Windows 10: Start menu tiles with default file icon - how to solve it?

Hi!

After reinstalling Windows 10.1709 x64 Pro I pinned to start menu program shortcuts and they have icon same as default file (no extension) and text only.
Some tiles have icon and only really live tiles are ok, look:



This is default icon


How to solve problem and pinned tiles will have icons again like before reinstall?

Thank you for each reply.
Miro

:)

 

Multiple tiles for same shortcut in Win 10 Start menu

Hi Alden, I finally solved the problem. Searching online, I found a similar problem people were having with multiple identical icons being created in the taskbar. Not in the start menu like mine, but it was worth a try. The suggestion was, when pinning an
app to the taskbar, pin the .exe file directly to the taskbar, rather than pinning a shortcut to the app, to the taskbar.

It worked! No multiple tiles anymore. Although I know I've pinned shortcuts to the start menu before, and never had a problem.

Parenthetically, this all started because I was consistently having the wrong icon show up in the start menu, a default icon instead of the one that started coming with this app (QB64). It seems that the default icon had gotten stored somewhere, evidently
in the startup folder, so even if I unpinned the old tile, and started with a new copy, the ugly old icon kept coming back.,

The solution to that was to right click on the tile, then "go to file location," then delete the old shortcut right from the source. THEN go to the qb64.exe file, and directly pin it to the start menu.

 

Multiple tiles for same shortcut in Win 10 Start menu

I created a shortcut for an app I installed in Windows 10 Pro (version 1703). I pinned that app to the start menu. The icon for the app never wanted to appear in the start menu tile. It was instead some default icon, always. Even though the proper icon did
appear on the shortcut when on the desktop or if I pinned it to the task bar.

So I right-clicked my shortcut's tile in the start menu, and clicked "open file location." Aha. It took me deep in the app data folder, under my name, windows\start menu\programs, and there was the shortcut and default icon showing up in the list. So I deleted
that shortcut's entry from the start menu list of programs, thinking that now, if I again pin the shortcut to the start menu, the proper icon will show up.

It did! But at the same time, it created two tiles, not just one. Oh drat, repeat the process. Now it created three tiles. If you "unpin" any one of those, they all disappear. If you again pin the shortcut to the start menu, all of those tiles reappear.

Does anyone know how to end this ridiculous behavior? Is there a way to purge these other copies of the same tile? Many thanks.

 

Not sure if it helps to know this, but that default icon is the logo for Commodore International. Which in itself is a bit odd, as...

Commodore International - Wikipedia

 

It is customized default icon - I'm retrocomputer programmer and Commodore 128 is my best machine.
I added icon only for explaining why is this icon on tiles.

Miro

 

It would appear that the Icon Cache has become corrupted - We have a tutorial for Correcting / Resetting this ...

Rebuild Icon Cache in Windows 10 Windows 10 Tutorials

Once you have this completed you can change individual icons for the Tiles which are actually standard shortcuts located here ...C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs - just right click on a shortcut and use the Change Icon - most will either be in a .ICO file, embedded in the .EXE file or in a DLL file related to the system or the application

The Icon shown follows the design standard for a document, (data file), type, it can sometimes get corrupted and then would also need fixing using the Open With dialogue(s)

 

Problem is that icon cache I rebuilt.
But you suggestion to change icons in programs in start menu is looking good - instead pinning icons by context menu only add them to programs and pin in start menu...

I will report if it helps.
Miro

 

There are some apps that forcibly take over icon duties - Guess who makes them *Wink

I had a major issue when I had to use Edge for some Online Video streaming providers and every Icon was forced to show the Edge icon, not an ideal system for multiple tiles, the media provider has recently changed their system which now does not require the use of Edge so I can have the icons relate to the actual programming

Also some applications store their shortcuts in the user area so you may find some in C:\Users\UserName\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\

 

Yes, had this icon-problem with changing PDF-software , from Edge to PDF-XChange and costed me lot of time to change the f**** Edge-icons to the original PDF-XChange-icons !!
Simply almost not possible !
Only by renaming some extension-dll files from the PDF-software did the job , finally !
pfffffff...............*Wink

 

OK, makes sense now (reminds me, it's time I checked if my C64 still works *Smile).

A few questions that may help us.

You say you reinstalled Windows 10 then pinned the shortcuts to Start. In the old system before you wiped it, did you pin the same shortcuts to Start and did they have their correct icons then?

How did you set the default folder icon? Did you modify imageres.dll? If so, does restoring the original imageres.dll make any difference?

Where were the shortcuts that you pinned to Start? Did you pin them to Start from the Start menu's All Apps list? Or do you have the shortcuts in a folder somewhere else? If so, what is the path to this folder?

 

In installation before this I placed shortcuts into Startmenu folder Programs. I meant that now it will be the same if I pin it into startmenu by context menu item "Pin to startscreen" - I see that not and will all shortcuts place into Pograms folder and will see if it works.
Default folder icon was not changed.Imageres.dll is original untouched.

To Commodore: for you maybe wrong opinion - C64 was game and music console - C128 is much more and better!

Miro

 

Sadly adding shortcuts directly to startmenu programs folder helped not, even thumbnail and icon cache was rebuilt, no changes.

Have anybody idea how to fix this problem?
Miro

 

To reduce any confounding factors consider an in place upgrade repair.
There is little downside and it may fix or improve the problem.
The program shortcuts are likely to have to be pinned again.
If it does not fix the problem then it is more likely in the registry.

1) Find a flash drive that you can format ( > or = 8 GB)
2) Create a brand new bootable Windows 10 iso
Download Windows 10
3) Insert the Windows 10 iso into any USB port
4) Open file explorer
5) Identify the Windows 10 iso
6) Launch it by clicking setup or setup.exe
7) Do not click install
8) Click repair your computer
9) Follow the text and images in this link:
Repair Install Windows 10 with an In-place Upgrade Windows 10 Tutorials

 

This action is for me not possible to use 'cause I have personalized Windows and better is for me to have tiles icons like they're - in all - for this cosmetic fix I'll not to do it.

Miro