Fix Special Folders Showing Up With Generic Yellow Icon in Windows 7

If a shell folder in your Windows 7 computer has lost its special icon and showing up as a generic (yellow) folder, you need to create/fix the Desktop.ini file for the shell folder.The default contents of the desktop.ini file for various shell folders in Windows 7 are provided below. For each shell folder (that’s missing the special icon) create a file named desktop.ini and add corresponding content.

Follow this simple steps :

1. Open Notepad.
2. Center Following Contents.
   Code : 

   Contacts  [.ShellClassInfo] LocalizedResourceName=@%CommonProgramFiles%\system\wab32res.dll,-10100 InfoTip=@%CommonProgramFiles%\system\wab32res.dll,-10200 IconResource=%SystemRoot%\system32\imageres.dll,-181 Documents [.ShellClassInfo] LocalizedResourceName=@%SystemRoot%\system32\shell32.dll,-21770 IconResource=%SystemRoot%\system32\imageres.dll,-112 IconFile=%SystemRoot%\system32\shell32.dll IconIndex=-235 Desktop [.ShellClassInfo] LocalizedResourceName=@%SystemRoot%\system32\shell32.dll,-21769 IconResource=%SystemRoot%\system32\imageres.dll,-183 [LocalizedFileNames] GameExplorer.lnk=@%SystemRoot%\system32\gameux.dll,-10082 Windows Media Player.lnk=@%SystemRoot%\system32\unregmp2.exe,-4 Chess.lnk=@%SystemRoot%\system32\gameux.dll,-10054 FreeCell.lnk=@%SystemRoot%\system32\gameux.dll,-10055 Hearts.lnk=@%SystemRoot%\system32\gameux.dll,-10056 Internet Checkers.lnk=@%SystemRoot%\system32\gameux.dll,-10101 Minesweeper.lnk=@%SystemRoot%\system32\gameux.dll,-10057 Spider Solitaire.lnk=@%SystemRoot%\system32\gameux.dll,-10061 Downloads [.ShellClassInfo] LocalizedResourceName=@%SystemRoot%\system32\shell32.dll,-21798 IconResource=%SystemRoot%\system32\imageres.dll,-184 Favorites [.ShellClassInfo] LocalizedResourceName=@%SystemRoot%\system32\shell32.dll,-21796 IconResource=%SystemRoot%\system32\imageres.dll,-115 IconFile=%SystemRoot%\system32\shell32.dll IconIndex=-173 Links [.ShellClassInfo] LocalizedResourceName=@%SystemRoot%\system32\shell32.dll,-21810 IconResource=%SystemRoot%\system32\imageres.dll,-185 DefaultDropEffect=4 [LocalizedFileNames] RecentPlaces.lnk=@shell32.dll,-37217 Desktop.lnk=@shell32.dll,-21769 Downloads.lnk=@shell32.dll,-21798 Music [.ShellClassInfo] LocalizedResourceName=@%SystemRoot%\system32\shell32.dll,-21790 InfoTip=@%SystemRoot%\system32\shell32.dll,-12689 IconResource=%SystemRoot%\system32\imageres.dll,-108 IconFile=%SystemRoot%\system32\shell32.dll IconIndex=-237 Pictures [.ShellClassInfo] LocalizedResourceName=@%SystemRoot%\system32\shell32.dll,-21779 InfoTip=@%SystemRoot%\system32\shell32.dll,-12688 IconResource=%SystemRoot%\system32\imageres.dll,-113 IconFile=%SystemRoot%\system32\shell32.dll IconIndex=-236 Recent [.ShellClassInfo] LocalizedResourceName=@%SystemRoot%\system32\shell32.dll,-21797 InfoTip=@shell32,dll,-12692 IconResource=%SystemRoot%\system32\imageres.dll,-117 CLSID={0C39A5CF-1A7A-40C8-BA74-8900E6DF5FCD} Saved Games [.ShellClassInfo] LocalizedResourceName=@%SystemRoot%\system32\shell32.dll,-21814 IconResource=%SystemRoot%\system32\imageres.dll,-186 Searches [.ShellClassInfo] LocalizedResourceName=@%SystemRoot%\system32\shell32.dll,-9031 IconResource=%SystemRoot%\system32\imageres.dll,-18 [LocalizedFileNames] Indexed Locations.search-ms=@searchfolder.dll,-32820 Everywhere.search-ms=@searchfolder.dll,-32822

3. Click on files and then click on save.
4. Save the file with name Desktop.ini

Enable Read-Only and Hidden Attributes for the Desktop.ini file

After adding contents and saving the desktop.ini file, right-click the file desktop.ini and choose Properties.
Place checkmarks near Hidden and Read-only attributes, and click OK.

Press {F5} to refresh the folder views, and see if the special folder icon is restored. Or better, you may check again after a reboot cycle.

If the icons are not refreshed, you need to set the read-only attribute for the shell folder if it’s not already set.

Setting the Read-Only Attribute for the Special Folder

Open a Command Prompt (CMD.EXE) window. To do so, click Start, click All Programs, click Accessories, click Command Prompt. Using the Attrib command, set the Read-only attribute for the shell folder. Here is an example, which explains how to set the Read-Only attribute for the special folder “Downloads”

Note: Where Ramesh (in the above example) is the user account name, and Downloads is the shell folder name. You may run the Attrib command from any Command Prompt path, as long as you mention the full path to the folder, as in the above example.


Result :

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Tagged as: Windows7 Tips

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