Devices and Printers Icons won't update

[elbeasto]

As per title.

This issue comes up time and time again with fresh Windows installs but I have yet to find a real solution other than reinstalling Windows again and hoping that it works.

So tell me, is there a way to force Windows to reset the folder's info/icons and download the nice ones?

I don't want to customise or do it manually - I just want Windows to do it the way it's supposed to.

Thanks

 

[elbeasto]

Bump

I'm also finding that the devices that aren't updating to the nice icons don't even have a folder and info in C:\Users\MyUserName\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Device Metadata\dmrccache\en-us

Really annoying and no one in the world seems to know why this happens or how to fix it.

 

[DavidE]

In Devices and Printers,
Right-click on the Computer icon and select Device installation settings

Is Yes (Download automatically) selected ?
If not, select it and see if that helps.

 

[elbeasto]

Thanks David, yes that's enabled by default.

 

[DavidE]

I don't know if this will help, but you could rebuild the icon cache to see ...
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/49819-icon-cache-rebuild.html

 

[elbeasto]

I don't know if this will help, but you could rebuild the icon cache to see ...
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/49819-icon-cache-rebuild.html

Thanks again David, I've already tried that and no luck.

Again, when installing (and reinstalling) drivers to try and get this feature to work the folders simply aren't created in: C:\Users\MyUserName\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Device Metadata\dmrccache\en-us for reasons unknown.

I've also tried uninstalling a device from device manager and then restarting, no luck.

 

[elbeasto]

I managed to get my keyboard icon to appear after uninstalling the two HID Keyboard devices from device manager and a number of HID's. Also reinstalled the Logitech setpoint software.

Last icon to get working is for my Dell U3011 it just wont appear no matter what I do.

I've uninstalled the monitor from device manager several times and restarted and reinstalled the driver from both win update and the the driver from Dell's website but the icon remains the same.


The problem is that the unique hardware ID folder and files are not created in: C:\Users\MyUserName\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Device Metadata\dmrccache\en-us

I can't think why this would work sometimes and not others.

 

[DavidE]

It seems others have this issue so you're not alone, here is one SF thread about it.
http://www.sevenforums.com/general-discussion/39916-devices-printers-icons-device-stage.html

If you only have 1 problem icon left, you might consider setting a custom icon.
Here is a tutorial.
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/224162-devices-printers-change-device-icons-custom-icons.html

Here is an interesting article.
Admiring Windows 7’s high-resolution device icons | istartedsomething
The author states you can download the metadata package from Microsoft’s Metadata servers.
There is a link for 1 specific icon, but i don't think there is a link for an "icon catalog" on Microsoft’s Metadata servers.
There are many more links in posts in the article.
It seems you have to use the device ID to find the metadata package, and hopefully the device manufacturer created the icon/package.

When you have everything the way you want, you might want to backup all your icon metadata.
Then if you re-install again you could use that data.

 

[elbeasto]

It seems others have this issue so you're not alone, here is one SF thread about it.
http://www.sevenforums.com/general-discussion/39916-devices-printers-icons-device-stage.html

If you only have 1 problem icon left, you might consider setting a custom icon.
Here is a tutorial.
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/224162-devices-printers-change-device-icons-custom-icons.html

Here is an interesting article.
Admiring Windows 7’s high-resolution device icons | istartedsomething
The author states you can download the metadata package from Microsoft’s Metadata servers.
There is a link for 1 specific icon, but i don't think there is a link for an "icon catalog" on Microsoft’s Metadata servers.
There are many more links in posts in the article.
It seems you have to use the device ID to find the metadata package, and hopefully the device manufacturer created the icon/package.

When you have everything the way you want, you might want to backup all your icon metadata.
Then if you re-install again you could use that data.

Sadly my Dell U3011 monitor doesn't have a GUID and even if it did, I doubt I could just punch it into that site and get the icon.
I couldn't find any archive of meta packages at all, only articles on how devs should make their drivers to use the service.

I don't know how to make Icons and even if I did, the folders and files aren't created when I use that wizard program.

I think I'm just going to have to live with a broken feature.

What frustrates me the most is that it used to work without me having to do anything but now it doesn't.

Thanks for your help David.

 

[elbeasto]

I'm not going to mark this as solved (because it is still doesn't work properly via Windows) but I did manage to get my monitor & keyboard icons to appear.

I plugged in my old SSD OS drive and sure enough, there were the ID fodlers in: C:\Users\MyUserName\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Device Metadata\dmrccache\en-us

I copied the "Device Metadata" folder to replace mine and replaced every file and folder when prompted.
Opened Devices and Printers and Boom, there they were.

At first I tried just copying the missing device folders i.e. the ones with the long string of numbers and letters but it didn't work. Infact all the icons went back to the generic ones.

I'm pretty sure you need to copy the "dmrc.idx" as well as the UID folders and their contents but it's just easier to replace the "Device Metadata" folder and do it all in one hit.

I realise that a new Windows will be out soon but it would still be nice for us oldies to have this working.

 

[AddRAM]

Could you post a shot please.

I just love my PC icon

 

[elbeasto]

I get that icon when I install the driver from the CD but not when I install the driver from the Asus website.

but yeah I'll post a screenie later.

 

[AddRAM]

What driver, chipset ?

I`d really like to fix it, only thing wrong with my install. Weirdest thing I`ve ever seen

 

[elbeasto]

That icon comes from the Asus Probe II driver, in device manager it's listed as "AMDA00 Interface" in the System Devices section.

Since you posted I tried again to get the website driver icon to work since it's newer than the one on the CD & I did!

Download the driver, extract it and run the installer. The file needed is in the extracted stuff but doesn't get copied during the install for some reason.

Look in the "Metadata" folder of the extracted driver and then copy the .devicemetadata-ms file to: C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\DeviceMetadataStore\en-US

and bingo.

The file name for me is: dbd4d4a2-c08c-46ea-9996-57094e1547ac.devicemetadata-ms but it might be different for your board, not sure on that one.

For me the mouse, receiver and AverTV worked out of the box. The Dell monitor, keyboard and PC didn't. The Keyboard was weird since the receiver, mouse and keyboard are all in the same Logitech driver!
But anyway I have mine showing now.

All this used to work automagically so IDK WTF it doesn't now... :shock:

EDIT: that probe II driver is really hard to uninstall if you ever want to, there's no uninstaller in Programs and Features and it installs services that are always running. I only think you need it if you're using their AI Suite software.

 

[AddRAM]

Device Manager also shows 2 mice and 2 keyboards. Puzzling

I also have that AMDA00 Interface listed.

 

[GokAy]

Those should be different devices, although 1 physical mouse.

In Device Manager
On my system there are 3. Properties show: Location:
- on Logitech Gaming Virtual Mouse (HID-compliant mouse)
- on Logitech Virtual Hid Device (HID-compliant mouse)
- on USB Input Device (Logitech HID-compliant G500 Gaming Mouse)

Got 5 keyboards - HID Keyboard Device

In Devices
4 Keyboards
3 Mouse

 

[AddRAM]

That`s it I`m going back to Windows XP

 

[elbeasto]

I wonder if you could extract the driver for those devices and copy the .devicemetadata-ms file to: C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\DeviceMetadataStore\en-US like I did with the Asus blue cude.

 

[AddRAM]

I never installed the Probe 2 driver, so it`s not from that.

I just did an install on an Intel ssd, changed device configuration to get realistic icons, got all the drivers directly from Asus, no windows updates and it still put just a blue cube there.

Ran windows update fully, still a blue cube

I did exactly what you instructed, but that metadata file is already listed there.

 

[Boozad]

Nothing like that here.