Windows Vista desktop shortcut icons keep changing

Trying to help a friend who reports:

"My desktop shortcut icons keep changing to several other icons. For example is the icon for a shortcut to the Norwegian newspaper spread to several other shortcuts. The pinnacle site icon has invaded all the icons to the shortcut to the board!

I have run my virus scan, which I believe is very good. I have searched on Google but didn't find anything conclusive. "
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My comments:
User has good skills because she runs a board with 700 members but is stumped on this. Using LG Laptop, Intel Centrino Duo 1.8Ghz, 2GB RAM Windows Vista Business Ed. Recently installed Pinnacle Platinum video creator and uninstalled same before problem started. Pinnacle icon apparently left on desktop. She did a system restore but problem remains.

I couldn't find a relative thread. Any help greatly appreciated.

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Further searching on the net provided this information which may be the answer. It involves the Vista "Shell icon cache ". This link spells it out pretty well.

http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/117229-icon-cache-rebuild.html

Thanks to all.

 

Yeah I tried everything--I had a similiar problem that occurred whenever my laptop went into hibernation b/c of a low battery. The icons would always get re-arranged on the desktop, but nowhere else. I finally had to simply get Vista to shut down at 3% (instead of going to hibernation). I'll subscribe to this thread and see if your friend gets a solution. I tried IconRestore, deleting the file that your link suggests, not sure what else. Never could figure out why it happened, but I know that at least now, it doesn't do it anymore. But I'd love to go into hibernation instead of shut down, so please post whenever you get a solution.

 

You have a different problem

Original problem was: Desktop icons changed to different icons when clicking on them. Rebuilding the "Shell Icon Cache" fixed it.

Desktop icons moving to new locations is not the same problem. One possibility: Something changes the screen resolution. For example, when starting in SAFE mode, display reverts to VGA driver which moves everything on the desktop.

 

Grant, I said similar, not the same.

Glad to hear that rebuilding the icon cache worked for you--I was told to do the same thing, but it didn't work for me. Anyways, like I said I do have a workaround.