Custom desktop icons revert to default icons.

[Gemin-eye]

Hello.

This started to happen after I updated my nVidia display drivers. I have
changed my icons on the desktop (My Computer, My Documents, Recycle Bin)
with the right-click > Properties > Desktop > Customize Desktop.

However, when I reboot or shut down/turn on, the icons are still my custom
ones but if the system refreshes or I manually refresh the desktop, the
icons revert back to their default ones. When I change them back to my
custom icons, if I reboot, then go back into the Desktop Properties >
Customize Desktop, the My Computer icon shown in the dialog is a rectangle
with a windows logo in it and the others are the default icons. When I click
the Restore Default button, the My Computer icon turns to the default icon
in the dialog.

If I log off, when I log back in they are reverted back to their defaults.

After searching MS Knowledge Base, I tried deleting the IconCache.db from
both the C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data and
C:\Documents and Settings\Username\Local Settings\Application Data but it
didn't help.

I tried using a dll editor and replacing the mydocs.dll in the system folder
with a mydocs.dll containing the icons I want for My Documents desktop icon.
Oddly, it still displays the default icon in the Customize Desktop dialog
until I press the Restore Default button, then it shows the changed icon
from the altered dll. Weird.

I tried using TweekUI to repair the icons. It just reverts them to their
default icons.

The only thing I have left to try is edit the registry to change where the
OS looks for the default icons, as I learned from a site about tweeking
windows:

My Computer:
Open HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\ CLSID\ {20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}\
DefaultIcon, and change the (Default) value to "filename, ##."

Recycle Bin:
Open HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\ CLSID\ {645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}\
DefaultIcon, and change the (Default) value to "filename, ##."
You can also change the Empty and Full icons for the Recycle Bin using the
respective values in the key.

I don't have the reg info for My Documents though. Also I am not sure if
this info applies to Win XP. I asked my pc manufacturer for help but all
they could say was to use system restore or the factory restore. I can't use
system restore because I didn't have it enabled at the time. I do now
though. A little late.

If you can help or have a fix please tell me. Thanks.

 

[roger]

Hi Gemin-eye,

Hello.

This started to happen after I updated my nVidia display drivers. I have
changed my icons on the desktop (My Computer, My Documents, Recycle Bin)
with the right-click > Properties > Desktop > Customize Desktop.

However, when I reboot or shut down/turn on, the icons are still my custom
ones but if the system refreshes or I manually refresh the desktop, the
icons revert back to their default ones. When I change them back to my
custom icons, if I reboot, then go back into the Desktop Properties >
Customize Desktop, the My Computer icon shown in the dialog is a rectangle
with a windows logo in it and the others are the default icons. When I click
the Restore Default button, the My Computer icon turns to the default icon
in the dialog.

If I log off, when I log back in they are reverted back to their defaults.

[...]

A poster discovered the cause a while back and posted a solution:

"Did some monitoring of the registry. I found that when a scheduled
task was run, winlogon.exe (running as SYSTEM) was executing:

"CreateKey
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Clsid\"

and this was overwriting the info stored there with the info found
here:

"HKCU\Software\Classes\CLSID\"

The workaround is to modify the permissions for

"HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Clsid"

so as to deny SYSTEM Set Value permissions. The nice part is, you
don't have to deny yourself any permissions and can customize the
icons & apply saved themes as normal."

I used this method and the icons have retained their customizations.

Good luck

 

[roger]

Hi Gemin-eye,

You need to go to Start > Run > regedit
and browse to the
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Clsid
key. On the left pane you will see a CLSID folder with different
subfolders having numbers and letters.

OK, right click the CLSID folder, select 'permissions' (or a similar
word, right now I am not at an English language XP).
On the top there is a list of users, including System, choose System.

On the lower part there is a list made up of
Administrators permissions Allow Deny
Total control -->> x
Read -->> x
Special permits

You have to check, deny read and total control permissions for System.
so it can't change the subkeys of this item, which control the icons
used in the desktop. Click apply and reboot.

Your customizations should be protected from any change now.

Good luck

Thaks for posting roger.

So how do I go about modify the permissions for that registry key? I don't
understand what I need to do here.

Hi Gemin-eye,

Hello.

This started to happen after I updated my nVidia display drivers. I have
changed my icons on the desktop (My Computer, My Documents, Recycle Bin)
with the right-click > Properties > Desktop > Customize Desktop.

However, when I reboot or shut down/turn on, the icons are still my custom
ones but if the system refreshes or I manually refresh the desktop, the
icons revert back to their default ones. When I change them back to my
custom icons, if I reboot, then go back into the Desktop Properties >
Customize Desktop, the My Computer icon shown in the dialog is a rectangle
with a windows logo in it and the others are the default icons. When I click
the Restore Default button, the My Computer icon turns to the default icon
in the dialog.

If I log off, when I log back in they are reverted back to their defaults.

[...]

A poster discovered the cause a while back and posted a solution:

"Did some monitoring of the registry. I found that when a scheduled
task was run, winlogon.exe (running as SYSTEM) was executing:

"CreateKey
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Clsid\"

and this was overwriting the info stored there with the info found
here:

"HKCU\Software\Classes\CLSID\"

The workaround is to modify the permissions for

"HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Clsid"

so as to deny SYSTEM Set Value permissions. The nice part is, you
don't have to deny yourself any permissions and can customize the
icons & apply saved themes as normal."

I used this method and the icons have retained their customizations.

Good luck

 

[Gemin-eye]

Thaks for posting roger.

So how do I go about modify the permissions for that registry key? I don't
understand what I need to do here.

Hi Gemin-eye,

Hello.

This started to happen after I updated my nVidia display drivers. I have
changed my icons on the desktop (My Computer, My Documents, Recycle Bin)
with the right-click > Properties > Desktop > Customize Desktop.

However, when I reboot or shut down/turn on, the icons are still my custom
ones but if the system refreshes or I manually refresh the desktop, the
icons revert back to their default ones. When I change them back to my
custom icons, if I reboot, then go back into the Desktop Properties >
Customize Desktop, the My Computer icon shown in the dialog is a rectangle
with a windows logo in it and the others are the default icons. When I click
the Restore Default button, the My Computer icon turns to the default icon
in the dialog.

If I log off, when I log back in they are reverted back to their defaults.

[...]

A poster discovered the cause a while back and posted a solution:

"Did some monitoring of the registry. I found that when a scheduled
task was run, winlogon.exe (running as SYSTEM) was executing:

"CreateKey
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Clsid\"

and this was overwriting the info stored there with the info found
here:

"HKCU\Software\Classes\CLSID\"

The workaround is to modify the permissions for

"HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Clsid"

so as to deny SYSTEM Set Value permissions. The nice part is, you
don't have to deny yourself any permissions and can customize the
icons & apply saved themes as normal."

I used this method and the icons have retained their customizations.

Good luck

 

[roger]

You're very welcome, Gemin-eye.
Glad it worked

Awesome, it works. Thanks for helping me roger.

Hi Gemin-eye,

You need to go to Start > Run > regedit
and browse to the
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Clsid
key. On the left pane you will see a CLSID folder with different
subfolders having numbers and letters.

OK, right click the CLSID folder, select 'permissions' (or a similar
word, right now I am not at an English language XP).
On the top there is a list of users, including System, choose System.

On the lower part there is a list made up of
Administrators permissions Allow Deny
Total control -->> x
Read -->> x
Special permits

You have to check, deny read and total control permissions for System.
so it can't change the subkeys of this item, which control the icons
used in the desktop. Click apply and reboot.

Your customizations should be protected from any change now.

Good luck

Thaks for posting roger.

So how do I go about modify the permissions for that registry key? I don't
understand what I need to do here.



Hi Gemin-eye,

On Sun, 4 Apr 2004 15:46:53 -0700, "Gemin-eye"

Hello.

This started to happen after I updated my nVidia display drivers. I have
changed my icons on the desktop (My Computer, My Documents, Recycle Bin)
with the right-click > Properties > Desktop > Customize Desktop.

However, when I reboot or shut down/turn on, the icons are still my
custom
ones but if the system refreshes or I manually refresh the desktop, the
icons revert back to their default ones. When I change them back to my
custom icons, if I reboot, then go back into the Desktop Properties >
Customize Desktop, the My Computer icon shown in the dialog is a
rectangle
with a windows logo in it and the others are the default icons. When I
click
the Restore Default button, the My Computer icon turns to the default
icon
in the dialog.

If I log off, when I log back in they are reverted back to their
defaults.

[...]

A poster discovered the cause a while back and posted a solution:

"Did some monitoring of the registry. I found that when a scheduled
task was run, winlogon.exe (running as SYSTEM) was executing:

"CreateKey
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Clsid\"

and this was overwriting the info stored there with the info found
here:

"HKCU\Software\Classes\CLSID\"

The workaround is to modify the permissions for

"HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Clsid"

so as to deny SYSTEM Set Value permissions. The nice part is, you
don't have to deny yourself any permissions and can customize the
icons & apply saved themes as normal."

I used this method and the icons have retained their customizations.

Good luck

 

[Gemin-eye]

Awesome, it works. Thanks for helping me roger.

Hi Gemin-eye,

You need to go to Start > Run > regedit
and browse to the
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Clsid
key. On the left pane you will see a CLSID folder with different
subfolders having numbers and letters.

OK, right click the CLSID folder, select 'permissions' (or a similar
word, right now I am not at an English language XP).
On the top there is a list of users, including System, choose System.

On the lower part there is a list made up of
Administrators permissions Allow Deny
Total control -->> x
Read -->> x
Special permits

You have to check, deny read and total control permissions for System.
so it can't change the subkeys of this item, which control the icons
used in the desktop. Click apply and reboot.

Your customizations should be protected from any change now.

Good luck

Thaks for posting roger.

So how do I go about modify the permissions for that registry key? I don't
understand what I need to do here.

Hi Gemin-eye,

On Sun, 4 Apr 2004 15:46:53 -0700, "Gemin-eye"

Hello.

This started to happen after I updated my nVidia display drivers. I have
changed my icons on the desktop (My Computer, My Documents, Recycle Bin)
with the right-click > Properties > Desktop > Customize Desktop.

However, when I reboot or shut down/turn on, the icons are still my custom
ones but if the system refreshes or I manually refresh the desktop, the
icons revert back to their default ones. When I change them back to my
custom icons, if I reboot, then go back into the Desktop Properties >
Customize Desktop, the My Computer icon shown in the dialog is a rectangle
with a windows logo in it and the others are the default icons. When I click
the Restore Default button, the My Computer icon turns to the default icon
in the dialog.

If I log off, when I log back in they are reverted back to their defaults.

[...]

A poster discovered the cause a while back and posted a solution:

"Did some monitoring of the registry. I found that when a scheduled
task was run, winlogon.exe (running as SYSTEM) was executing:

"CreateKey
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Clsid\"

and this was overwriting the info stored there with the info found
here:

"HKCU\Software\Classes\CLSID\"

The workaround is to modify the permissions for

"HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Clsid"

so as to deny SYSTEM Set Value permissions. The nice part is, you
don't have to deny yourself any permissions and can customize the
icons & apply saved themes as normal."

I used this method and the icons have retained their customizations.

Good luck