[NLite 1.2.1] Icons in Windows shell switched to low-color mode

[tsk]

I've used nLite to set shortcut icon arrow to none. After Windows installation, I installed MS TweakUI for XP (2.10) - OS is XPSP2 and in its Explorer/shortcut I've seen that shortcut overlay is set to custom (why not: none?). Anyway, I've changed to to none, applied changes, Explorer reloaded icons but they switched to some low-colour mode, and now look really awful. I've tried to get back to normal icons in Explorer (desktop, quick launch area etc) but nothing helped (also deleting icon cache file). Looks like this change got stored permanently somewhere in registry. Any idea where it could be and how to get my normal icons back? All this happened in 16-bit color desktop depth, when I switch to 32-bit, shell icons look ok there but when I switch back to 16-but, they look the same awful as before (doesn't help). And I have/want to use 16-bit mode .

BTW nLite and MS TweakUI for XP (2.10) seem not very compatible, aside from this icon shortcut setting (none/custom) which destroyed my icons, many other settings set by nLite seem not to be recognized by TweakUI as if they didn't get set (maybe TweakUI looks in different places in registry for these settings - only a guess).

Please help me restore my icons to normal.

Edited November 7, 2006 by tsk

[r3incarnat0r]

Regarding Windows XP and above, the tweak sets Explorer to use blank icon instead of arrow icon, because "None" method sometimes causes an issue with double context menu items or anything like that. "None" method is used only for Windows 2000, because its libraries do not provide any blank icons.

That icons color thing - sounds like the icons are forced to use 32-bit color depth. Try this REG tweak:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop\WindowMetrics]
"Shell Icon BPP"="16"

[HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Desktop\WindowMetrics]
"Shell Icon BPP"="16"

Edited November 7, 2006 by r3incarnat0r

[tsk]

wow, that reg fixed it: shell icons got back to normal look @16-bit desktop color depth - BIG thanks, r3incarnat0r .

[tsk]

Anyway, fact remains that I remember doing the same stupid thing (wasn't aware of side effects you mentioned with double context menu items etc) with MS TweakUI 2.10 (changing shortcut overlay from custom to none in Explorer/Shortcut) on XPSP2 installation made with nLite 1.0 and it didn't resulted in destroyed/low-color shell icons in 16-bit desktop color mode - while on installation made with nLite 1.2.1 - it did somehow. So still , something changed in nLite code between 1.0 and 1.2.1 might have caused this incompatibility and contributed to this behaviour- might be worth looking at why it does happen now and it didn't before.

[tsk]

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