Missing Icons - Rebuilding iconcache.db and other "fixes" Don't Work
Windows 7 & Windows/Installer Directory Contents
Contrary to common posts on many sites, do NOT delete, move to a sub-DIR within the C:\Windows\Installer directory, ANY sub-DIR or individual files from the root of the Installer DIR. At first you won't see any changes, but over time the icons in your Taskbar, Start Menu, and Programs & Features will turn generic. This anomaly is NOT limited to only Microsoft installed Apps, also affecting many non-MS Apps.
I did this and it drove me nuts searching for the Root Cause, which I finally found and state here.
For those obsessive-compulsive perfectionists like me, LET IT GO! Hard drive's are one hell of a lot larger and WAY cheaper than when I began my career decades ago. It is not worth it to spend time on constantly being a "neat, organized" IT freak. Trust me. I've been doing this for so long that I have forgotten MUCH more than many of you will ever learn! .,.. Just Kidding! :-)
Good Luck!
FallbrookForest