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

[Todeskult]

Actually I found it I think:

https://superuser.com/questions/1319...441161#1441161

For me this worked:

1. Start Registry Editor.
2. Navigate to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.png.
3. Look for a ShellEx key with at least one subkey. If you see any subkeys, you've probably found the culprit.
4. Delete the subkeys.
5. Right click on the ShellEx key and click on permissions.
6. Under Groups or user names select Administrators and under the permissions tick Deny for both Full Control and Read, and then and choose OK.
7. Skipped: Restart your PC and if you have more than one monitor attached to your system, turn off the power to them. Only keep one monitor active.
8. In Windows Search type Change the size of text, apps and other items and then select the matching item. It will take you to the appropriate Settings Display page.
9. On the Display Settings page under Scale and layout change your scale from 100% (or whatever is the scale currently set on on your system) to a different scale.
10. Once you change the scale first wait at least 10 seconds and then search again for any UWP apps whose icons were broken before. You should see that these icons are back to their normal state. If you don't see that, again change the scale back to the original and then again to a different one. Do it a couple of times as in some cases, it takes more than one try to make it happen. Every time you change the scale first wait at least 10 seconds and then search again to check if the issue has been resolved. As soon as you see the issue is resolved, change the display scale back to your original scale.

[Todeskult]

I remember having this some years ago (like 2 or 3), can't find it in Google now, but the solution was to change something inside Windows registry. Sadly I can't remember what that was but I need it now to fix the same on my 2nd PC :/

[kobuki]

Some more info: any application I set as image handler in W10 Default Apps, will cause the search icons to change to that of the application. Not limited to IV. This is definitely a bug in W10. There's a Google app specific bug report at Google, but it's a general issue it seems. That's bad, because MS will not react for years per usual. If at all.

[Jeyekomon]

File icons change just by opening properties window

I fail to see what the problem is with merging the threads.

The problem is that these two threads are about different issues. In my opinion. If you think I did not describe my issue well (even though I tried to do my best), ask for more details. The only thing these two topics have in common is the word "icon".

[kobuki]

Don't stress over it. I'll try to narrow down the root cause, but it takes time. Even if it doesn't get worked around in IV, it seems it can get fixed in W10. A default all English/US W10 x64 in a VM is just fine, installed from official ISO generated by the MS download tool. The only difference so far is that in my upgraded W7 the defaults app didn't offer IV as possibility, I had to add it manually. The fresh install offered IV as image handler app right after installation. That might or might not be important.

[JendaLinda]

You need to find a reliable way to reproduce the problem, so the author could test and investigate the problem.

As far as I know, IrfanView doesn't use any crazy icon features, just basic icons, as many other programs do.

[kobuki]

In any case, I can confirm that the abovementioned GitHub link is a workaround that indeed works. Tried the manual method for a few apps and it instantly fixes the search icons. Yes, it seems more like a Windows 10 bug. Whether the author is willing is another question, but it might be fixed in IV itself as a W10 specific workaround.

[Bhikkhu Pesala]

I fail to see what the problem is with merging the threads. Windows 7 Support has ended, Irfan Skiljan says it is not a bug in IrfanView. If anyone can convince him otherwise, perhaps it will get fixed for Windows 10. If it gets fixed for Windows 7 in the process, all well and good, but I cannot reproduce it myself.

[kobuki]

Your issue is for WIndows 7, and has been merged into a clearly Windows 10 topic? Weird.

[Jeyekomon]

File icons change just by opening properties window

I have read this whole topic and found nothing in common with my issue so I fail to see why it has been merged together. But whatever, you're the boss here.

[Jeyekomon]

File icons change just by opening properties window

All my associated files had the default "red cat" icon. I did the following sequence of commands:

Properties --> Extensions --> OK (to close the properties window)

The icon for all the files changed and is now different for each format. I consider this an unexpected behavior.

I can now go back to the Extensions submenu, open the Icons window and change the icon back to the red cat. The icon changes back and the bug cannot be reproduced anymore so it appears to be some initial setting.

Windows 7 64-bit
IrfanView 64-bit 4.56

[kobuki]

Thanks for re-opening this. I suggest that we heed the warning and don't bother the dev and mods until definite proof found for anything. I asked Bhikkhu Pesala to re-open so we can actually talk about it and gather/share more info on the subject.

I think I got pretty close to a possible solution, by following this Github repo: https://github.com/phuze/windows-10-...g-search-icons

This describes the exact same issue and offers a quite hacky but possibly working method as solution. I haven't personally tried it but what's written there is convincing. Something is seriously fked up WRT icon handling in W10. If this method does work, it can be possibly automated via a script as a simple workaround for others. I'll be able to test it during the following days but I thought I put the info here in the meantime. From other posts it also appears it's system-specific, and we'll need to find the difference in our systems compared to others that don't have the issue.

[JendaLinda]

I've never seen this problem. All my program icons are correct. This must be a system specific issue.

[trejder]

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.

This was just a side information. The question is, if you have any file in that folder that has IrfanView icon, while its name suggests this is not an IrfanView-related file (icon cache).

BTW. To check the actual content (image) of these files, you may need to copy them somewhere and add / change their extension to .bmp. As these are actually Bitmap files, but have empty extension.

[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.