recycle bin icon missing (not the desktop icon)

A Guy said:

You can try rebuilding the icon cache

Icon Cache - Rebuild

You can probably correct this with the System File Checker

SFC /SCANNOW Command - System File Checker

But it will remove the 3rd party theme and changes. You would have to repatch your system and reapply any customizations.

A Guy

hmm is it rebuilding the icon cache that will remove the customizations or the system file checker?

JDobbsy1987 said:

Do you still have the theme activated?
Have tried uninstalling that theme to see if the icon appears again, theme packs normally come with an uninstall file.

Regards,
JDobbsy1987

I've tried switching to a different hteme to see if the icon would reappear but it didn't

well rebuilding the icon cache didn't work either :(
I guess I should try SCF? I really don't feel like repatching and reapplying everything all over again, but if there's nothing else left to do.. :/

..aaand SFC didn't work either. I ran it a few times and the verification reached 12% every time before it said "Windows Resource Protection could not perform the requested operation"
is all hope lost

I was able to run SFC from safe mode, still didn't fix the problem. gotta be kidding me..