Web site shortcut icons default to IE icons, why?

[GB]

Friends - Some of the web icon shortcuts on my desktop retain the image from
their website, while others change back to the IE default? Is there a way to
stop this from happening? - Thanks, GB

 

[Jon Kennedy]

Those icons, called "favicons" are stored in your cache, or Temporary
Internet Files folder. When you clear that folder, or that icon gets
over-written due to age or file space requirements of the folder, the
favicon is lost. To make them permanent you'll have to find them in the TIF,
copy them to a separate folder and rename them.

The easiest way to keep your favicons permanent is to use a third-party
utility -

FavOrg http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,4149,6679,00.asp

If you don't subscribe to PCMag's downloads, you can also get it here:
Version 1.4 here:

http://www.gratilog.net/anglais/internet/favorg.zip

or Version 1.2 here:

http://www.liemar.com.br/construindoseusite/downloads/favorg.zip

Great little program that not only saves your favicons, but checks your
Favorites for dead or redirected links, etc.

Or you can try these programs:

FavIconizer: http://www.codeproject.com/tools/faviconizer.asp
AM-Deadlink: http://www.aignes.com/deadlink.htm

More information on favicons:
http://windowsxp.mvps.org/ie/favicon.htm
http://www.favicon.com/index.jsp?id=Internet+Explorer
http://msdn.microsoft.com/workshop/author/dhtml/howto/ShortcutIcon.asp

 

[GB]

Holy smokes Jon, thank you for all the information, I had no idea. I'll have
to put it to use today - Best to you, Bob