Hi all,

I've posted this problem in a forum I regularly use but was directed to here as we cant figure out what's causing this problem or how to fix it. To save time I have copied + pasted some of the thread.

Since installing Windows XP Service Pack 3, I've got a really strange problem with how icons are displaying.

The picture below better illustrates the problem:

Not all the folders are like this though, My Music, My Pictures and all the icons on the Start menu are fine.

So far I have tried re-building the icon cache using TweakUI, manually deleting the IconCache.db file, changing the size of the icons to something much smaller and assigning new icons to folders, none of which made any difference

What is causing the icons to display like this and how can it be fixed?

Now I am running a custom theme but not using any third party utilities. I have patched uxtheme.dll successfully and the custom My Computer, Network Places icons were done though Desktop > Customize.

I have tried reverting back to the default Windows XP theme and removing XP Service Pack 3 but the problem persists.

Hoping someone here can help fix this.

Are you talking about the ugly black shadows under the icons? If so.... did you use Windows update to install SP3? If so, did you also update your video card driver? If so, is your video card an Intel driver?

If you answered "No" to questions above, then stop reading. Haha...

Seriously, I notice a similar problem with updating the Intel video driver using Windows Update. After the windows update of the driver, it makes some changes to the system and the tweaking program for graphics properties is also changed to something much worse then it used to be.

And, of course, the icons are messed up. No matter what you do, the ugly shadow remains.

This has happened to many computers where the OPTIONAL Intel video driver update was installed in addition to the critical updates.

I don't know what the fix is though. May try uninstalling that update. I haven't tried myself.

spacesurfer, cheers for the reply.

Yeah the ugly black shadows under the folder icons plus the image quality of the folder icons... They look like tiny icons that have been magnified x100. Very pixilated.

Yes I used Windows Update to get SP3 and I have checked for video card driver updates but I am already running the latest (Which I installed after the SP3 update) and no my video card uses ATi drivers.

This optional Intel Video Driver... How can I uninstall it? I had a look in Add/Remove Programs > Show All Updates but I don't see anything in there about Intel Video Drivers.

no my video card uses ATi drivers.

This optional Intel Video Driver... How can I uninstall it? I had a look in Add/Remove Programs > Show All Updates but I don't see anything in there about Intel Video Drivers.

You don't have it (heavens help you if you do ). It's something else ( I don't know what).

GL

no my video card uses ATi drivers.

This optional Intel Video Driver... How can I uninstall it? I had a look in Add/Remove Programs > Show All Updates but I don't see anything in there about Intel Video Drivers.

You don't have it (heavens help you if you do ). It's something else ( I don't know what).

GL

What else can it be?

whatever it is, it's definitely related to your video card or video card driver. check your video card properties and set it to maximum quality, like 32-bit. If you have option for true color and high color, change them around and see if that makes a difference.

whatever it is, it's definitely related to your video card or video card driver. check your video card properties and set it to maximum quality, like 32-bit. If you have option for true color and high color, change them around and see if that makes a difference.

I have ordered a new graphics card which should be here next week. Had a good look through ATi Control Centre but everything is already set to Max Quality. The problem seems to have spread to file type icons. Done a full system virus scan etc but nothing was picked up both with NOD32 and Kaspersky.

did you try 16-bit, btw?

this is happening at my workplace and i just changed from 32-bit to 16-bit and the ugly black outlines/shadows disappeared. however, the icons are low quality, though.

strange.

The custom theme you are using may be giving the problem.

Try with the default one.