Small and Large Desktop Icons - Why?

I don't understand why it is when I create an internet shortcut on a Windows 7 desktop, most of the icons are "miniature", where as some of them are full size on the desktop. There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason as to which shortcut will be small and which will be full size.

Please see the attached screenshot. The site "Brass Goggles" is full size and "seven forums" is miniature.

On XP, these same sites were all full size. I have no idea what is causing this erratic behavior. Any ideas?

Bob

PS Is this the correct place to address this questions? (This is my first post here).

bob3d said:

...Please see the attached screenshot. The site "Brass Goggles" is full size and "seven forums" is miniature...

They look the same size to me.

I agree with roncerr ... they do look the same size. I'm basing this on the size of the shortcut arrows in the lower left corner of each icon. In case you're not aware of it, you do have some control over the icons.

If your mouse has a scroll wheel, place your cursor on an empty section of the desktop, hold down CTRL, then scroll the mouse wheel to change icon size. (NOTE: If you make the icons too large they might change location on the desktop to conform to a new grid.)

Also:
1. By default, the icons on the desktop are a little large
2. Right click on an open area of the desktop
3. Select View
4. Select Small Icons (or medium or large)

I can't seem to duplicate what you're seeing but I would guess that it has something to do with the transparency of the icon's background.

I clarified my last post.

Bob

I've noticed my internet shortcut icons often change completely. Sometimes generic, sometimes one or another custom version chosen by the website. But if you want to try something, you could network the computers and drag the icon you prefer to both desktops.

Gornot said:

The icons placed on the desktop are extracted from the website's favicon... Different browsers read/recognize (whatevs) the favicons in a different way, this is why even on the same OS, the desktop shortcuts may look different from two different browsers. Since you provide screenshots from two different OSs, I see nothing wrong with the shortcuts, regardless of the obvious difference. I don't think there's a way of "fixing" this...

Someone correct me if I'm wrong

That's the word I was fishing for: Favicon as in https://www.sevenforums.com/favicon.ico! The file favicon.ico is located on every website's root directory, if that website hase a favicon. Now that I know what to search for, I found the answer here in this forum's post:

fseal said:

...The one with the white background is the new IE8 shortcut with the "FavIcon" graphic in the center.

The tiny tiny graphic on the huge white page is new to Windows 7 and is an irritation to me personally. Previously the FavIcon would cover the entire icon but I think that that was seen as a security issue. Some malicious website could install a FavIcon that mimiced a windows program or something to make you click it :P...

I think I see my answer, but I am very unhappy with it, since I cannot see my desktop favicon's within the new Windows 7 method of displaying them. Great. Just what I needed, another slam to the visually impaired brought to you in the name of "security".

Bob

bob3d said:

...I found the answer here in this forum's post...

Can you provide a link?