Desktop shortcut Icons

[Guest]

Please Help,

I'm new to XP and I've been setting up a new computer with XP Home, and I
had saved many website icons to my desktop as shortcuts. Then, after running
the XP
"program compatibility wizard" to configure an older HP printer for my new XP
computer, all my shortcut icons have now changed to a generic looking
Internet Explorer icon letter "e". Now my desktop looks terrible, looks like
I've stored a bunch of files on my desktop.

For example, if you go to the MSN website, and then in Internet Explorer go
to File/send/shortcut to desktop, you are supposed to get the MSN butterfly
icon on your desktop that you can use as a link to the MSN website, right?

But now, no matter what I do, no matter what website I go to, I can only get
the letter "e" icon saved to my desktop. It looks terrible, and you can only
identify the website icon by the text printed below it......Help

How do I get the icons I'm suppoesed to get instead of the generic internet
explorer letter "e" icon? ? ?

Thank you for any support with this.

Robert
06/02/05

 

[Ramesh, MS-MVP]

Hi Robert

The favicons are actually stored in the Temporary Internet Files folder, and
so they are cleared when you empty the TIF. To preserve the favicons, you
need to save the .ico file to a safe location, and then change the icon for
the URL files. There are utilities to automate this process, en-masse.
Follow this post of Alan Edwards, MVP

<quote>

Favicons are only temporary until cleared from your cache.
To make them permanent:
FavOrg-PCMag: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1558477,00.asp

or

The Code Project - FavIconizer:
http://www.codeproject.com/tools/faviconizer.asp

</quote>

Preserve the favicons using AM-Deadlink:
http://windowsxp.mvps.org/ie/favicon.htm

To implement this manually:

Visit that site and create a shortcut of it to the Desktop. Right-click the
URL shortcut, and Send To > Notepad. Look at the line reading IconFile.
Example: IconFile=http://www.google.co.in/favicon.ico

Now, type http://www.google.co.in/favicon.ico in the browser window and save
the .ico file locally. Change the URL icon using the "Change Icon" in it's
Properties sheet. Note that, Internet Explorer > View > Source can also be
used to view the favicon location.

 

[Guest]

Hi Ramesh,

I understand what you are saying, but I think I have a different issue than
than the one you described.

For example, even if the favicons are dumped when I clear temp internet
files, sholdn't I be able then to go to MSN's website, and click
File/save/shortcut to desktop, and then the MSN butterfly or whoevers icon
should show up again on my desktop, right?/wrong? That's how I've handled
this issue in the old Windows 98. At anytime I wanted to place a website
favicon on my desktop, I've always been able to go to the particular website,
and save the websites short cut (their individual icon) to my desktop, with
"their" icon, not the generic explorer letter "e" icon. But now, I don't
even see the websites icon in the address bar like I used to. The websites
icon used to also show up in the internet explorer address bar, now it's the
same old letter "e" in the address bar and on my desktop.

It looks real lousy on my new 19 inch flat screen monitor. It looks like
I've copied bucnh of old Windows 95 files to my desktop. I thought XP was
supposed to be better than this?

What am I missing here Ramesh? Thanks for your support.

 

[Ramesh, MS-MVP]

Robert,

What you're saying is correct, but in either case the favicon is stored in
the Temporary Internet Files. You may try deleting the TIF entirely, and
re-create the shortcuts again. In any case, the third-party tools that i
posted earlier will help, preserving the favicons in a safe location.

 

[Guest]

Hello Ramesh,

Thanks, one of the links you provided solved my issue. Thank you for all
your help.

Robert
06/03/05

 

[Ramesh, MS-MVP]

You're welcome Robert.