Solved Icon in/not in context menu: what makes the difference?

Wisewiz · Nov 13, 2023

I have this in the context menu for .reg files on one machine:

and this in the context menu for .reg files on the other machine:

Both are set with reg editor as default (thus the Merge at the top) and when I click Edit, both open my default text editor (the one with that icon), not Notepad, correctly. The question is just Why does the one have the text editor icon, while the other doesn't?

Just curious, and I'll fix it if someone knows what the diff is.

dacrone · Nov 13, 2023

track down the reg key for each (i assume one is for file and one is for folder.. or something to that effect?). one will have a string value with the icon location set. the other probably doesn't have that string value created

OAT · Nov 13, 2023

Hey @Wisewiz,
I will use the example I created for flushing DNS,
It's a bit of an overkill since it checks for user access.

Code:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00


[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\DesktopBackground\Shell\FlushDNS]
"MUIVerb"="Flush DNS"
"Icon"="cmd.exe"
"Position"="Bottom"
"SubCommands"=""


[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\DesktopBackground\Shell\FlushDNS\shell]


[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\DesktopBackground\Shell\FlushDNS\shell\01FlushDNS]
"HasLUAShield"=""
"MUIVerb"="Flush DNS"


[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\DesktopBackground\Shell\FlushDNS\shell\01FlushDNS\Command]
@="PowerShell -windowstyle hidden -command \"Start-Process cmd -ArgumentList '/s,/k, IPconfig.exe /flushdns & pause & exit' -Verb runAs\""

As you can see, on the 3rd line, there is an optional 'Icon' entry.
Because cmd is already pathed by the system, I do not have to put the fully qualified path, and it grabs the icon from that .exe.
Is your icon subkey pointing correctly on the machine which does not show the icon?

Wisewiz · Nov 13, 2023

Poking around in HKCR, I just don't see any entry on .reg files that one has and the other doesn't.

OAT · Nov 13, 2023

Wisewiz said:
Poking around in HKCR, I just don't see any entry on .reg files that one has and the other doesn't.

And the program you are using to edit is installed in the same location on both systems?

dacrone · Nov 13, 2023

the one that the icon is not working on, delete the icon string value that exists. reboot, create the string value, restart explorer. see if it populates the icon.

Wisewiz · Nov 13, 2023

Found it! Tried the regfile key (not reg), and there it was on the machine that had the icon in its context menu with the Edit command. Added the Icon string value to the other machine, gave it the path to the text editor executable, added the ",0" (comma, zero) needed, and Shazzam!

Thank you both, @dacrone and @OAT. Appreciation points above.
Dan

Wisewiz · Nov 13, 2023

BTW, for any visitor looking at this and wondering: I did a registry search for the full path to the executable for my text editor. I figured if the icon was in use on that machine's .reg context menu, it had to be taken from that executable. Got a couple of hits that were irrelevant, and then got the Root\regfile entry, and it was in a string value named "Icon." Yes! Then I went to the icon-less machine, found the same spot in its registry, added the string value and put the path to that executable in it, and that was that.

Successful mini-project completed with the help of my friends.