Ask a tech series: how to rebuild missing desktop icons
Did you know that you can ‘ask a tech‘ question about Windows XP here!
The email box is open at maryb5media[at] gmail [dot] com. If you have a technical question about Windows XP, no matter what level, send the question in. Keep it concise and limited to one question. You can send in more than one email, but each email should be short, to the point… You may also ask your tech question in comments. [Ask a Tech series, inaugurated by Aaron Brazell]
Question: The case of the disappearing icons: Jason Bean, writes: “I’ve got some icons that are missing from my Start Menu and Quick Launch Menu. I’ve refreshed, deleted and removed, refreshed, added, new, etc, etc. and still can’t get anything to work… ” Jason is the editor of b5media Blogs: www.office12watch.com | www.microsoftweblog.com | www.emergingearth.com | www.uncovertheinternet.com | www.idolstalker.com | www.christianmusicfan.com | www.csifanatic.com 
Icon is missing from start menu…
Answer: Jason, I suspect your icon ‘cache’ has been corrupted. This happens from time to time and is not troublesome, but it’s annoying, isn’t it. (if you uninstalled or deleted programs, these missing icons may also be the debris of an incomplete install. I’ve had this happen when I uninstalled Firefox and reinstalled it in a different directory.)
To fix icon corruption, I’d recommend that you ‘rebuild’ your icons. One way to do that is to download a free Microsoft program: Tweak UI, a subset of the Tweak UI Power Toys, TweakUiPowertoySetup.exe from Microsoft:Microsoft PowerToys for Windows XP Microsoft’s disclaimer: “[Powertoys] are not part of Windows and are not supported by Microsoft. For this reason, Microsoft Technical Support is unable to answer questions about PowerToys. PowerToys are for Windows XP only.” After you install Tweak UI, run it and choose ‘repair‘ Click the “Repair” link, then in the right pane of Tweak UI, click on the pull-down and choose “Rebuild Icons”. Click “Repair Now”, then “OK” to close the dialog box.
Happily, this answer resolved Jason’s missing icons. However, occasionally, this answer doesn’t work. To force XP to rebuild desktop icons, other fixes may apply:
Got an XP tech question you need help with? Please send it in! Also try my best tech tip ever! Hint: Google is your unpaid and ever cheerful, reliable tech support.
Technorati Tags: ask a tech, rebuild icons, Tweak UI, corrupted icon cache, powered by performancing firefox
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