[SOLVED] Custom File Icons isn't working in Windows 8

[kevin4305]

Custom File Icons are awesome. I tried them on a Windows 7 machine and they worked great. On my Windows 8 machine, the icons weren't being resolved - it would show a generic icon for all entries. The generic icon would change depending on what type of file (png, ico...) I was pointing at, but it would not show the picture itself. Custom icons work fine in the catalog, the preview and in the tabs. I noticed that the icons, pngs, etc. do not show in the list view when it is set to view details - it just shows a generic icon. On my Windows 7 machine, they do show correctly in the list view. I hope this helps.

[Filehero]

Hi Kevin,

here on my Win 8 Pro machine it is working flawlessly, and I don't see any reasons why it shouldn't (compared to Win 7).

Is it also 'broken' with a fresh install? Maybe you can post some more details on your config and the symptoms, e.g. some screenshots depicting the problems a bit better.


Cheers,
Filehero

[admin]

I got the same report by email from some user. It seems to be a rare case of registry malconfiguration. Here is the solution:

ICO Files Not Showing their Icons in Windows Explorer?
See http://www.askvg.com/fix-ico-files-not- ... -explorer/

[stoik]

In reply to administrators suggested potential fix
(http://www.askvg.com/fix-ico-files-not- ... -explorer/) :

This didn't work for me on my windows 8 (64-bit).
My intensive Google search didn't reveal other suggestions - they all seem to refer to Windows Xp & similar.

Remember : Windows 8 has some quirks in regards to file associations.
For example, XnView cannot establish image associations as usual - You have to go via Control Panel.
I wonder it this is the problem with the above suggested fix ? ...
Namely - Windows 8 (64-bit) requires a different approach ?

[kevin4305]

The posted link from the admin did not fix my problem but it did help me in my search for a solution. After some searching, I was able to fix it by changing the default application for .ico files.

Control Panel -> Default Programs -> Associate a file type... -> .ico files.

The default program for icon files was set to Paint.Net on my Windows 8 machine but it was set to Windows Photo Viewer on my Windows 7 machine. I changed the default application for icon files on my Windows 8 machine and it worked perfectly. If you have problems with the icons, you may want to check this setting.

[stoik]

Kevin,

I replicated your moves, restarted the computer, but the only thing I got was that
one default program icon (XnView) was replaced with another default program icon (Windows Photo Viewer).

The actual icon from the ".ico" file is still not shown.
Off course, the windows registry is still set to show ico files as icons (as suggested by the fix above).

All this "buggy" behavior could be bypassed if - down the road - XYplorer could manage icons independently (as an option),
similar to how the word processor Atlantis allows you to carry your own fonts on a USB stick (so your document always look right - on any machine).

[Enternal]

Kevin,All this "buggy" behavior could be bypassed if - down the road - XYplorer could manage icons independently (as an option),
similar to how the word processor Atlantis allows you to carry your own fonts on a USB stick (so your document always look right - on any machine).

That's odd. I think that XYplorer does manage its own icons just like how Atlantis does it with the fonts. The issue here seems to be simply something wonky going on with the registry that caused all these weird issues with the icons. XYplorer DOES not mess with the registry or anything with the icons. All it does it "Instead of using this icon, XYplorer will just change the default icon as shown in Windows to this icon internally without laying a single finger on the system. In windows, business will go as usual and ONLY XYplorer will be different."

[admin]

Kevin,

I replicated your moves, restarted the computer, but the only thing I got was that
one default program icon (XnView) was replaced with another default program icon (Windows Photo Viewer).

The actual icon from the ".ico" file is still not shown.
Off course, the windows registry is still set to show ico files as icons (as suggested by the fix above).

All this "buggy" behavior could be bypassed if - down the road - XYplorer could manage icons independently (as an option),
similar to how the word processor Atlantis allows you to carry your own fonts on a USB stick (so your document always look right - on any machine).

This is not an option.

If you feel safe with regedit.exe you might check whether there is a setting for *.ico / iconfile under this node:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\Wow6432Node
If yes, then also here the DefaultIcon has to be set to "%1".

[stoik]

Thanks, Admin !

The "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\Wow6432Node" add-on is a good logical thought,
but this didn't work either for me.

Here are my two entries :

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\Wow6432Node\.ico]
@="icofile"
"Content Type"="image/x-icon"
"PerceivedType"="image"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\Wow6432Node\.ico\DefaultIcon]
@="%1"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\Wow6432Node\.ico\OpenWithList]

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\Wow6432Node\.ico\PersistentHandler]
@="{098f2470-bae0-11cd-b579-08002b30bfeb}"

and

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\Wow6432Node\icofile]
@="Icon"
"ImageOptionFlags"=dword:00000000

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\Wow6432Node\icofile\DefaultIcon]
@="%1"

This reminds me of a quote that I read somewhere recently :
"windows 8 is like walking into an office building, and you can't find a light switch ... once you find some switch & it doesn't work - you don't know if you got the wrong switch or if the switch is malfunctioning."

[admin]

Hm. If this does not work: Downgrade to XP!

[Filehero]

@Kevin,

has your Win 8 machine been set up from scratch?

Cheers,
Filehero

[stoik]

Solution Found (I think) !

We are not the only ones complaining about Windows 8, I have found more complaints elsewhere (with no solutions found) - for example :
http://superuser.com/questions/562709/w ... cons-shown
Here also, they try all sorts of registry tweaks and it doesn't work ...

However, I tried the complete reverse of what kevin4305 did :
after trying to set (via Control Panel -> Default Programs -> Associate a file type -> .ico files) Windows Photo Viewer as the default ico program,
I reverted to MS Paint as default program and ... it worked (while it didn't seem to work for Kevin) !

Conclusions :
1. it seems that (for some safety reasons) Windows 8 wants you to only use Control Panel -> etc, direct registry tweaks seem to all fail,
2. the default program for ico files has to be either MS Paint or Windows Photo Viewer, if one doesn't work - switch back & forth
(since probably the original association was broken - and switching back and forth will reestablish it).

I guess I might have been wrong about Windows 8 (& that "office lights" analogy) - they actually do want to make it more user friendly :
use the Control Panel (damn it !) & not the "geeky" registry editor ...

[admin]

Cool, thanks for the info!

[Filehero]

Hi stoik,

nice to read your issue seems to be fixed.

Inspired by the solution you've posted I did look up my current assigment (never messed with it on purpose, fresh Win 8 install).
And the winner assignment is: Windows Photo Viewer

Let's hope kevin get's fixed his one accordingly.


Cheers,
Filehero

[fwcetus]

To add to the "evidence":

Not Windows 8 -- this is about a Windows 7 Pro SP1 x64 Lenovo T420s laptop.

I have only tried playing around with custom XYP folder icons so far. When I first turned on Enable Custom File Icons in XYP's configuration, all of my folder icons and the icons for *.ico files all of a sudden looked like the icon for FastStone Image Viewer. Weird.

I then rummaged around in RegEdit ("looking, but not touching", at least so far) and could find no obvious reason for this, so I closed RegEdit (before I blundered and had to back up to yesterday's configuration to bail myself out).

Then, I tried setting the default viewer for *.ico files to Greenfish Icon Editor, and that turned all of the folder icons and *.ico file icons to what looked like the icon for Greenfish Icon Editor. Still weird, of course.

Then, on a lark, I changed the default viewer for *.ico files to IrfanView, and - Voila! - all the folder icons came back (to the default Win 7 "vertical folders" that I dislike, but I now could try changing them in XYP), as did the "normal" *.ico icons. From then on I have been able to use the new custom folder icons in XYP.

There is no logical reason (that I can see) for the above solution being successful.

I am now a retired software engineer, but, back when I was still an active software engineer, one of my favorite mutterings uttered while struggling with various Windows programming quirks was "It's not all ones and zeros". Well, as I said, I'm retired now, but I have not retired that sentiment - it's still true - "It's not all ones and zeros".

By the way, custom folder icons in XYP worked fine "right out of the box" in both Windows XP Mode on this same laptop, and on an old XP Pro x86 Dell desktop box that I still like to use occasionally.