Windows 7 missing desktop application icons

Hi Paul,

You may try resetting Icon Cache and rebuilding Icon Cache as well.

To Reset Icon cache follow the below mentioned steps –

1. Right click on empty area of the desktop and click on Personalize.

2. Click on the Display Properties link.

3. Under Colors, select Medium (16-bit) and click on Apply. (See screenshot below)

NOTE: If you already have Medium (16-bit) selected, then select Highest (32-bit) instead. Sometimes you will need to do a restart first, then proceed to step 4. Try both ways.

    A) Click yes to confirm the new settings.

4. Now, select Highest (32-bit) and click on OK.

NOTE: If you already have Highest (32-bit) selected, then select Medium (16-bit) instead.

    A) Click on Yes to confirm the new settings.

To Rebuild icon cache follow the below mentioned steps -

1. Open Folder Options to select (dot) Show hidden files and folders.

2. Open a Windows Explorer window.

3. Go to C:\Users\ (User Name)\AppData\Local

4. Right click on IconCache.db and click on Delete.

5. Click on Yes to confirm the deletion.

NOTE: This deletes the file to the Recycle Bin. It is safe to empty the Recycle Bin when finished.

6. Close the window.

7. Empty the Recycle Bin.

8. Restart the computer.

9. When you go back, you will notice the Size of the IconCache.db file is smaller, and the Date Modified is now the current date. (See screenshot below)

NOTE: If for some reason IconCache.db is not there or the size has not changed much, then restart the computer once again. You may need to restart a couple of times in some cases.

10. The icon cache has been rebuilt.

Regards,
Chethan Kumar.