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Desktop Icons Appear As the Default Windows Icon

Article ID:185217
Last Review:November 15, 2006
Revision:1.1
This article was previously published under Q185217
IMPORTANT: This article contains information about editing the registry. Before you edit the registry, make sure you understand how to restore it if a problem occurs. For information about how to do this, view the "Restoring the Registry" Help topic in Regedit.exe or the "Restoring a Registry Key" Help topic in Regedt32.exe.
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SYMPTOMS

When you start your computer, you may notice that the following desktop icons now appear as the default Windows icon:
My Computer
Network Neighborhood
Recycle Bin
Inbox
Microsoft Outlook
Internet

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CAUSE

This behavior can occur if you install, and then uninstall a program that has the capability of changing these desktop icons. If you uninstall this type of program, the icon files that are associated with these icons may no longer be present on your computer, and the desktop icons may revert to the default Windows icon.

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RESOLUTION

To restore an altered desktop icon to the original desktop icon, use the appropriate method, and then restart your computer:

WARNING: Using Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that problems resulting from the incorrect use of Registry Editor can be solved. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

For information about how to edit the registry, view the "Changing Keys And Values" Help topic in Registry Editor (Regedit.exe) or the "Add and Delete Information in the Registry" and "Edit Registry Data" Help topics in Regedt32.exe. Note that you should back up the registry before you edit it.

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My Computer Icon

Use Registry Editor to locate the following key in the registry, and then edit the default item's value data so that it is explorer.exe,0:
   HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}\ 
      DefaultIcon\ 

   ab(default)  value=   explorer.exe,0
				

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Network Neighborhood Icon

Use Registry Editor to locate the following key in the registry, and then edit the default item's value data so that it is shell32.dll,17:
   HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{208D2C60-3AEA-1069-A2D7-08002B30309D}\ 
      DefaultIcon\ 

   ab(default)  value=   shell32.dll,17
				

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Recycle Bin Icon

Use Registry Editor to locate the following key in the registry, and then edit the default item's value data so that it is shell32.dll,32 . Also, edit the Empty item's value so that it is shell32.dll,31, and the Full item's value so that it is shell32.dll,32:
   HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}\ 
      DefaultIcon\ 

   ab(default)  value=   shell32.dll,32
   ab Empty     value=   shell32.dll,31
   ab Full      value=   shell32.dll,32
				

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Inbox or Outlook Icon

Use Registry Editor to locate the following key in the registry, and then edit the default item's value data so that it is c:\exchange\exchang32.exe:
   HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{00020D75-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}\ 
      DefaultIcon\ 

   ab(default)  value=   c:\exchange\exchng32.exe

   NOTE: This is making the assumption that the Exchange folder contains
   the Exchnge32.exe file. If this is not the case, make the appropriate
   change to the path.
				

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The Internet Icon for Internet Explorer Version 4.0 or 4.01

Use Registry Editor to locate the following key in the registry, and then edit the default item's value data so that it is c:\program files\internet Explorer\ iexplore.exe,-32528:
   HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{FBF23B42-E3F0-101B-8488-00AA003E56F8}\ 
      DefaultIcon\ 

  ab(default) value=C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe,-32528

   NOTE: This is making the assumption that the Program Files\Internet
   Explorer folder contains the Iexplore.exe file. If this is not the
   case, make the appropriate change to the path.
				

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The Internet Icon for Internet Explorer Version 3.x

Use Registry Editor to locate the following key in the registry, and then edit the default item's value data so that it is c:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\ iexplore.exe,0:
   HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{FBF23B42-E3F0-101B-8488-00AA003E56F8}\ 
      DefaultIcon\ 

   ab(default)  value= C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe,0"

   NOTE: This is making the assumption that the Program Files\Internet
   Explorer folder contains the Iexplore.exe file. If this is not the
   case, make the appropriate change to the path.
				

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APPLIES TO
Microsoft Windows 95

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Keywords: 
kbprb kbui KB185217

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