A really silly computer ? for those with technical skills. . .

[Tess]

The recycle bin icon on my desktop changed from the "trash can" icon to
a file folder. The change was made at some point after boot and I
cannot restore the default setting.

The recycle bin icon on my desktop changed from the "trash can" icon to a file folder. The change was made (by the computer without operator intervention--another hinky windows XP thing no doubt) at some point after boot and I cannot restore the default setting.

I have tried to change the icon in the Control Panel, Display, Desktop Appearance, change icon to trash can AND/OR restore defaults. The change appears to take effect after I "ok" and "apply", but the desktop icon doesn't change.

I have tried to do a "system restore" but the process simply tells me there have been no changes to the computer since the restoration point.

How do I get the icon to go back to the trash can empty/full icon? It is impossible to tell if there is anything in the recycle bin at this point unless I open the file folder.

I did warn you it was a silly question!

 

[adamak]

Have you tried right clicking on the trash can icon to PROPERTIES, and change the name from there?

 

[oogieboogie]

To change the icon:

on the desktop, right click and click on properties (or open Control Panel, click on Display)

click on the desktop tab and click on Customize Desktop...

click on the Restore Default button. If that doesn't work, go to each icon and click change icon...

you should point the file path to
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\shell32.dll

Hope that helps.

 

[Tess]

I've done the Display change many times, tried to "restore defaults", the path is correct, too.

You can't change the name in the "properties", so that doesn't work either.

The other user accounts on the computer all have the proper icon--it's just my account. I'm baffled. I did contact Dell and they have given me this process that will take hours to fix--involves repairing XP and I run the risk of losing all my data. Just seems like a lot of work to fix one tiny issue. Go figure. . .

 

[jfulcer]

Read here to find out how to change your icons. You have to use regedit (click on Start, then Run, then type in REGEDIT). If you're not comfortable doing this, ask a geek friend. If you do it wrong, you may end up having to restore your system.

It would be a good idea to make sure you BACKUP your system for changes like this.

Quoted here:

The standard Recycle Bin icon may not stand out enough in a busy Desktop screen. This tweak changes the icon title as well as the "empty" and "full" icons. To use an ICO file, simply enter the filename. For an icon embedded in a DLL or EXE file, append a comma and the icon's index within the file.



HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}
(Default) String (new icon title)


HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}\DefaultIcon
(Default) String (icon for empty state)
Empty String (icon for empty state)
Full String (icon for full state)


My registry entry for 'empty' on my XP is

<b>%SystemRoot%\System32\shell32.dll,31</b>

For full, it is:
<b>%SystemRoot%\System32\shell32.dll,32</b>

Good luck! It should take about a minute to do instead of hours like Dell told you.

 

[jfulcer]

A screen capture of what mine looks like:

 

[Tess]

My computer crashed today and I've spent all day restoring it from scratch. I've got such a headache. . .but my trash can icon is restored--now rebuilding those favorites, address books, bookmarks, financials, and on and on and on. . .I lost all of my kids' school work for the past 2 years--thankfully, school is out here. . .basically, the only thing I have on my computer now is what was on it when it was brand spanking new--a new slate to paint upon! There is a bright spot--losing all those unwanted applications and registry entries that I didn't need anyway.

The best of all was an updated removal tool issued by Symantec that didn't require me to do anything but download and click to start! Sasser be gone! The thing that really bugs me is that I had every MS security patch/service pack, updated virus protection with NAV, and no scan caught this little monster. . .guess it just doesn't pay to be fastidious about updating!

Thanks for the help though.

 

[jfulcer]

That's a bummer Tess. I know how you feel.

Of course, there is a lesson that can learned here, and that is a backup is very important.

If your machine has a CDROM burner in it, I'd suggest trying to get it working so you can make backups. Windows XP even has a lot of that functionality built right in to make it easier.

If you don't have one, you should consider purchasing one. I just installed one in a neighbor's computer they picked up at Best Buy for $50. It would even be worth it to have them install it if you are unsure about it. It is pretty easy to do.

Sorry about your problems, though.

 

[Dan Murphy]

I use Drive Image 7 for backing up. Just did another full last night, almost 30 gig onto 5 DVD RW's, took about 50 minutes, running in the background. A full image.