Windows 7 - Recycle Bin - Fix For Custom Icons Not Refreshing

**Airbot**

How to Fix Custom Recycle Bin Icons Not Automatically Refreshing

Information

Sometimes, when using different custom icons for both the Full and Empty Recycle Bin, the icons will not change to the proper icon when filled or emptied, unless you manually refresh the Desktop.

This will show you how to fix the refreshing problem when you use custom icons for the Recycle Bin in Vista and Windows 7.

Tip

To use custom icons for the Recycle Bin, see this tutorial here - Desktop Icons - Add or Remove

Note

If you change one or both icons to different ones after you have applied the changes in Regedit, you will need to apply the registry changes again for the new ones
Removable drives do not use or have a Recycyle Bin. Files deleted from removable drives are permanently deleted instead.

Here's How:

1. Open the Registry Editor by going to the Start Menu and typing in Regedit. Click yes for UAC prompt.

2. Navigate to-

Code:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/Explorer/CLSID/{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}/Default Icon

3. In the right hand pane, double click on the (Default) string, and change the entry from this - %USERPROFILE%\Icons\blackhole.ico to this %USERPROFILE%\Icons\blackhole.ico,0
NOTE: Instead of blackhole.ico, you will have your custom icon file name instead.

4. Click OK.

5. Repeat Step 3 for the empty and full string entries as well. When done, it should look like this -

6. Close Regedit and the changes should apply without having to log off and on or restart. You can try it out by deleting something when it's Empty, and see if it changes to the Full custom icon.

That's it.
Airbot

Related Tutorials

**Kukag** · 09-14-2009

Cool , I was planning on writing a tut for this after he found the answer but I'm happy you did =P

Thanks again man and keep up the great tuts!

**woodman650** · 09-14-2009

Thanks guys!

**Corpsecrank** · 09-16-2009

This is excellent! I been bugged by the custom trash icons for a while now.

ViperMWC · 09-24-2009

Most excellent !!

Happened a couple of times to me already and it is really annoying !!
Nice simple fix, thanks a lot !!

All the best,
Mick C.

**alan5573** · 10-28-2009

I thought this thread would solve my problem. Sadly, when I navigated the registry I found the default key set to E:\Icons\Toxic Empty.ico and the full and empty also to E/.
Is there anything else I can try?

**Brink** · 10-28-2009

Hello Alan, and welcome to Seven Forums.

You might give this a try to see if it may help.

Recycle Bin - Vista Forums

Hope this helps,
Shawn

**alan5573** · 10-28-2009

Thanks for the welcome. That didn't work either. Perhaps I could have explained the problem better.

With default icons the recycle bin works properly. If I change the icons for any others in the %SystemRoot%\System32\imageres.dll,216 that also works fine.

The problem is when I try to use custom icons and then it only changes when I refresh the desktop.

I know in the grand scheme of things this is a very minor matter but it is becoming an obsession with me.

**Airbot** · 10-28-2009

Alan,

Can you post a screenshot of yours like I have here.

Recycle Bin - Fix For Custom Icons Not Refreshing-capture.jpg

**TheSchaft** · 10-28-2009

Quote: Originally Posted by alan5573

Thanks for the welcome. That didn't work either. Perhaps I could have explained the problem better.

With default icons the recycle bin works properly. If I change the icons for any others in the %SystemRoot%\System32\imageres.dll,216 that also works fine.

The problem is when I try to use custom icons and then it only changes when I refresh the desktop.

I know in the grand scheme of things this is a very minor matter but it is becoming an obsession with me.

The recycle icons in imageres.dll are 54 and 55 in "Icon Group"

When you go there in "reshacker" you will get an error - "Out of resources", as I recall. Just click past that. Replace the group with the single icon you want. It works for me, using either large or small icons on the desktop or taskbar.

Windows 7 - Recycle Bin - Fix For Custom Icons Not Refreshing

Recycle Bin - Fix For Custom Icons Not Refreshing

Recycle Bin - Fix For Custom Icons Not Refreshing problems?