How to Change or Restore Default Windows 7 Desktop Icons
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This will show you how to restore or change the default icon for the Computer, User's Files (user-name Folder), Network, and Recycle Bindesktop icons and all other locations in Windows 7.
Note
Removable drives do not use or have a Recycyle Bin. Files deleted from removable drives are permanently deleted instead.
Here's How:
1. Right click on a empty area of the desktop and click on Personalize. (See screenshot below)
2. Click on the Change desktop icons link at the upper left corner. (See screenshot below)
3. To Change the Icon for a Desktop Icon
A) In the middle pane, select (click on) a desktop icon that you want to change the icon for, and click on the Change Icon button. (See screenshot below)
B) Select a icon that you want to use instead, or click on the Browse button and navigate to the location of the icon you want to use. NOTE:Any icon of your own you want to use instead needs to be a 256x256 pixel .ico Vista style icon file to properly display at larger view settings.
C) Go to step 5.
4. To Restore the Default Icon for a Desktop Icon
A) In the middle pane, select (click on) a desktop icon that you want to restore the default icon for, and click on the Restore Default button. (See screenshot below)
5. Click on OK to apply. (See screenshot above or below step 3A)
6. Close the Personalization window. (See screenshot below step 2)
Hello!
I changed the icons of my computer,network and user folder with success. After i restarted my PC when i go to Desktop Icon Settings
window there are no icons! Its just blank white!
That's strange. I have never seen that before. Do the desktop icons still display properly?
See if it may just be a glitch by restarting the computer again to see if they are there afterwards. If not, click on the Change Icon button and change the icon to the same icon again to see if that may help. If not, try the Restore Defaults button.
Hey Shawn
glad to find seven forums!
I have tried what you said but without any luck! Yes the icons were displayed perfectly on desktop or explorer and i could charge them through registry!
One or maybe both of the below did the trick:
after a refresh problem with the recycle bin icon i download a registry fix of it.
I'm kinda sure I checked the Desktop icon settings window and still had the problem. I went to sleep shutdown the pc for 6 hours (tried before with restart and shutdown but nothing worked) and today everything was fine!
later i will upload my desktop in the related thread
the one icon i want to change i cannot seem to get access to. i have tried every resource i can think of to get access to change the control panel icon with no luck.
System Manufacturer/Model Number Internet-Junkie OS Windows 7 RC Build 7100 x86 / Windows Vista SP2 CPU Intel Core2Duo E8400 Motherboard Asus Rampage Formula Memory 3 Gigs DDR2 6400 Graphics Card Asus NVIDIA GeForce 9500 GT 512MB Sound Card Sound Blaster FX Extreme Audio PCI-E Monitor(s) Displays Sceptre X22WG Gamer 22" 1080p Widescreen LCD Screen Resolution 1680 x 1050 32bit
Keyboard Logitech diNOVO Edge Mouse Logitech LX 8 Cordless Laser Mouse PSU 700 Watt Case U2-UFO Black Powder Coat - Solid Top www.mountainmods.com Cooling Ultra ChillTech Thermo Electric Cooler/7 120mm 2500RMP Fans Hard Drives OCZ 64gig SSD Western Digital 300gig VelociRaptor 10,000RPM
Two Seagate Barracuda 320gig 7200RPM Internet Speed 7 MBPS Down / 784KBPS Up Other Info Hauppauge WinTV HVR-1800 Dual Tuner
This link is specific to the recycle bin icons, but it will work for any of the icons in "imageres.dll", if you know the number. (You can install the free program Icon Viewer to add a Icons tab to the Properties pages of files that contain icons in them. For example, with the imageres.dll file. It will let you easily see the number to use for the icon.)
System Manufacturer/Model Number Gateway, Toshiba Laptop, and Home Brew OS Windows 7 x64 HP, Windows 7 HP, Windows 7 Ult CPU Intel I3, Cerelon, Pentium 4 @ 3Ghz Motherboard Intel, Intel, Asus Memory 8G, 3G, 3G Graphics Card On-board Intel, On-board nVidia, nVIDIA card Sound Card on-board, on-board, SoundBlaster Monitor(s) Displays Hannspree HF237, Toshiba, SyncMaster 931B Screen Resolution default (all)
Keyboard standard wired (all) Mouse standard wired (all) PSU 300w, unk, 650w Case black, black, grey Cooling air (all) Hard Drives 1T internal, 320G internal, 160G internal, 1T networked Internet Speed 6M down, 768K up Other Info Home LAN through Linksys hub to 4 port and wireless switch/router. Networked HP 2600n. Wife's computer running Windows 7, and spare laptop running Ubuntu "Karmic Kola" (9.10).
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Note
Desktop Icons covered by default icon 
