IrfanView Takes Over Settings app's icon in Windows 10 1903

[JendaLinda]

Out of these 25 apps / icon files IrfanView was the only which name started with {6D809377-6AF0-444B-8957-A3773F02200E}. That's why it is listed as last in the above list, not under "i" or "Intel".

I don't have this issue. I've checked my folder and there are multiple files with this exact code in the name (including 7-zip, Avidemux, GIMP, Java JRE, VirtualBox, VLC ...) and dozens of files with different codes in the name.

[Bhikkhu Pesala]

There is nothing more I can do. There is no option to tag the thread as Won't Fix, so No Bug is the best way to indicate that the issue is closed as far as Irfan Skiljan is concerned.

[trejder]

Thanks for the update. I have updated the status of each thread to No Bug, since it is a bug in Windows, not in IrfanView. I must have missed your previous reply to the other thread.

No, you are completely missing my point.

I am more than sure that this a bug in either IrfanView or IrfanView's installer. 100% certainty here. See my previous, detailed post. It is simply impossible that Windows is "doing this only for IrfanView and to absolutely no other app".

It is only that IrfanView's author keeps saying that this is a bug in Windows not in his program. But, beside him, it seems that nobody agrees with that.

[trejder]

So here are conclusions / tests results on my side.

I had 111 files in reported %localappdata%\Packages\Microsoft.Windows.Search_c w5n1h2txyewy\LocalState\AppIconCache\100\ folder. And:

• Out of these files 25 files had IrfanView's icon
• Removing all these files truly cleared up "wrong" (IrfanView) icons from all system elements that were showing them in Start Menu

Apps that had IrfanView's icon in my case:

• Dolby Laboratories. Dolby Audio Premium
• Dolby Laboratories. Dolby Vision HDR
• Lenovo Companion App
• Intel Graphics Experience
• Intel Management and Security Status
• Microsoft People
• Microsoft Screen & Sketch
• Microsoft Windows Alarms
• Microsoft Windows Calculator
• Microsoft Windows Camera
• Microsoft Windows Maps
• Microsoft Windows Sound Recorder
• Microsoft Windows Store
• Microsoft Windows Photos
• Microsoft Windows SecHealthUI
• Microsoft Xbox Gaming Overlay
• Microsoft Your Phone
• Realtek Audio Control
• Slack
• Synaptics Incorporated. Synaptics Utilities
• Thunderbolt Control Center
• Windows Immersive Control Panel
• IrfanView

So the problem is pretty much system-wide.

Out of these 25 apps / icon files IrfanView was the only which name started with {6D809377-6AF0-444B-8957-A3773F02200E}. That's why it is listed as last in the above list, not under "i" or "Intel".

My 25+ years of IT experience says that the situation where:

• Only one program has certain behavior or effects and it is not fault of that program
• Ugly and nasty Windows is doing that bad things to poor little IrfanView as the only app in the universe

is simply impossible. So I am more than sure that this is something that either IrfanView or its installer is doing to the system.

To summarize:

• There are dozens of apps that are installed on dozens of computers
• There are hundreds of icons in icon cache on each of these computers
• 25 of these icons are replaced by only one app's icon (IrfanView)
• No other app out of those dozens has replaced no other app's icon

But... the facts are that program's author keeps claiming that this is:

• Not his fault or a fault of his program
• Purely and 100% related to how Windows's icons cache works

and there is nothing he can do about this.

So, maybe the solution is, as suggested by kobuki is to delete manually all files in %localappdata%\Packages\Microsoft.Windows.Search_c w5n1h2txyewy\LocalState\AppIconCache\100\ folder. Or just those that has IrfanView icon. As we possibly won't get any help from IrfanView or its author.

[Bhikkhu Pesala]

This is not true. I have contacted the author privately at irfanview@gmx.net and after a series of posts exchanged the conclusion was this is Windows fault and Irfan can't / is not going to do anything.

Thanks for the update. I have updated the status of each thread to No Bug, since it is a bug in Windows, not in IrfanView. I must have missed your previous reply to the other thread.

[trejder]

This is not true. I have contacted the author privately at irfanview@gmx.net and after a serie of posts exchanged the conclusion was this is Windows fault and Irfan can't / is not going to do anything.

The result of this emails exchange was exactly the same as in my previous attempts to address this issue, in previous years. That's why I haven't published here anything. I assumed that conclusions are pointless. Nothing changed and there was no hope that anything changes in the future as program's author said that is unable / is not willing to do anything.

As for kobuki's original report, I find this as an important corner stone that might bring us a little bit closer into resolution of this very annoying problem, so I am still investigating this case and I'll report as soon as I get some conclusions.

[Bhikkhu Pesala]

I was not talking about fixing the bug, but forwarding a bug report to the author.

The thread is still only tagged as Confirmed, so in spite of several posts advising users to forward a bug report, nobody did.

[kobuki]

The anecdote is funny but I don't think it's highly relevant. I as many others here on this forum have spent quite a few hours trying to solve and report this to no avail. I think we did our part as end users. The parties remaining involved in the case are the developer of IrfanView and Microsoft. Now, as a developer I can say that I've done many similar workarounds because we had to make the software work and couldn't just stop and say that it's someone else's fault each time we've encountered an error. The customer would have become angry and we could have got ourselves fired. It's open source and I highly appreciate the work the author put in it - it's simple, yet featureful and easy to use, with lots of features and plugins. I would do more if I could. But I'm not a Windows dev, nor have the sources.

[Bhikkhu Pesala]

There was an important job to be done and Everyone was sure that Someone would do it.
Anyone could have done it, but No-one did it.
Someone got angry about that because he thought that it was Everyone’s job.
Everyone thought that Anyone could do it, but No-one realised that Everyone wouldn’t do it.
It ended up that Everyone was angry with Someone because No-one did what Anyone could have done!

[kobuki]

Hi, long time IV user here. I've just upgraded my old Windows 7 system to Windows 10. 20H2 patches are installed. Using IV 2.46 32 bit.

I'm seeing the same issue as others here. I've tried everything I've found on the net and on this forum - nothing works. The only thing that does work temporarily is emptying the following dir:

%localappdata%\Packages\Microsoft.Windows.Search_cw5n1h2txyewy\LocalState\AppIconCache\100\

That makes all the icons get a default app icon in W10 Start Menu search results and other places, but after some time it either gets fixed and icons are displayed correctly or the ugly IV icon takes over. It takes over sooner or later, but it might get fixed for a short while first. I'm suspecting a scheduled cache build process somewhere deep in Windows that's either misinterpreting metadata or settings provided by IV or IV changes a system setting that makes its icon the default that overrides anything it reaches. Same thing with both 32 and 64-bit versions.

It's absolutely nuts. No other program is able to cause this error. The developer should really take this seriously. Even if it's a workaround on his part, he should just do it. It's annoying as hell. I've seen it on another PC with the same setup here at home, but we uninstalled IV there. I can't recommend IV any more to anyone until this gets fixed.

[Tom7320]

Did not help. Well, ok, I could uninstall the software. This might help. But I want to use it! So uninstalling is not rally a solution... :-)
I tried a lot and meanwhile I am pretty sure, that it must be a bug either with the installer or the software itself.

[Bhikkhu Pesala]

Please see the support thread linked to by stehtimschilf: https://irfanview-forum.de/showthrea...1750#post51750

[Tom7320]

I can confirm the problem (screenshot). Is there a solution yet?? Thx!!

[stehtimschilf]

My initial post was NOT a solution! It works only for the pinned App in your start menu, but not, if you search for an app in the start menu. The search result app icons are still set to IrfanView!

It's even worse. Found out, that also the ITunes Icon is affected, which is not a built-in Windows App!

I've never seen something similar with any other program - never! And it's so simpel to reproduce (for the programmer): Set up a Windows 10 virtual machine, snap shot, install irfanvien, boom! calculator and photo app icon are messed up. Revert to snapshot, install e.g. XNView - nothing, install Photoshop, nothing, install anything you like, nothing, install IrfanView again, booom!

This is so bad. Non-Experienced user are having trouble to understand: "Well, yes, type itunes, but the irfanview icon shows up, click anyway on the irfanview icon, it will start itunes".

I therefore won't recommend and install IrfanView anymore on any new Windows 10 platform!

cheerioh
SiS


ignore my initial post:
I might just found a solution. Have a look at this thread: https://irfanview-forum.de/showthrea...1750#post51750

[stehtimschilf]

I can confirm this is still an issue as of 03/22/2020: fresh out-of-the-box Windows 10 1909 Laptop, after the initial settings (language, privacy settings, username, ...) were done, run Windows Update until no new updates were available, reboot, download latest IrfanView 64bit Installer and Plugins-Installer, boom! Settings, Phone, Calculator all have now the IrfanView Icon!

This is so bad!
Uninstalled IrfanView, no changes!

I 0d like to have a fix, as this is a customer laptop!

thx & cheerioh
SiS