Notepad icon on desktop is generic

[Cel01]

Icon is just a white blank icon.

Works accessing program. In task bar and on programs list is proper. Only icon like this. On both admin and user account

i have been searched forum, and lots of places on internet. Wow this is a tuffy to figure out.

 

[Brink]

Hello Cel01,

Could you post a screenshot of this just so that we could verify which icon is white blank since there's the main Notepad icon and a shortcut arrow overlay on the icon? If the shortcut arrow overlay is blank, then it could just be almost covering up all of the main icon making it appear to be the Notepad icon when it's really the overlay.

 

[Cel01]

Hope this helps

Note: bkground is one I put on. I changed bk to MS one and no change in icon.

 

[MilesAhead]

Blank paper icon has been an on again off again bug on Windows forever. Sometimes if you go into shortcut and do Change Icon, select the exe file, then hit Apply it will show up. I get this using Standalone Stacks. About 1 out of 10 the icon is blank paper. I extract the icon from the exe and stick it in a folder I have for icons. Do change icon, then navigate to the .ico file I made. It's one of those things you're never going to fix it completely.

 

[boohbah]

try rebuilding the icon cache to see if it changes things for you, possibly create a system restore point first in case of problems

Icon Cache - Rebuild - Windows 7 Forums

 

[Cel01]

Thanks for the guidance. I tried both but it didn't help. This is a stinker of a problem isn't it?

 

[HammerHead]

Shortcut

If it is in fact a shortcut. I have solved this by finding the *.exe file in win explorer and creating a new shortcut to the desk top by rightclicking. Once you have the short cut created you can delete the funky one.

 

[Brink]

Hope this helps

Note: bkground is one I put on. I changed bk to MS one and no change in icon.

This is not a shortcut to Notepad, but a .txt file that opens with Notepad instead.

The icon that I see in this screenshot is the normal icon as below for a text (.txt) file. That's the one that's suppose to be for it.

Am I missing something?

 

[MilesAhead]

Am I missing something?

Didn't Windows used to use the icon from the associated text editor? Like a green notepad icon for EditPadLite? Or is that my memory playing tricks?

 

[Brink]

For a .txt file, it's always been the icon in my post above as the default one. If you change the default program for .txt files to be a 3rd party program instead of Notepad, then it might change the icon to be that of the 3rd party program though.

 

[MilesAhead]

For a .txt file, it's always been the icon in my post above as the default one. If you change the default program for .txt files to be a 3rd party program instead of Notepad, then it might change the icon to be that of the 3rd party program though.

That's why I was wondering. Because I did "open with" to use EditPadLite and it's still the lined paper. I think in some Windows flavors it did as you say. But now I'm confused if it's still supposed to change with the app or if there's a "standard" text document type or what the deal is.

 

[boohbah]

well spotted brink, i just enlarged the txt file in the screenshot and it is lined with the perforated top of page,
it looks blank in a smaller image. and of course was described as blank.

as a test the op could right click and select open with / select default program and choose word pad then it will be an obvious change, then op can change back.

 

[Brink]

For a .txt file, it's always been the icon in my post above as the default one. If you change the default program for .txt files to be a 3rd party program instead of Notepad, then it might change the icon to be that of the 3rd party program though.

That's why I was wondering. Because I did "open with" to use EditPadLite and it's still the lined paper. I think in some Windows flavors it did as you say. But now I'm confused if it's still supposed to change with the app or if there's a "standard" text document type or what the deal is.

I just installed EditPadLite to test it, and it uses the same default .txt file icon for me as well. It appears that EditPadLite just happens to not change the icon. However, most 3rd party programs do though.

 

[MilesAhead]

I just installed EditPadLite to test it, and it uses the same default .txt file icon for me as well. It appears that EditPadLite just happens to not change the icon. However, most 3rd party programs do though.

That makes sense. I should have looked more closely at the screen shot. Not on desktop but with Standalone Stacks I get a lot of "blank paper" icons instead of the app's custom icon. I guess the paper icon bug was on my mind because of that.

 

[Cel01]

Hope this helps

Note: bkground is one I put on. I changed bk to MS one and no change in icon.

This is not a shortcut to Notepad, but a .txt file that opens with Notepad instead.

The icon that I see in this screenshot is the normal icon as below for a text (.txt) file. That's the one that's suppose to be for it.

Am I missing something?

View attachment 187492

well that's it. I had to try really hard to make it bigger buy eventually saw the lines very faintly. Why didn't MS keep it the way it was is so stupid.

I hate the way the stinkin things looks but can live with it.
Thanks everyone really appreciate the help.

Celeste

 

[Brink]

Celeste,

If you like, you could use OPTION ONE in the tutorial below to easily change the default icon of .txt files to be any icon that you like instead. For the Notepad icon you would use C:\Windows\notepad.exe,0.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/57455-file-extension-icon-change-default-icon.html

 

[Cel01]

Hi Brink:

Thanks for pointing out the tutorial. Really good. I am going to try this later on tonight.

Celeste

 

[Brink]

You're most welcome.