Windows 8.1 System icons messed up

All replies

• 

  

  0

  Sign in to vote

  Rebuild the Icon Cache:

  Purge & rebuild the Icon Cache in Windows 7 | 8
  http://www.thewindowsclub.com/rebuild-the-icon-cache-windows

  open a cmd.exe, kill the Explorer.exe with Taskmgr and run those commands:

  cd /d %userprofile%\AppData\Local 
  attrib –h IconCache.db 
  del IconCache.db 
  start explorer

  
  

  Is it fixed now?

  ---

  "A programmer is just a tool which converts caffeine into code"
  
  

  • Marked as answer by Kate LiMicrosoft employee Monday, November 25, 2013 6:06 AM

  Sunday, November 17, 2013 6:24 PM

  Answerer
• 

  

  1

  Sign in to vote

  I have done multiple searches on 2 Windows 8.1 machines. IconCache.db does not exist on Win 8.1.

  I fail to understand why everyone keeps saying it does.

  I still have white paper icons for some icons.

  Tuesday, January 7, 2014 1:34 AM
• 

  

  0

  Sign in to vote

  I just tried this because my folder icons are all messed up. It didn't fix the problem. They're still completely blank in the right hand side of Windows Explorer.

  Monday, January 13, 2014 5:05 PM
• 

  

  0

  Sign in to vote

  IconCache.db does exist on Win 8.1. I just did this process on my girlfriends PC after cleaning up some innapropriately associated files. IconCache.db is a hidden file. attrib -h IconCache.db removes the hidden file attribute from it.

  If you type everything precisely as above, your IconCache will be rebuilt by windows when you restart Explorer.

  One note however about windows 8/8.1 I had no need to kill task Explorer. instead I opened CMD.exe as administrator and did the process above, then using Task Manager, I found Explorer under system processes and right click > restart. this does the job. More cleanly restarting explorer than in previous windows.

  Friday, February 21, 2014 8:17 AM
• 

  

  1

  Sign in to vote

  This may be an old thread but to get to most of the iconCache in Windows 8.1 is Open this PC shortcut, (Top right) Check in hidden files, Double click Windows C: Disk, Users, Administrator, (Or any account), AppData (Hidden), Local, Microsoft, Windows, Explorer and there's about 12 of them and if you don't mind LMercury, I'd like to borrow the most important part because without your note, mine is a waste of time.  

  ** One note however about windows 8/8.1 I had no need to kill task Explorer. instead I opened CMD.exe as administrator and did the process above, then using Task Manager, I found Explorer under system processes and right click > restart. this does the job. More cleanly restarting explorer than in previous windows ** By LMercury

  Saturday, February 21, 2015 12:38 AM
• 

  

  0

  Sign in to vote

  Indications to everybody: DON'T copy-paste the code snippet above, retype it! btw on Windows 8.1 you just need to restart Explorer.EXE in taskmgr after executing these commands.
  

  Sunday, June 28, 2015 9:34 AM
• 

  

  0

  Sign in to vote

  Very nice. Worked perfectly. Thank You!!

  Friday, January 15, 2016 3:08 AM