Desktop apps as Icons

[wisso]

For some reason the apps on my desktop lost their icons.
They all look like text files.
anyone knows whats going on and how to fix that?

[Hawks_Eye]

Hi @wisso 

Welcome to the HP Support Community!

Thanks for posting your query! We're here to help you get back up and running.

It sounds like your desktop icons might have encountered an issue; this could be due to software glitches, corrupted icon cache, or other system issues. You can try to fix this by rebuilding the icon cache and performing a few other troubleshooting steps. Here’s how you can resolve the issue:

Rebuild the Icon Cache:

• Open File Explorer and navigate to the following folder: C:\Users\<YourUsername>\AppData\Local
• Find the IconCache.db file.
• Delete the IconCache.db file.
• Restart your PC to rebuild the icon cache.

Update or Reinstall Graphic Drivers:

• Sometimes, outdated or corrupted graphic drivers can cause display issues. Update your graphic drivers by going to the Device Manager:
  • Press Windows + R, type devmgmt.msc, and press Enter.
  • Expand the Display adapters category, right-click your adapter, and select Update driver.
  • Follow the instructions to update your driver.

Perform System Scan for Malware:

• Run a full system scan using your antivirus software to ensure there are no malware causing the issue.

Reset Icon Cache via Command Prompt:

• Open Command Prompt as Administrator.
• Type the following commands one by one and press Enter after each:taskkill /IM explorer.exe /F CD /d %userprofile%\AppData\Local DEL IconCache.db /a shutdown /r
• This will delete your icon cache and restart your computer.

If the issue persists after trying these steps, you can consider performing a system restore to revert your PC back to a point when the icons were displayed correctly.

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Take care, and have an amazing day!

Regards, 

Hawks_Eye