Very Strange Icon problem

[Guest]

I tried to change the icon for a standard folder destop shortcut. I right
clicked the shortcut and clicked the change icon button. When the regular
shell32.dll icon selection loaded up, I selected one of the icons (the folder
with the tools on it). I clicked the apply button, then the OK button. The
icon changed, but not to the one I selected. Instead, a notepad with a
checkmark appeared. I tried the process over and over, even created a new
shortcut, but Windows assigned a different icon every time. I copied a
shell32.dll file from another PC and pasted it into the system32 folder, but
the problem persisted. Other icons seem to work OK. Any ideas?

 

[Jon]

Not sure why it should be like that (same here by the way), but the same
icon also appears in compstui.dll (in the same directory as shell32.dll),
which you could use instead (click on browse to choose compstui.dll instead)

Jon

 

[Guest]

Thanks Jon,
That did the trick, but why does it act that way? It kind of shakes up your
confidence in the whole operating system. I wonder if it is another side
effect of SP2?
Thanks,
jammaj (aka "confused dad")

 

[Jon]

Not sure why it acts that way to be honest.

The icon certainly exists within shell32.dll and is readily extractable.

Not SP2 related, since also tried it on XP Home with no Service Packs added,
with the same result. So been there since the start.

Another fix would be to add the following registry key to

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell
Icons

Key name - 35
Type - REG_SZ
Value - C:\WINDOWS\system32/compstui.dll,78

Then run TweakUI 's repair icons. (TweakUI a free download)

That would permanently map that icon within shell32.dll to the one in
compstui.dll, so you'd be able to choose the icon from shell32.dll, as with
all the other icons.


But again that is more of a fix, not an explanation. Others may know more.


Jon