db" & del "C:Documents and Settings[user]Local SettingsApplication DataIconCache.db"
Better said than done. This file is completely missing from the place where it is supposed to be.
Changing the color depth works here, too. TweakUI (http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/powertoys/xppowertoys.mspx) could also rebuild the IconCache.db (below "repair", beware it messes the desktop icon order). Don't forget to logoff and logon again (or reboot) to have a new IconCache.db.
The file is not there and does not get recreated on reboot like everyone says. And yes I have show hidden files selected.
fileicon.db if using XP SP3. fileiconcache if earlier/different. File is hidden. Try startimg at root to exact locaton. Delete file at DOS window and reboot immediately.
XP SP2: Renamed the hidden file 'iconcache.db' to 'iconcache.db.old', then changed resolution. Accepted the change to resolution, then changed back. Accepted this change and all was fixed.
Easier said than done. I deleted it and now it is not getting recreated. This file is tatally missing from the place you memtioned.
Solution does not work on SP3, suggestions?
I deleted my iconcache.db on Win XP SP2. But windows did not recreate it. No I have no Iconcache.db file.
to the one that wrote that you could just change the color depth. YOU ARE MY GOD! iv'e been messing with a problem with my icons for 2 days and then the solution is to just change the color depth!
Nice tip. I came here as a result of broken icons after a scripted install of IE8. Notes to those who are saying this doesn't work: It appears that the contents of iconcache are loaded into memory during login and aren't requeried all that often. Those who said 'terminate explorer.exe" are correct - a restart of the shell causes a reload or rebuild of the cache. Also, on your next reboot (and most likely, logoff/logon) the icon cache rebuilds itself. Texted and working under a vanilla XP SP3 machine (a virtual used for update deployment) Thanks OP.
on XP2 this doesn't work, just need to change color screen depth to fix.
None of this worked for me. Namely: deleting the IconCache.db and restarting, resetting the color depth (down to 16b, apply, then back up to 32b, apply), or deleting IconCache.db and then stopping explorer.exe, and then restarting. I still get the generic folder labels in "all programs" for all but the Microsoft products.
Yep, it worked just like Microsoft. No wonder everything has gone to India!
No iconcache file on my pc. Changing color depth solved the problem though. Even doing a dir -ah in the directory does not show it, so it isn't there.
Thx! Maybe it should be mentioned that some of the folders of the path are hidden files.
If this workround doesn't work try disable Active Desktop or delete some old pages of Active Desktop no more used.
When this IconCache.db file is not on my machine all the folders just open and I do not have to sit and wait. All the icons are fine without it... Why do I need this file on my computer and how do I get Windows XP to stop making it. It seems to me to be some sort of artifact and a vestigial waist of time left over from the days when machines only had 128K Bytes of ram.