Recycle Bin - Fix For Custom Icons Not Refreshing

How to Fix Custom Recycle Bin Icons Not Automatically Refreshing​

   Information

The Recycle Bin provides a safety net when deleting files or folders. When you delete any of these items from your hard disk, Windows places it in the Recycle Bin and the Recycle Bin icon changes from empty to full.

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-

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

---

• How to Fix the Default Recycle Bin Icon Not Refreshing when Emptied
• How to Change the Recycle Bin Storage Size in Vista and Windows 7
• How to Fix Corrupted Recycle Bin in Windows

 

[hdv45]

recycle bin

Thank You Very much!!! That's one thing less that will annoy me! Bill

 

[Airbot]

You're welcome Bill.

 

[Ron Maide]

I know this opic is quite done, but I wanted to add my own thanks. The ,0 worked for me too.
I thank you and my girlfriend does as well; I get very unpleasant when my computers don't do as I say.

 

[ChrisInVT]

Thanks for this!!! It fixed the problem with my icon not refreshing. For some reason the ,0 was missing on all of them.

 

[Mark]

I found a better fix for this that doesn't need you to edit the registry, all you need to do is open the theme file with notepad and add ,0 after the icon name and then save it, then when you apply your theme it will add that to the registry as well and solve the problem, this way works better if you have multiple themes that have different icons and saves you having to do the fix every time you change your theme.

 

[dblade]

This path will only work with your Icons. Besides the fix is just adding ",0" for every entry in the registry.
I suggest you just change the icons with the Windows GUI. Then run regedit.exe go to

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

And by each entry add at the end ",0" like this:
"D:\Projects\Icons\Chinese Box Recycle Bin\Neuromancer Chinese Box Empty.ico,0"
that is the path to your icon with added ",0"
That fixes the problem and lets you keep the original place of the icons you use.
Just don't move them

P.S. If you save the Theme after this the register change will be saved as well. If you edit the theme file and change the register there. Then apply the theme it will be the same as if you changed the register. The point is when you fixed the register - save the theme.

 

[sparda2007]

YOU ROCK!!!

Hey man, I tried your method and it worked like a charm, so I made an account just to say a big thankyou!!!!

 

[engkhsky]

Does this apply to all type of icons? Becoz when i try to change one of my folder's icon, It doesn't change unless i refresh.

 

[Brink]

Hello Engkhsky, and welcome to Seven Forums.

Sorry, but no. This tutorial is only for the Recycle Bin.

If you like, you can create a new thread in the "General Discussion" area to see if a solution for your issue may be found.

 

[engkhsky]

Hello Engkhsky, and welcome to Seven Forums.

Sorry, but no. This tutorial is only for the Recycle Bin.

If you like, you can create a new thread in the "General Discussion" area to see if a solution for your issue may be found.

Thanks!

 

[MichaelTav]

@#%&!!&%#

Running W7 Home Premium x64 on an HP Envy 17-3090nr 3D and this just does not work,,,,,,?!........@#%&!#!!
The icons are still confused as ever, eradicate behaviour, nothing consistent.
I created a folder 'C:\Windows\Icons' for my custom Windows icons.
The reg changes to '%SystemRoot%\Icons\recyclebin_c2.ico' and looses the ',0' after I create the path 'C:\Windows\Icons\recyclebin_c2.ico,0'
I start with an empty RB and threw a folder in there, opens fine, after it empty's, its messed up again, refresh and its fine.......
I've posted pics as to what I've done.

Q. I'm doing this from the USER ACCOUNT, should I be doing this in the ADMIN ACCOUNT?

Any advise as what to try next?,,,,,Or should I do a .dll mod and replace the icons there?

 

[TomHartwald]

On my old Windows XP I had my custom icons located in the folder
"C:\Windows\system32\My_Icons",
so I used the same location in Windows 7.

That worked well for Explorer windows and many programs,
but in some programs the "Open/Save" dialog only showed
the generic icon for file types I had changed, and all custom folder
icons were completely ignored ...

So I changed the location to
"C:\Users\Public\My_Icons"
and now all works well.

Maybe a problem with the access rights, seems that Win 7 does
not even grant reading of his valuable system folder
(or the programs don't dare to take a look in there ).


Btw, I still love my old Windows ME trash
so I ofc used it in Win 7 too and I was really angry that I had to refresh it
manually. It's a shame, that Microsoft isn't even able to get a
System Option to work properly ...


So thanks a lot for this patch !

Regards,
Tom

 

[MichaelTav]

So thanks a lot for this patch !

Regards,
Tom

@ Tom

So this patch worked for you?
AND,,,,
Your custom icon folder is in 'User' profile.....(?)....
I'm as well using the LibraryIconChanger (http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/3011-libraries-icons-change.html), everything works fine except the Recycle Bin issue.
Awwww,,,nutzz,,,!

 

[Brink]

Hello Michael,

If you have not already, you might see how using the method in the tutorial below to change the Recycle Bin's full and empty icons may work for you insstead.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/920-desktop-icons-change-restore-default-icon.html

Hope this helps,
Shawn

 

[MichaelTav]

Pfffftttt!

Hello Michael,

If you have not already, you might see how using the method in the tutorial below to change the Recycle Bin's full and empty icons may work for you insstead.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/920-desktop-icons-change-restore-default-icon.html

Hope this helps,
Shawn

Riiiiight.....
Its still with the erratic behaviour,,,,reg fix or icon location change doesn't make a difference for me for CUSTOM RB icons.

I use both the 256² and the 128² icons for all my stuffff.
IDK,,,I just might be a little bit lazy not to upscale them...

No real difference in the look when it comes to using 128, for the most part their fine looking.
I'm using a 120Htz 1080p 17.5" screen, and its ½ screen size screen shot.

I'm just not getting the love from the RB icons,,,,,,,,

 

[TomHartwald]

@ Tom

So this patch worked for you?
AND,,,,
Your custom icon folder is in 'User' profile.....(?)....
(...)

My Custom Icon Folder is NOT in MY user folder, it's in the public one:
"C:\Users\Public\My_Icons"

And I mean a folder, not a library (I'm not (yet) using libraries) :
Double-click on "C: >> Users >> Public" and make the folder there.

Maybe try another icon, located NOT in the Windows system folder ?


Regards,
Tom

 

[MichaelTav]

I give up.....

I give up.....
That's right....
I surrender, to the fact......Microsoft is incompetent

and can't make a patch or fix since XP for this issue...
Seriously....
This simple mod should work with just an icon switch.

I give up.........

Its endemic to MS, just like the PresentationFontCache.exe high CPU usage issue that still persists from XP,,,,that's pre XP SP1.....

This issue is dead to me.
Time to go home...

 

[TomHartwald]

I give up.....
That's right....
(...)

Sad to read, that you can't get it to work as it should ...

But reading it gives comfort to me, seeing that I'm not the only one
having specific problems, which seems to appear only in my system ...


Never give up (much easier to say than to do ...),
Tom

 

[MIKLO]

This really SUX I have tried this and so many other "fixes" and nothing will work..... Micro$oft is so lame for not fixing this a long time ago. Im using Windows 8 X64 home .... I do wanna thank the ppl @ this site for their hard work on this and in fact it appears to have worked 4many so that's a good thing Thanks again folks.
MIKLO

 

[Brink]

Hello Miklo,

If you like, upload the icons you are using for your Recycle Bin, and I'll be happy to test them on my system to see if there may be an issue with them.

Where do you have the icons saved at on your system? This way I'll test using the same to get the best test results.
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/9733-screenshots-files-upload-post-seven-forums.html
In addition, see if the tutorial below may be able to help if you have not already.
Recycle Bin
Hope this helps for now,
Shawn