Windows 10: Corrupt IconCache.db does not Rebuild: A New Fix

For the last 5 days I have been searching for a solution to restore the icons and thumbnails that disappeared on Desktop and Explorer. The iconcache.db was corrupted. I deleted it and then tried to rebuild it, eventually using every suggestion I could find on the web, including two in these forums involving a .bat file and Command Prompt routine. No dice. I had no iconcache.db to delete anymore, which was another problem. I was at the point of doing a System Restore, which in my experience is asking for more trouble. *Mad

Then, yesterday, I took another laptop I own that is running Windows 10, and copied the iconcache.db file to a thumbdrive. I then implanted this file where it belongs (C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Local\), and bingo!--the icons popped back into life, as did the lost ability to view Properties on the right-click dropdown menus on icons and files. *Party

n.b. I had already tried this gambit of implanting a db file from elsewhere, but it came from Windows 7 and didn't work. It has to be a Win 10 iconcache.db file. If you don't have another computer with this file, get one from a friend.

:)

 

Desktop icons rearranging themselves upon reboot (windows 10)

Delete your IconCache.db from C:\Users\(USER NAME)\AppData\Local and let windows rebuild it. It is corrupted.

 

Icons on desktop

Looks like a corrupt or missing overlay.

you could try rebuilding the iconcache.db files

instructions can be found here -
http://www.howtogeek.com/232779/how-to-rebuild-a-broken-icon-cache-in-windows-10/

 

Hello Berry, and welcome to Ten Forums. *Smile

If you meant the tutorial below, it should have been able to rebuild your icon cache. Did you restart the computer after running the .bat to have the IconCache.db file automatically recreated?

https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/5...dows-10-a.html

 

Brink, I did every operation shown in the above URL. I did many more from other websites, including delete the iconcache.db, and delete all icon/thumbnail files. I COULD NOT REBUILD MY ICONCACHE. DB. I had nothing. I made multiple restarts: I learned how to restart from Task Manager, I did every kind of restart known to Windows 10. Nothing worked to replace/rebuild iconcache.db. Trust me.

 

Hey this happened to me as well I wonder what is causing our system to not re-create the .db

 

Hello GrimWard, and welcome to Ten Forums. *Smile

As a test, use "Run as administrator" on the .bat file to see if that may help.

https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/5...dows-10-a.html

 

I've tried this method and it doesn't work I have lost the ability to right click on item properties and have lost all of my icons.. also implanting the .db file like Berry mentioned didn't work for me as well =/ this is how my desktop looks now.

 

OK so I figured out previously I had download a transparent file from
Shortcut Arrow - Change, Remove, or Restore - Windows 7 Help Forums
and I also added the (29) to (shellicons) to remove damned shortcut arrow. once I restored the default option reg file and deleted my (29) entry voila they appeared!

 

Great news GrimWard. *Party

 

Glad that worked for you, Grim. FWIW, I removed shortcut arrows long ago via Ultimate Tweak, so that was not part of my iconcache problem. Clearly there is a bug in Win 10 that causes us to lose icons, and a variety of fixes have sprung up. Still don't know what my system's problem is. After I posted my fix above, I had to jump-start the icons a couple times with the "working" db file fix. Currently, icons have been stable for a couple of weeks. Fingers crossed. Meanwhile I keep a functioning iconcache.db file in another folder on my pc in case I lose the icons again. *Huh

 

You did who da what? *Redface

I'm relatively confused when it comes to editing my registry, but I also messed around with it to remove the damn arrows, and now (weeks later), I'm also faced with every single icon gone. I'm going to try to figure out what you did to fix the problem, but could you be a little more specific? Also, did what you did restore the arrows as well? I mean, I hate those things, but it's a helluva lot better than no icons at all. Thanks in advance!

 

Okay, I too deleted that "29" in the registry that I had added to get rid of the arrows, and that seemed to do the trick. Though it also brought back the arrows. I think, instead of messing with the registry, I'm going to find some sort of program that will do it.

 

Hello bacchuspup, and welcome to Ten Forums. *Smile

You might see if using the tutorial below for Windows 10 may help with your shortcut arrows.

Shortcut Arrow Icon - Change, Remove, or Restore in Windows 10

 

I was trying to remove the arrow as well so I ened up just trying to revert back what I did.
I deleted my 29 string entry here in regedit
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell Icons



and also downloaded the restore default shortcut regfix here
Shortcut Arrow - Change, Remove, or Restore - Windows 7 Help Forums