Icon behaviour in a folder

[Guest]

Hello everyone,

When I open a Pictures folder just containing icons (.ICO files), there are
some with "Unspecified" dimension.
These files display an image in the main window under most of the view
options ("Icons", "Tile", "Thumbnail",
"List" and "Detail") except in "Filmstrip" view I get "No Preview Available".

MS Paint cannot read these .ICO files with "Unspecified" dimension.
Also the "Windows Picture and Fax Viewer" app yields "No Preview Available".

So what good good are these icons?
Shouldn't XP just tell me they're invalid files?

The background (for those still reading):
Running XP Pro version 2002 SP2 on a P4 3.2GHz with 2Gb RAM

I have been digging in the MS KB and Library where I learned quite a lot
lately (especially John Hornick's article
from 1995, which still seems technically valid).

Thank you.

 

[Guest]

Some XP icons are"Blank", that is, there is no visible image. You can put one
on the desktop and see only the text that is normally "under" an icon. You
can also use a "tweak" to remove the text, and have an "invisible" shortcut
on the desktop. You just have to know where the shotcut *is* on the desktop,
then change the icon & text to "invisible". Clicking that spot will still
launch your program or webpage, and only You know it's there. [Lower right
corner, above "Start"; upper right corner; etc.] The other "View" images you
see (icon, tile, etc.) are just symbolic references, if you're seeing what I
think you mean.