Fix for Special Folders Reverting to Default Folder Icon in Windows Vista
My inbox has been flooded with people asking why the "pretty" icons in their user folder keep turning back into regular folder icons, and what they can do to fix it. After writing the first article about the Music folder, I decided to just put all of the information into a single article.
Using the same example as last time, the Music folder here is showing the generic folder icon instead of the slick one that it should be using.
The icons that are displayed on the folders are set through the hidden desktop.ini file inside of each folder. The problem is that a lot of applications seem to screw with this file and cause it to become corrupted or otherwise unusable. What we'll do here is just reset the offending file to the default values that I've listed here.
To open the desktop.ini file, you'll need to paste this command into the start menu search or run box, which will open the music folder's desktop.ini file.
notepad %USERPROFILE%\music\desktop.ini
If you wanted to open the desktop.ini file in the pictures folder instead, you'd substitute "pictures" for "music" in the command, like this:
notepad %USERPROFILE%\pictures\desktop.ini
You'll see a file that should look exactly like this, but probably does not.
Select the entire contents of the file and delete it, replacing the contents with the default values that I've listed below. (You only need to pick the one that matches the folder you are trying to edit)
Note that you will need to logout and back in to see the changes, or you could just restart explorer.exe if you are feeling ambitious.
Contacts
[.ShellClassInfo]
LocalizedResourceName=@%CommonProgramFiles%\system\wab32res.dll,-10100
InfoTip=@%CommonProgramFiles%\system\wab32res.dll,-10200
IconResource=%SystemRoot%\system32\imageres.dll,-181
Desktop
[.ShellClassInfo]
LocalizedResourceName=@%SystemRoot%\system32\shell32.dll,-21769
IconResource=%SystemRoot%\system32\imageres.dll,-183
Documents
[.ShellClassInfo]
LocalizedResourceName=@%SystemRoot%\system32\shell32.dll,-21770
IconResource=%SystemRoot%\system32\imageres.dll,-112
IconFile=%SystemRoot%\system32\shell32.dll
IconIndex=-235
Downloads
[.ShellClassInfo]
LocalizedResourceName=@%SystemRoot%\system32\shell32.dll,-21798
IconResource=%SystemRoot%\system32\imageres.dll,-184
Favorites
[.ShellClassInfo]
LocalizedResourceName=@%SystemRoot%\system32\shell32.dll,-21796
IconResource=%SystemRoot%\system32\imageres.dll,-115
IconFile=%SystemRoot%\system32\shell32.dll
IconIndex=-173
Links
[.ShellClassInfo]
LocalizedResourceName=@%SystemRoot%\system32\shell32.dll,-21810
IconResource=%SystemRoot%\system32\imageres.dll,-185
DefaultDropEffect=4
[LocalizedFileNames]
Public.lnk=@shell32.dll,-21816
Searches.lnk=@shell32.dll,-9031
Recently Changed.lnk=@shell32.dll,-32813
Music.lnk=@shell32.dll,-21790
Pictures.lnk=@shell32.dll,-21779
Documents.lnk=@shell32.dll,-21770
Music
[.ShellClassInfo]
LocalizedResourceName=@%SystemRoot%\system32\shell32.dll,-21790
InfoTip=@%SystemRoot%\system32\shell32.dll,-12689
IconResource=%SystemRoot%\system32\imageres.dll,-108
IconFile=%SystemRoot%\system32\shell32.dll
IconIndex=-237
[LocalizedFileNames]
Sample Music.lnk=@%SystemRoot%\system32\shell32.dll,-21806
Pictures
[.ShellClassInfo]
LocalizedResourceName=@%SystemRoot%\system32\shell32.dll,-21779
InfoTip=@%SystemRoot%\system32\shell32.dll,-12688
IconResource=%SystemRoot%\system32\imageres.dll,-113
IconFile=%SystemRoot%\system32\shell32.dll
IconIndex=-236
[LocalizedFileNames]
Sample Pictures.lnk=@%SystemRoot%\system32\shell32.dll,-21805
Saved Games
[.ShellClassInfo]
LocalizedResourceName=@%SystemRoot%\system32\shell32.dll,-21814
IconResource=%SystemRoot%\system32\imageres.dll,-186
Searches
[.ShellClassInfo]
LocalizedResourceName=@%SystemRoot%\system32\shell32.dll,-9031
IconResource=%SystemRoot%\system32\imageres.dll,-18
[LocalizedFileNames]
Indexed Locations.search-ms=@shell32.dll,-32811
Everywhere.search-ms=@shell32.dll,-32814
Shared By Me.search-ms=@shell32.dll,-32802
Recent Music.search-ms=@shell32.dll,-32803
Recent Documents.search-ms=@shell32.dll,-32804
Recent Pictures and Videos.search-ms=@shell32.dll,-32806
Recent E-mail.search-ms=@shell32.dll,-32807
Recently Changed.search-ms=@shell32.dll,-32813
Videos
[.ShellClassInfo]
LocalizedResourceName=@%SystemRoot%\system32\shell32.dll,-21791
InfoTip=@%SystemRoot%\system32\shell32.dll,-12690
IconResource=%SystemRoot%\system32\imageres.dll,-189
IconFile=%SystemRoot%\system32\shell32.dll
IconIndex=-238
[LocalizedFileNames]
Sample Videos.lnk=@%SystemRoot%\system32\shell32.dll,-21807
Hopefully by this point your icons should be back to looking good again…
For extra credit… you can also create a desktop.ini file in any folder and use it to show a custom icon.
This is great! I Googled for this (my Pictures folder was out of whack) and couldn't find the fix. And voila, you post the solution!
A good companion article to this, if you haven't written about it already, would be the registry fix for when the Pictures, Documents, etc. links in the Start menu no longer work… I believe many times the two problems go hand-in-hand.
Thanks! This is exactly what I was looking for. Now all of my custom user folder icons in the Vista explorer side panel match.
You really deserve a medal for the clarity of your pages.
They are well aerated and designed, and simply very, very pleasant to read
Oh, and by the way: thanks also for the information.Plus, in a totally unrelated fashion, I'd like to offer a suggestion that I've been meaning to leave but keep forgetting:
In the body of the REG files you sometimes offer as solutions, you really ought to always include at least 2 comment lines every time:
(1) a comment identifying the provenance of the information e.g: ;; from the the How-To GeeK - {insert date} )
(2) a comment line (or two) specifying the object of the reg key addition or modification
That would be greatly appreciated, at least by me!) and would, I think, ultimately enhance the usefulness of the codebits you supply so generously.
@Blue:
Those are great suggestions… I'd never even thought about commenting them =)
You can use TuneUp Utilities 2007 to automatically fix not only 1 but all the "special" folder icons that get messed up with a click of a button.
It's a handy program that can do all sorts of stuff from clean up tools to windows optimization for your preferences.
it works but it is much easier as follows:
right click the folder, properties>customize>change icon> browse>windows>sysem32>imageres.dll
select the proper icon and click ok.that's it!
This is good info. I have this issue with the "Recent Items" folder, for which the right-clock menu has reverted to the default one, instead of the one with the "Clear recent items" command. Can you provide the info for that folder ?
Thanks.
"it works but it is much easier as follows:
right click the folder, properties>customize>change icon> browse>windows>sysem32>imageres.dll
select the proper icon and click ok.that's it! "
Actually the change icon menu isn't available for default Vista folders… this is why this method is a heaven-sent — for me at least! Thanks Geek!
I don't know what's going on. It does not work at all for me. My problem folders are Music and Pictures. I even tried taking all my files out of the picture folder to see if some file in there was screwing it up. I then did everything above, and logged off and on. It still didn't work.
you are my savior !!
Cool! Finally I found the solution here..
This is very cool of you to do this,your a wonderful person!
I have a question , What if I wanted to put my own custom folders in like this what do I do?
The folders that you are showing are green.
If I wanted to put a different color what will I have to do & know to be able to change the folder to a Transparent or different see through color folder?
I followed the instructions exactly and it doesnt work.
I open the desktop.ini and it already has what you tell me to put in it. I replace it with the exact same text, save it, restart and no change.
Is there something else to try when this doesn't work? I'm having the same issue as Paul and Chris. I open the desktop.ini and it already has what you tell me to put in it. I replace it with the exact same text, save it, restart and no change.
Hello everyone! i have found a new an easy way for all those whose problem is still their as it was before.
In order to do this, first copy all the file (no need to copy desktop.ini) from the folder that is having problem to a safe folder.
Now go to your user account panel and switch Guest account to On.
Now switch your system to Guest account.
Go to "Guest" folders and copy "that" folder (itself).
Paste this folder in |(your window drive):\Users\(your personal user account folder)|
Switch back to your account and turn off guest account.
This one works for me.I have done for myself just a min ago.I hope it will solve your problem.
doesnt work with my videos folder./sad
I tried this for my screwed up downloads folder several times, reading the instructions carefully and it didn't work…
this didn't work for me as the contents of the videos desktop.ini was the same, however copying the folder from a guest account did fix it
looking to reset the recent items icon in vista ?
Still haven't found a way for this to work 100%.
I've tried the copy all files out of the folder and paste them back. It works at first but then just goes back to the yellow folder once I put any new files into it.
Not exactly something I can do everyday for 40GBs of Videos in my video folder, Or the 50 or so GBs of files in my Downloads folder.
Well I tried this for my messed up Downloads and Pictures folders and it still did not work
I don't really want to do the Guest account method because I have tons of files in each of those folders and it would take a long time.
Any other hints??
save game dose not work the rest works fine
Well I ended up getting this nice program called Tune Up Utilities and it actually has a feature for restoring/changing icons, that worked perfectly lol
It won't let me save it for videos.
How do you save the new file? When I press save it won't let me for some reason.
I know this works for sure because I did it with another folder, but I'm having trouble doing it for the desktop folder….any suggestions?
I figured out any easier way. Transfer all the content in the folder onto the desktop. Then inside the users folder, right click and go to new, then new folder. Right click the folder and click properties. Then go to customize and at the bottom, click customize icon, then go to browse, local dick c:/windows system 32 imageres.dll. then find the icon.
I tried the desktop.ini file setting - did not work.
Then I tried moving to "Downloads" folder the desktop - something weird happened - The folder seemed to have moved but I had a shortcut in my user folder also. Both the desktop "Downloads" and the user folder shortcut had the correct icon now.
If I delete the shortcut in my user folder, the actual "Downloads" folder in the desktop also got deleted. I tried moving the desktop "Downloads" folder back to the user folder (it should have given an overwrite warning since the shortcut was there - but it did not) - everything is fine now. Weirdness of VISTA - I cannot believe I spent an hour trying to make an folder icon look pretty!!!!
Thanks for the suggestion! I was really getting desperate…
I found a much easier way to solve this, if Vista gives you the opportunity to change the icon:
just open the system32/imageres.dll file and you find all the icons you need
best regards,
Tom
Actually I found a rather easy solution for those of you whose folder will not change with the INI!!!
Just try to RENAME the problematic folder. Immediately Windows reverts back to the original name and icon. As simple as that!
I deleted the desktop.ini file and made a new one with the correct data, and I didn't have to restart explorer.
I tried several times to repopulate the desktop.ini files of the user folders, but even after several reboots, they were all showing up as normal yellow folders. Then I tired alexs3d2's suggestion of renaming them (with the correct desktop.ini files inside, of course) and it worked! If you are picky about the actual name of the folder within C:\Users\\ you will have to use the command prompt to rename them back.
is there a way to do this in windows XP. all the files are regular folders and i cant get the "pretty folders" i need help!
STUMBLED!
Very nice. A method for XP would be cool.
I tried this and it did not work for me. However, I accidentally did something that did. First I made sure the right desktop.ini was in place. Then I simply tried to rename the folder [I was going to try and copy a new one in from another account to see if that worked as it had for others]. I tried to rename Music Musicx. It did not work and returned the name to Music but in doing so brought back the original icon!
For the folks who have tried renaming it: You WILL see two "Music" icons, one is yellow, one is special.
Right-click the new folder, select properties, and then go to "Location".
Change the destination from whatever you had (Mine was "C:\Users\Mark\The Music") back to just "Music" (with your profile folder of course) and the click 'OK' or 'Apply.'
When it asks you if you want to replace desktop.ini, click on "Replace," the first button at top.
And then you're done!
WOW. Well I tried what this said, and it didn't work for me. But then I saw Rednwhite's comment, and it worked for me! First I did what the guide said, but then after that I just went to My Account (e.x. John) and changed the name of Music (or probably any other file that doesn't have the right icon) to Musicx. Then it just turned back to music. I saw that in the left part of the folder it was back to the real icon, and then I went back to my My Account (e.x. John) and it was fixed! THANKS!
It's a good solution but I needed it to go one step further. I was about to deploy Vista on my company when I noticed I had the some problem on my core image. The trick above fixed it but only for the current user. Every time a new user log onto the computer the folder's icons are messed up again for the user. Does anybody know how to fix that for all new profile that will be created?
Thanks
I used this fix on my Videos folder but now when I view the folder's properties the available options are identical to those of a regular folder, and not like the other special user folders (whatever they're called. Specifically, it lacks the the 'Locations' tab, which I need because I keep all of my videos on my D drive. Any ideas?