Member Avatar for crunchie

I need help in a hurry. I have been working on a friends Win95 PC removing CWS and untold other crapware. Just when I thought I had it, most of the icons on the desktop lost their color and sharpness along with other icons in the start menu etc. I had altered the settings from 256 colours to 16 colours, then changed it back.
How can I get the colour back ppl?

Thanks.

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by caperjack

Dani AI

Generated

This is a textbook icon‑cache problem on Win9x: when the desktop’s colour depth is changed (256 → 16 colours and back) or the cache becomes corrupt, Windows keeps using prerendered icon images from a hidden cache (ShellIconCache) and some icons can end up dithered, washed out or monochrome until the cache is rebuilt. Deleting the cache forces Windows to recreate correct icons. (smallvoid.com)

Practical, low‑risk steps that resolve this in most cases:

  1. Make sure Explorer shows hidden and system files (Explorer → View → Folder Options → View → show hidden files; uncheck “Hide protected operating system files” if present).
  2. Locate and delete C:\Windows\ShellIconCache (or C:\Winnt\ShellIconCache). If Explorer won’t remove it, boot to Safe Mode or use a DOS/command prompt and del the file, then reboot. Windows will rebuild the cache on restart.
  3. If you prefer not to delete the file, a quicker trick is to change the display colour depth (for example to 16‑bit), apply and then change it back — that also forces a cache rebuild. (smallvoid.com)

Follow‑up and prevention: increase the icon cache limit by adding a Max Cached Icons value under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer (string value; try 2000–4096) and back up the registry first. If deleting the cache doesn’t help, check/reinstall the video driver and try TweakUI’s “Rebuild icons.” Replacing or re‑registering shell.dll/shell32.dll (as suggested) is more invasive and should be a last resort — have backups and install media ready. Given you were cleaning CWS/crapware, also run a full AV scan to rule out lingering infections.

(What reported — deleting the shelliconcache via a file search and reboot — is the straightforward fix most often recommended.)

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Member Avatar for Comatose

You rebooted after changing the settings back? Reinstalled the needed drivers?

Member Avatar for crunchie

Rebooted several times. All other graphics are fine. I am going to try and update the drivers tomorrow. I only have the Tower from my mate, so I have to unhook it to get mine up and running.
I cannot understand why it's only the icons playing up, and not all of them at that. Of the 15 or so icons on the desktop, there are three that are ok. Also, when you go to the start menu, the icons there are the same, but when I go to *search* all the icons there are fine.

Member Avatar for Comatose

After a lot of research and fiddling with shell.dll and shell32.dll, reinstalling that file is a good idea too. I've had a similar experience, with 98 (not 95) where a few of the icons went awry. I replaced shell.dll and shell32.dll, and it worked fine. Maybe something to look at.

Member Avatar for crunchie

What about deleteing the shell icon cache and rebooting? Think that would work?

Member Avatar for Comatose

I never thought of that.... but probably.

Member Avatar for crunchie

Deleting the shelliconcache did the trick :D.

Member Avatar for Comatose

:) too cool, too cool.

Member Avatar for crunchie

Thanks for the help comatose :).

Member Avatar for caperjack

I only have the Tower from my mate, so I have to unhook it to get mine up and running.

Hi Chrunchie ,if you do any amout of work on mates computers or no mates !As i do.this little item is the best !! I use one all the time .

Also how did you delete the shell cache ,did you just delete that dll file !

Member Avatar for crunchie

I did a find files search and deleted it from within that. Rebooted and it was all good. I could not find it when I went to the Windows folder, even with hidden files and protected files set to show.

That's the first time I have done any manual labour caperjack :D. On PC's anyways.
Can you get infected from the bad PC with that switch??

Member Avatar for caperjack

That's the first time I have done any manual labour caperjack :D. On PC's anyways.
Can you get infected from the bad PC with that switch??

No ,no file transfer between the two at all .Mine is a little different than the one shown in the link .Mine looks like a 6 legged spider ,3 cables plugs into my tower ,mouse keyboard and video ,then i plug my video,mouse and keyboard into the body of it ,and then there are 3 cables to plug into the other tower, and you use a double hit on the Scroll/Lock key on the keyboard to swith from computer to computer !

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