UAC Shields appeared on desktop icons

Stan250 · 10 Jan 2015

Recently my desktop icons for applications which are .exe files have now got blue and yellow UAC shields.
All rights for all users are assigned to these and have not changed. UAC level has not changed. The files have not changed. Scans by Avast and Bullguard show no viruses.
When I set UAC control to minimum, only one of the shields disappears on re-start and re-appears when UAC is set back to level 3 (default).
I have re-installed Windows 7 twice, the first time without a total wipe of the previous Windows 7, the shields re-appeared, the second time with a total deletion of all previous data of both partitions.
The shields have re-appeared. This time, the one which disappeared on lowering UAC remains afterwards, another has lost it's shield but when starting it up, it asks if I want to make changes to the computer, despite not having the shield. This is a mess.
I think that this may have started after installing a recent Windows update, which might explain 2 system restores on the first Windows 7 did not fix the problem as I understand that Windows updates relating to security cannot be uninstalled.
This has driven me to despair; I see fixes for removing the shields on each individual file but this looks like a some sort of Windows issue rather than an issue of actual permissions, so I would like to get to the root of the problem so that it reverses the issue and stops it from happening again.
Thanks.

Brink · 10 Jan 2015

Hello Stan, and welcome to Seven Forums.

This is normal. Whenever a program will "Run as administrator" (elevated) when opened, it's .exe or shortcut icon will have a UAC shield overlay on it to indicate so.

Stan250 · 10 Jan 2015

It did not happen before, yet the UAC level has not changed. Plus one of the .exe programs now has no shield but asks for permission.

Brink · 10 Jan 2015

I've noticed that there can sometimes be a delay before shortcuts will get the UAC shield overlay. It also depends on what your UAC settings were at the time. If set to "Never Notify" then you won't see the UAC overlay. If set to anything above that, then you will. Once the UAC shield does display, it will not go away no matter what you set your UAC settings to afterwards.

Please go ahead and post a screenshot of what it's prompting you with to see if it may be a Open File - Security Warning dialog instead.

Screenshots and Files - Upload and Post in Seven Forums

Gator · 10 Jan 2015

Try this solution.. First, rename the original file for backup purposes.

Set on the option "View hidden files and folders" Hidden Files and Folders - Show or Hide
Go to C:\Users\"username"\App Data\Local\ where IconCache.db file is.
Rename it (for example: IconCache1.db) or create a new folder there and put it inside.
Hide system files and folders again.

Then try this command

Make sure UAC (User Account Control) is disabled by moving its slider to the lowest position.
Open the Command Prompt. Elevated Command Prompt
Type the following commands, pressing Enter after each line:
taskkill /IM explorer.exe /F CD /d %userprofile%\AppData\Local DEL IconCache.db /a shutdown /r

NOTE: The last command will restart your computer, so make sure you save your work BEFORE executing those 4 lines above!
If you ever experience the shield icon again (I believe that's impossible now), just repeat the third step. Good luck!

Solution found here along with others:
How to Remove UAC Icon Overlays (Blue-Yellow Shields) in Windows 7 - Super User

Stan250 · 10 Jan 2015

Brink: "Once the UAC shield does display, it will not go away no matter what you set your UAC settings to afterwards."
Yes that is what I saw before re-installing Windows except one of them where the shield disappeared after lowering UAC
This time, the shields disappear after setting UAC to minimum. However when putting it back up, as I said, one of them has no shield but asks for permission...that's not right surely?

Stan250 · 10 Jan 2015

Thanks Gator I will try that tomorrow (it's 3:20am here).

Is it a significant security risk to keep UAC on minimum?

Stan250 · 10 Jan 2015

The odd thing is that the shields appeared without my changing UAC settings....I know this for sure as at the time I had never heard of them let alone how to change them, so these shields appeared on their own apparently. When I did find the UAC settings after the shields appeared, I found them on level 3, the default, meaning that in theory the shields should have been there all along.

Brink · 10 Jan 2015

Gator said:

Try this solution.. First, rename the original file for backup purposes.

Set on the option "View hidden files and folders" Hidden Files and Folders - Show or Hide
Go to C:\Users\"username"\App Data\Local\ where IconCache.db file is.
Rename it (for example: IconCache1.db) or create a new folder there and put it inside.
Hide system files and folders again.

Then try this command

Make sure UAC (User Account Control) is disabled by moving its slider to the lowest position.
Open the Command Prompt. Elevated Command Prompt
Type the following commands, pressing Enter after each line:
taskkill /IM explorer.exe /F CD /d %userprofile%\AppData\Local DEL IconCache.db /a shutdown /r

NOTE: The last command will restart your computer, so make sure you save your work BEFORE executing those 4 lines above!
If you ever experience the shield icon again (I believe that's impossible now), just repeat the third step. Good luck!

Solution found here along with others:
How to Remove UAC Icon Overlays (Blue-Yellow Shields) in Windows 7 - Super User

In addition, OPTION ONE in the tutorial below will help make it easier to reset the icon cache instead of doing it manually above. :)

Icon Cache - Rebuild

ThrashZone · 10 Jan 2015

Hi,
It would be nice to know which programs are effected please follow up on the inquiry

Yes lowering uac is a security risk when viruses/ maleware/ .... are around or happen to be downloaded unexpectedly which they usually don't give notice of their arrival :)
They will run like the wind without notice of uac to grant changes to files/ settings....

As Brink has said it's Normal
Cheers.
Cheers.