Questions on Icon Cache Db file

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1

To decrease the time to display desktop icons, a forum post suggested to delete the iconcache.db file in the users application data directory and windows would re-create it. I deleted the db file and saw no difference in the time taken to refresh destop icons. Also, I have never seen the db file 'reappear' in the applications directory.

For my next trick, I thought about changing the max cached icons value. Since the value borrows from ram memory, I thought 2000 would be a good place to start. In regedit I did a search for the key and couldn't find it.

Now for my questions ( I can almost hear you saying, 'at last'). :lol:

1. Should I restore the iconcache.db file from the recycle bin before I do anything else?

2. Is Max Cached Icons the correct name for the key?

3. If the key doesn't exist, should I add it with a value of 2000?

4. What folder or path name should it be located?

5. Am I on the right track or should I do something else all together?

System specs are on my signature.

2

You didn't say what OS, assuming XP the key you're looking for is:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Current Version\Explorer

And the value to change is:

Max Cached Icons

Though personally I've never noticed any difference from increasing this.

3

Something else you could try to increase icon loading time is control panel, display, settings, colour.

Change to colour depth from 32 bit to 16 bit, apply, (panic as the screen goes black!) and then set back to 32 again.

4

After deleting the icon cache did you reboot in order for windows to recreate it?

Another way to refresh the icon cache is to change the icon size by one through Display Properties - Appearance tab - Advanced - select Icon from the drop down menu and change the size.

Also see lines 121 and 157, left columns, at the link below.

Kelly's fixes

5
After deleting the icon cache did you reboot in order for windows to recreate it?

Another way to refresh the icon cache is to change the icon size by one through Display Properties - Appearance tab - Advanced - select Icon from the drop down menu and change the size.

Also see lines 121 and 157, left columns, at the link below.

Kelly's fixes

Yes, have rebooted several times since deleting cache file.

In Kelly's Fixes (btw, thanks for that link), line 157 will download a reg type file which can be merged, but line 121 references a vbs type file. How do I execute that?

6

Well, duh on my question on how to execute the vbs files. I went back to Kelly's Fixes and the instructions were right at the top of the page.

7
Also, I have never seen the db file 'reappear' in the applications directory.

Sorry, just got back to my pc.

Are you sure you are looking in the right Application Data folder?

Should reside at C:\Documents and Settings\"USERNAME"\Local Settings\Application Data

Not C:\Documents and Settings\"USERNAME"\Application Data

Of course you need to show hidden files and folders as well.

8

The best way to deal with flushing out the Icon Cache in my opinion has always been with Microsoft Tweak UI.

I have no ideal if this will work as I've never tried it, however if the file won't reappear even after using Microsoft Tweak UI perhaps:

  1. Creating an empty file with the exact name and extension in the proper location of course "may work".
  2. Then run Microsoft Tweak UI and click in Tweak UI Repair->Rebuilt Icons, followed by a reboot and hopefully it will fix the issue.

Do note there as some "tweaking" tools that include an icon flushing tool that only create problems such as no transparency on desktop icons, or an ugly black shadow around all icons on the system, etc. However some of those "tweaking" tools are doing something in the Windows registry itself; restoring the registry is typically necessary to undo their so-called "tweak."