Windows 7 - Default Program Icons for Windows Photo Viewer

I have noticed in Windows 7 and in Vista that the Icon located in the "set your default programs" window for the Windows Photo Viewer is a Gear and Cog on a piece of paper instead of the normal picture and flower vase. I have tried to fix it through the registry editor, but I don't seem to know where to correct the setting that will produce the correct icon for that application. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Hi,

That's the icon for the Photo Viewer.dll, which contains the Flower icon you are talking about.



As long as you get the Flower where it should be, e.g. when you rt click and Open with, I shouldn't worry about it - mine is the same.




Hope it helps

SIW2

Yea I know, I found the same thing, I'm just one of those folks that likes everything to work the way it should and wanted to see if I could fix it somehow. My feeling is that the registry entry is pointing at the wrong icon in some way and correcting that value would make it display accurately. But I'm just not sure where that value is at and what is should be for it to work right.

Hi,

No, it is correct - that is the standard icon for .dll files. (See top screenshot of my previous post - the other .dll's have the same icon ).

Photo Viewer is a .dll not an .exe.

There may be a way of changing the icon for all .dll files , tho. I have never tried.

SIW2

hello hhhiii and welcome...
it shouldnt be too obtrusive since what its doing is not calling up a program but a dll
thats why you see the image of the cog and wheel, thats the default icon for a dll
if you want to read more on what a dll is and what it does...

Dynamic-link library - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

basically the viewer is in this dll...
rundll32.exe runs it and you get the photoviewer...

while you can try to change the icon for the dll files i wouldnt advise it since this is a global change meaning that any dll file is going to have the same icon...
and any extension (like you see) that calls a dll (in the default programs) will have the same icon as this one...

Well this is what I have found it in the registry. I notice that it does point towards a .dll file, it might be as you say concerning .dll files vs .exe. that could be why it doesn't display right or maybe the values listed are wrong: "-3069, -3009"? That has been my thought track so far.

Actually, the 3069 and 3009 are nothing more than String Resource Identifiers within the referenced DLL. Chances are, if the language or locale of Vista is changed (for whatever reason), then those identifiers will likely be changed also.

So where's the...

Windows Photo Viewer (as it's titled in Windows 7)

.exe file located inside of windows 7

there's no link in the START or ALL PROGRAMS locations,
the search found nothing,
I looked in windows and system 32 folders

I'm tired of looking,

All I wanted to do was assign it to open .gif files from now on...

what a headache windows 7 and Vista can be...
it was so much easier in WinXp to do shortcuts,
find things & get to places,

thanks for the help

seb6000

Hello Seb,

To do this, you would go into Default Programs. Next, select Windows Photo Viewer, Choose defaults for this program (Step 5), and check the .gif box.

Hope this helps,
Shawn


P.S.
Hhhiii,
It seems that your issue has been fixed in the RTM release.

Brink,
thanks for the help...

Ya I knew about that way, but thought someone might have another trick for Windows 7

I'm pretty familiar with windows and I still cannot understand why MS thinks its so much better to change things that have worked very well since before winXP.

I mean all a person had to do was right click on an image to get to the procedures to assign default options to images. Now when you do that there's no WPV (Windows photo Viewer) option for certain images (like .gif).... why?

(I'm not really sure why these photos are not popping up in your forum, they always have before, but now they're not, so right click on them and open them in a new window, to view)

http://img96.imageshack.us/img96/9628/30429767.jpg




So Ok here's what happens when doing it your way...

I go into START > DEFAULT PROGRAMS > and have 2 options to try

http://img34.imageshack.us/img34/9585/50379359.jpg



So I ran the top/1st option & it never changed the .GIF settings (from Internet explorer opening the .gif image)

So I ran the 2nd option and it would change the association over to WPV (windows photo viewer).

http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/2654/100k.jpg



http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/419/102wc.jpg




So it must be an un-changable bug, at least on this one image type (gif)..

MS could really learn something about programming, if they would just step back and look at themselves.. and what they are doing in Windows 7, stay with things that work and build on them, or leave them alone. Simple is always better.

thanks again
seb60000