Desktop icons

I am using Win 98SE on a Dell Latitude CPiD300XT laptop. When I used to boot up my icons woulds appear as pictures or what I designated them to be. I ran regCleaner a while back and now they appear as blank and then change after a minute or so. Any ideas?

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I had done that at one time. I will rerun the reg entry. I had forgotten about it and it may have been cleaned when I ran the RegCleaner???? thanks for the reply

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I did the reg merge and rebooted but the same, really no big deal but just a little aggravating,Ha. Gave it a try though. Thanks

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Just where is the icon cache folder located? I have run the IconCacheSize.reg and merged it into my reg but can not find the folder to set the options in it.

James Skinner

 

In the windows folder, there is a file named "ShellIconCache ". That is the cache of icons, whenever your icons appear black or blank such as you describe this file is corrupt. Simply delete it, and a new one will be built based on the current icons present.
If you used MS's Regleaner, it would not remove or change the Max Cached Icons value.

 

I have searched for the folder "ShellIconCache" to no avail--I have my settings to show all files. Using Win 98SE.?????

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It's a file (with no extension) in the \Windows folder.

 

There is a ttfcache file but that is all.??????

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See the following and make sure your preferences are correctly set for seeing system as well as hidden files:
http://www.windowsbbs.com/showpost.php?p=142415&postcount=2

Once shelliconcache is found and deleted you must reboot for the file to be rebuilt.

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Ahhh!!! I just read the reg file and if you used the instructions to create your own reg file, it has not created a folder. It has added additional items/options that may be selected when you use the toolbar options/buttons to "view" your "folder options ".

1>Click on My Computer icon or if in explorer>toolbar>view
2>click on toolbars "View" category
3>click on "Folder options "
4>click on "View" Tab:
The new options settings that have been added for shelliconcache size are in there. (May I suggest either large or huge). This should be done after finding and deleteing "shelliconcache ". then rebooting as previously suggested.

The options you find will icrease or decrease your registry setting for the caching of icons:
Small=1024 Icons
Medium=2048 Icons
Large=4096 Icons
Huge=8192 Icons

 

I checked my folder options and had it set to show all files and the cache is set to the largest option of 8192--ran a search and still no shelliconcache.///any other ideas?

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Have you shutdown and rebooted? Maybe this is one of those "windows amnesia" things that come up from time to time and may take a couple of reboots. (or if memory serves me correct, this is one of those changes that takes up to 3 [three] bootups.

Did you manually go to the windows folder and look for this file?

How about the suggestion in the following post of rebooting in the comp in safemode and then back into normal mode:
http://www.techadvice.com/w98/I/IconCacheFile-rebuild.htm

It has also been suggested that, through, display properties options if you change your icon size down[smaller] and apply the changes, then setting them back to the size you prefer. This also causes the shelliconcache file to, at least, be accessed and refreshed.

From a blank spot on the desktop
right click and choose "properties "
select "appearence tab "
In the Items dropdown, select ICON and set to 32 or lower.
Apply...okay...maybe a reboot.

Or
Just adjust the icon size up or down and apply. This causes icons to refresh. You can set it back to your original prefered size again and if the problem doesn't reoccur your good to go...

 

If you have TweakUI you can use it to do what you want. I'm running XP right now so I can't say for sure where you'll find it in TweakUi. I think it's on the repair tab. There'll be a line that says something like "repair icons ". This will delete the shelliconcache file.

 

TweakUi is located in the Control Panel in Win98, if installed. When you click on the Repair tab, repairing the icons should the default choice
Like Goddezz1 mentioned, Win98 does have amnesia at times. Perhaps Win98 was doing one of it's old tricks, especially if you applied the Cache Value and then looked into the windows folder.
What may have happened as you were scrolling through the list of files, windows was working on the ShellIconCache file due to your scrolling of files with icons, adding icons to the file. So the file ended up at the bottom, instead of in alphabetical order or the order you have chosen for that folder, and appears to not be there. It will stay there until a Refresh by you [press F5] or the system, or Windows Explorer is closed then opened.

 

I am at a loss and am going to leave it as is. I have searched for the shelliconcache file and never found it, have my options to show all files, ran the repair icons in Tweakui, done the refresh, set my icon size smaller and then larger, rebooted several times and all is still the same--very weird. Thanks all who have joined in the hunt.

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You aren't running some type of a tweaker-cleaner or bat file for a temp cleanup at bootup are you? Perhaps the deletion of "shelliconcache" is included in the routine. Just a thought.....

Could hit your F3 keyboard key and do a file find for shelli. You'll come up with a list everything on your drive that has the shelli in it, but shelliconcache should be in there somewhere. Make sure to use the advanced features and c:\ (including subfolders) is also selected.

I know you've grown tired of this quest but the above is something to keep in mind should the spirit strike you again..

 

I am not running any .bat files or anyhing different than I was when all was working OK. I do run Webroot Window Washer but I have done that for years. I do run a program that is called vueicons so all my jpegs show as thumbnails of the photos but have always done that also. Ran the search for shelli but nothing appeared. Thanks for all the replies.

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Guesstimate is that vueicons is using it's own cache file. Perhaps that is causing the file "shelliconcache ", [which is already known for being "fussy and slow" and for "taking multiple boots" (at times), when it comes to rebuilding its self], to be particularly/extra-ordinarily stubborn. You can put this problem on the back burner for a while and see if, with time, shelliconcache will show up or uninstall vueicons, let shelliconcahe rebuild, and reinstall vueicons. Alternative is checking into how vueicons handles it's cache and see if there are methods for resolving icon issues. As a side note, the regcleaner may have wiped/cleaned an hkey value needed or used by vueicons. Does this regcleaner have an "undo" function?

I can't comment on "Window Washer ", I am either no longer or not familiar
with it. I can say that if you are allowing scheduled, auto or the constant cleaning of (desired or needed) cached files or the folders that hold such caches, you will get this type of problem. Cached files have to fill up with the information that it needs and this takes time. Once cached they do their designed job of speeding up the reading of the information needed when it needed. If cleaned, they never build that cache and are forced to start with a clean state each time. {Above info may be known to you already but is included for the benefit or aggravation [depending on your view], of all readers.)

It all boils down to your tolerance level for the "slow icon refresh" issue...

 

I uninstalled the vueicons program and reinstalled it and after two or three reboots all is fine again. I am sorry I did not mention the program at first but had forgotten that I had installed it. Thanks for all the help.

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