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Resolved Question

Windows Explorer toolbar

Aug 7, 2011 10:31PM PDT

I have a faulty icon on my NEW computer in the Windows Explorer toolbar. The Open icon referring to exe files shows the default icon with those red-blue symbols inside (like these here: http://www.neowin.net/forum/uploads/post-127534-1200996543.jpg) instead of the normal open icon that should be a rectangle (for exe files). I don't like it and it was there from the very beginning...

I rebuilt the cache but the problem is still there. I don't know if it is some program that came with the computer that caused the problem, but it is driving me nuts...

I tried to disable a few items in ShellExView (the most suspicious ones), but it didn't help either.

Thank you for your assistance!

Discussion is locked

OzBo has chosen the best answer to their question. View answer

Best Answer

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Try Starting Into Safe Mode, Then Restart To Normal Windows
Aug 8, 2011 3:02AM PDT

Assuming the .exe files are actually opening as they are designed, then the problem is simply an icon thing.. The examples you've give are all related to Notepad ++ so it might be causing the issue, but normally starting in Safe Mode, then restarting into normal Windows will fix the iconcache problem.

Hope this helps.

Grif

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Thank you, but...
Aug 8, 2011 8:19AM PDT

... it didn't fix the problem....

Is it possible to reinstall Notepad++ only if it is the cause of the problem?

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I know it seems...
Aug 8, 2011 11:44AM PDT

... unrelated, but could it be Norton? I have heard it causes many weird problems. It came pre-installed on my computer, but I prefer Kaspersky anyway, so I could try to uninstall it...

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If You Have Both Kaspersky and Norton Installed, Remove One
Aug 14, 2011 3:40AM PDT

It's best to ONLY have one antivirus running realtime on the computer.

As far as it being a Norton issue, such things are easy to check.. Uninstall Norton and see if it fixes the issue.

And yes, try uinstalling Notepad ++, then reinstall it. It might fix the problem as well.

Hope this helps.

Grif

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I have only one...
Aug 14, 2011 11:23AM PDT

.. antivirus installed. I was thinking of removing Norton maybe and install Kaspersky instead, but I haven't done it yet.
An interesting detail - I asked somebody who also has Windows 7 OEM on their laptop and they have the same problem...
I now have a similar problem with Vista by the way - for the folder icon, but not for ALL folders, so maybe it has to do with something inside the folder... I will have to have a better look. I tried to rebuild the icon cache etc., but it didn't work either (like it didn't work for Windows 7).

How exactly do I uninstall and reinstall Notepad++? Is it pre-installed? Because I cannot find it at all... I only have the usual notepad.exe.

Thanks!

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Notepad ++ Download Link
Aug 14, 2011 11:42AM PDT
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It is not there...
Aug 15, 2011 6:00AM PDT

Thanks, but it is really not there... I only have the normal notepad, but not even on the list, just as an exe file (as part of Windows). I also tried to look in the IOBit uninstaller (which should be as comprehensive as the Revo) - nothing.... Maybe Home editions don't have it (maybe home editions have a normal notepad only)? I can still install it manually though and see if it fixes the problem.
PS: From some comments I have just read on the net, it is a notepad replacement, a sort of upgrade, so maybe not all editions of Windows have it, I don't know.

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Ahhhh...IOBit...
Aug 16, 2011 12:17AM PDT

If you've been using the IOBit "Optimization" programs which clean the registry, etc., you may be seeing the problem many are experiencing with such programs.. They frequently remove the wrong registry entries and cause the problems you're seeing.. Our general advise on these forums is to "NOT" use such registry cleaners......for the reasons you're experiencing.

As to installing Notepad++ and it "replacing" the onboard Notepad.exe, the answer is NO.. They usually don't replace the other installed programs but are instead are used like any other program where you need to specifically select Notepad ++ to open it.

So, have you tried Revo Uninstaller yet? If not, see if it shows Notepad ++ as being installed. If note, then simply install Notepad ++ if you want to test on its ability to rectify your problem.

Hope this helps.

Grif

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I have tried...
Aug 16, 2011 7:13AM PDT

... Revo Uninstaller, but I still couldn't find it.
So I installed Notepad++ manually (and also rebooted), but I still have the problem. Do I have to actually "do" something in Notepad++ to fix the problem?

Thank you.

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Tried Re-Associating the .exe File Like This?
Aug 17, 2011 12:16AM PDT
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Unfortunately...
Aug 17, 2011 10:30AM PDT

Thank you very much for you help, but unfortunately it didn't work. It is a very nasty thing I think. When I installed SP1 I was almost positive it would fix the problem because I know from experience that when you install a service package many Windows-related problems are solved, like faulty icons, associations etc. but no, it didn't do anything. Nothing seems to do the trick. I almost wonder if the Home edition has a bug or something, because another person with the Home edition has exactly the same problem... Confused
Thanks anyway, I really appreciated your help.

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Are There Just The Three Icons?
Aug 18, 2011 1:33AM PDT

The file names you've mentioned don't appear to be executable file at all. (The files you've shown in your original picture appear to be .txt files) Or do ALL .exe icons show up as you have shown?

If it's just the three icons, where in the Explorer toolbar are you seeing them?

Have you tried starting in Safe Mode and simply deleting the three icons you're having issues with?

Scanned for malware yet.. Malware can cause such issues.. Download, install, update, then run a full system scan with the two free malware removal tools below:


Malwarebytes Antimalware

Hope this helps.

Grif

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The original pictures...
Aug 18, 2011 6:54AM PDT

Sorry I was not clear... The original pictures were not from my computer, I just wanted to show what the icons "look like"...

I get the problem when I click on an exe file to "select" it (if I double-click on it it opens just fine though). When I select an exe file the "Open" icon in the Explorer toolbar turns to a "generic" icon.

I bought my computer with some software installed, but it was like that from the very beginning. I had not run any programs at all yet (including optimization programs). I tried Malwarebytes, but no malware was detected.

I have just been browsing a bit, and found this site: http://www.ghacks.net/2011/07/19/custom-explorer-toolbar-add-custom-items-to-windows-explorer/
You can see what the "open" icon looks like in those pictures, and the guy who posted the article seems to have the problem for folders too (in the first picture the "Downloads" folder is selected, in the second one an exe file), I tried the program advertised on that site by the way, but it doesn't have anything to customize the "open" icon.

I have also found this article http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/129401-windows-explorer-toolbar-buttons-customize.html, and it says: "When you select an item (ex: file or folder), the buttons displayed
on the Windows Explorer command bar locations below are defined in the TasksItemsSelected registry key. "
So I guess that is where I have some wrong values??

I have also found this towards the end of the article:
Click on the Download button below to download the file below.Restore_Default_Toolbar_Buttons_in_Windows_Explorer.reg
Should I try it? Maybe it will do the trick, but I am always afraid of modifying the registry. Maybe I should back it up first and then try it?

Thanks again for your help. Sorry it got so long...

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Oh, NOW I See.. That's Perfectly Normal...
Aug 18, 2011 7:48AM PDT

I thought the icons in question were also related to the .exe file itself.. If you're only referring to the Explorer "Open" button icon, then it's perfectly normal and shows in the same way here on all our machines. Clicking once on a .exe file will cause the "Open" icon to appear as you've mentioned, (although here, there is no Notepad ++ wording next to i), and click once on a folder will cause the "Open" icon to change to a folder icon.. Likewise, if you click once on a .dll file, it will change to a slightly different icon..

As long as the "Open" button works and opens files as designed, then there's no problem.

As to running the .reg file listed, as long as the file is specific to Windows 7, go ahead. I don't think it will change anything.

Hope this helps.

Grif

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Thanks...
Aug 18, 2011 9:56AM PDT

So it is really the icon Windows 7 uses for exe files in the Windows Explorer toolbar. I think it is ugly... Happy and that this icon here http://www.fileinfo.com/images/icons/files/128/exe-29.png would have been better (by the way, it is like that if I click on a "shortcut" of an exe file), but at least I now know I am not the only one who sees it like that!

Thanks again for your help.

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One more question...
Aug 15, 2011 11:00AM PDT

If I install notepad++, will it replace the normal notepad automatically?

Thanks