Windows 7 - Irfanview ruined file thumbnails, even after uninstall.

[urbanriot]

I've had this problem with many previous versions of Windows and Irfanview and I thought it was solved a few years back but I haven't tried using Irfanview since.

I installed Irfanview into my Windows 7 x64 and it replaced thumbnails for all images in explorer with the squished red cat. This annoyed me and I couldn't figure out how to get thumbnails back. I uninstalled Irfanview and thumbnail viewing is replaced by Windows program viewing icons, not thumbnails.

I right clicked, 'open as' and reset viewing programs for images and that somewhat restored thumbnail functionality... I now have random thumbnails but they're extremely slow to generate and the folder thumbnails take a long time to show up. Sometimes I don't get any .jpg thumbnails, sometimes I do. I cleared thumbnail cache but that had no effect. I also ensured 'always show icons, never thumbnails' was unchecked.

Everything was fine before I installed Irvanview. I have two questions:

1) Is there any way I can restore all image thumbnails to their previous, proper functionality?

2) Is there any way I can do the above and use irfanview for image viewing?

Thanks in advance.

[matera]

Your idea of proper functionality and mine are at opposite poles, but I will try to help. It has little or nothing to do with what program is associated with the files, it is a Windows Explorer setting.

Have you opened the Tools-->Folder Options or Organize-->Folder and Search Options dialog and checked the settings? The most likely thing is in the "View" tab of Folder Options: Always show icons, never thumbnails.

"Remember each folder's view settings" (same place, down a way) is another variable to watch out for.

Then there is the "Customize" tab in the folder Properties dialog. So many ways to mess up Explorer settings, it's no wonder Windwoes gets confused.

I just re-enabled thumbs to make sure I could. No problem. Except now I may have a hard time getting rid of it completely again. I loathe anything but details view as a default.

[urbanriot]

Well... thanks for taking the time to respond.

Throughout the course of the day, after my above post, having uninstalled Irfanview, I continued completing various tasks on my computer, rebooted my system a number of times and went to implement a few other complicated googled suggestions when I discovered thumbnails now work as before.

I have no explanation for how, as I'd rebooted a number of times before and had no success after trying your suggestion (I wrote that in my first post).

In any case, I reinstalled Irfanview and thumbnails are still fine. Can't explain this one but since there was no problem prior to Irfanview's red cats, I placed the blame there... Wish I knew the exact cause.

I used to use detailed view for everything until upgrading my three monitors to 24" LCD's... now I like to medium icon view all my picture folders, makes it easier to work.

[WellOiledPC]

If you choose IrfanView as your default picure viewer, the Red Cats will show up in all views except Filmstrip and Thumbnails views. If you choose another program as your default picture viewer, your views will be replaced by that program's equivalent of the 'Red Cat'!

Whether you choose IrfanView or some other picture viewer, functionality is not hindered in any way!