Member Avatar for wolfpac

Had a problem with PestTrap, an annoying malware. I removed it but I believe it messed up my computer setting. The icons on my desktop are showing the color of background. My question is how do I restore back to the transparent icons?

Please note that my "Use drop shadow for icon label..." is already checked. The checkboxes in Display/Desktop/customize/web are all unchecked. I cannot figure out what else to do beside re-install Windows.

Thanks

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A few deeper troubleshooting steps to try next (since the usual UI fixes mentioned earlier in the thread didn’t help): rebuild the icon cache, check for registry tweaks that force non‑transparent icon overlays, re‑register shell components and repair system files, and scan/clean any leftover rogue antispyware that might have changed settings.

Rebuild the icon cache (safe, often fixes rendering glitches). Sign out or stop Explorer, then delete the per‑user IconCache.db and let Windows recreate it. Example (run from an elevated command prompt or Task Manager → File → New Task): 

taskkill /f /im explorer.exe
del "%userprofile%\AppData\Local\IconCache.db" /a
start explorer.exe

This procedure and its pitfalls are documented by Microsoft community posts about the IconCache file. (learn.microsoft.com)

Check the Shell Icons registry key — malware or tweak tools sometimes add a Shell Icons value (commonly “29”) to hide/replace the shortcut overlay and that can produce blank squares or other icon abnormalities. Back up the registry first (File → Export in regedit), then inspect:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell Icons

If you see an unexpected/empty value for 29 (or other numbers), remove it or restore the default (%windir%\System32\shell32.dll,-50). Microsoft docs show this is a common place to change the overlay; an incorrect entry can break icon rendering. (learn.microsoft.com)

If system shell files are damaged (common after rogue installers), re‑register shell DLLs and run System File Checker. From an elevated command prompt:

regsvr32 /i shell32.dll
sfc /scannow

Re‑registering shell components and using SFC to repair corrupt system files are standard Microsoft recovery steps. (learn.microsoft.com)

Because you mentioned PestTrap, treat this as a possible post‑infection cleanup: run a full scan with a current anti‑malware scanner (Malwarebytes or similar) and follow a targeted removal guide for that rogue family if needed — rogue antispyware is known to alter registry and desktop behaviour. If the above fixes fail, consider restoring to a pre‑infection System Restore point or doing a repair/repair‑install. (2-spyware.com)

If you want, paste a short copy of your Explorer-related registry entries (the Shell Icons key) or the exact symptoms after trying the icon cache/SFC steps and a follow‑up can point to the single next repair to attempt.

Recommended Answers

All 10 Replies

Member Avatar for caperjack

Have you tried changing the settings ,rebooting the computer and then changing back the setting back to what you want to accomplish

Member Avatar for gemini4

Go to Control Panel, System Properties. Click Advanced at the top. Under Performance click the Settings button. Under Visual Effects put a dot in Adjust for best appearance. Apply the settings.

Member Avatar for wolfpac

Thanks for the replies, but nothing works at this point.
Guess the alternative is to match the icon color with the wallpaper

Member Avatar for gemini4

You might need to update your video card settings. Also try creating a new user profile.

Member Avatar for nancyvandell

Thanks for the replies, but nothing works at this point.
Guess the alternative is to match the icon color with the wallpaper

I have the same problem and have tried the same solutions in the thread.

Member Avatar for goldeagle2005

Have you tried reinstalling the display drivers?

Member Avatar for nancyvandell

Have you tried reinstalling the display drivers?

No I have not.

Member Avatar for dtb

did you find out how to get your transparent icons back? if so, would you pleae tell me? I have been trying for hours and I do not know what else to do.
Thank you

Member Avatar for gutsy_lady

I had the same problem ... fixed it by removing the active web content from my screen. Think I'll just use a Yahoo widget to display a few things on my screen instead since they don't cause the loss of transparency like active web content does.

Member Avatar for Nytrose

This worked for me:

A) Right click desktop > Properties > Desktop > Cuztomize Desktop > Web > Uncheck ALL Boxes

B) Control Panel > Accessibility Options > Adjust the contrast for text and colors on your screen > Uncheck "Use High Contrast"

You should be all good. Of course, this assumes you already have "Use drop shadow for icon label..." already checked.

Part B is what solved my problem, since I had already done A.

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