Peculiar Shell Extension & Favorites Folders Icon Customization Problem

[JDJ]

I have a situation where I can't customize the icon of the Folders in
my Favorites Hierarchy unless I use the DOS ATTRIB command on each
folder (e.g. every time I create a new one) to assign the S attribute
so Desktop.in in the folder will be processed.

On my other machine the attribute is R not S but if I attrib +R
foldername it will go away as soon as I add a file to the folder in
question & the folder icon will revert to the plain vanilla file
folder icon.

Investigating I downloaded and installed:

ShellExView - Shell Extension Manager For Windows

www.nirsoft.netutilsshexview.html

I see two entries that concern me. Whether they have anything at all
to do with my Favorites Folders Icon problems is beyond me but the are
not on my other PC.

They have no Extension Name, no description, no version or product
name, no company

The two PC's are both HP's but the problem PC is a Notebook running
Windows Media Center Edition 2004 SP2, whereas the other machine, a
Desktop runs MCE 2005 and the software installed on both machines,
while similar is not identical.

What do you make of these entries? Are they suspicious? Could I /
Should I delete the associated registry keys?

==================================================
Extension Name :
Disabled : No
Type : Icon Handler
Description :
Version :
Product Name :
Company :
My Computer : No
Desktop : No
Control Panel : No
Filename : C:\WINDOWS\system32\blank
CLSID : {0C5B0CED-206B-4c39-B615-0EB23C824612}
File Created Time : N / A
CLSID Modified Time: 6/3/2004 4:23:10 AM
Microsoft : No
File Extensions : .ai
File Attributes :
File Size : 0
==================================================

and

==================================================
Extension Name :
Disabled : No
Type : Thumbnail
Description :
Version :
Product Name :
Company :
My Computer : No
Desktop : No
Control Panel : No
Filename : C:\WINDOWS\system32\blank
CLSID : {0C5B0CED-206B-4c39-B615-0EB23C824612}
File Created Time : N / A
CLSID Modified Time: 6/3/2004 4:23:10 AM
Microsoft : No
File Extensions : .ai
File Attributes :
File Size : 0
==================================================

 

[NewScience]

How are you trying to customize the Folders Icon ... using the Customize tab
under Properties on the Context Menu of the folder (right-click, Properties,
Customize, Change Icon)?

 

[JDJ]

Correct

i.e.

Right Folder / Properties / Customize / Change Icon / find the icon
file

I've been doing this all over both my systems with no problem at all.

On my notebook I had this problem only in the folders in the Favorites
hierarchy. Way back when I created a new user profile, reinstalled all
my app's etc. and that fixed the problem.

Then on day the problem came back.

I can go through all the steps with no error message but the folder
icon doesn't change (it may change for 1 second then reverts back to
plain manila file folder icon).

Only recently did I discover it has something / everything to do with
the desktop.ini file which stipulate which Icon to use being ignored.

I started checking the S & R attributes of the folders in the
Favorites hierarchy and comparing them to my other machine using the
command prompt and the ATTRIB command.

My other machine has R attribute set for these folders.

I can set the R attribute manually with the ATTRIB command on my
problem machine but as soon as I create a new file in the hierarchy it
gets UNSET.

I resorted to setting the S attribute (they are mutually exclusive).
Either attribute forces the desktop.ini file to be recognized and the
custom icons suddenly appear.

I don't think the S attribute is appropriate and I should be using the
R attribute but it won't stick.

Also when I create a new folder in the hierarchy it has neither S nor
R attribute so I can't customize the icon for that new folder till I
go into the Command window and manually set the attribute with the
ATTRIB command.

How are you trying to customize the Folders Icon ... using the Customize tab
under Properties on the Context Menu of the folder (right-click, Properties,
Customize, Change Icon)?