General Rebuild Icon Cache in Windows 11


  • Staff
configuration_banner.png

This tutorial will show you how to rebuild the icon cache to clear and reset it for your account in Windows 10 and Windows 11.

The icons that display for files in Windows are saved in an icon cache so they can be displayed quickly instead of having to manually scan and slowly load them each time.

The icon cache can sometimes become corrupted causing the icons of files to display incorrectly or distorted. When this happens, the icon cache needs to be deleted to reset and automatically recreate it.

Rebuilding the icon cache will not help with the following icon issues:
  • The icon of a shortcut not displaying properly due to the target source of the shortcut was moved or deleted. You may need to recreate a new shortcut directly from the source (ex: program's exe) file to replace it instead.
  • All icons for a specific file extension display the wrong icon. This may be due to setting the wrong association for what app to open the file type instead. If so, restoring the default association of the file extension will fix this issue.
  • Thumbnails of pictures, videos, and documents.

Contents





Option One

Refresh Icons using Command


1 Open Windows Terminal, and select either Windows PowerShell or Command Prompt.

2 Copy and paste the ie4uinit.exe -show command into Windows Terminal, and press Enter. (see screenshot below)

3 If the refresh doesn't sort the icons, you can try Option Two or Option Three.

ie4uinit.exe-show.png





Option Two

Rebuild Icon Cache using BAT file


1 Click/tap on the download button below to download the BAt file below.

Rebuild_Icon_Cache.bat


(Content of BAT file for reference)
Code:
@echo off
set iconcache=%localappdata%\IconCache.db
set iconcache_x=%localappdata%\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer\iconcache*

echo.
echo The explorer process must be temporarily killed before deleting the IconCache.db file.
echo.
echo Please SAVE ALL OPEN WORK before continuing.
echo.
pause
echo.
If exist "%iconcache%" goto delete
echo.
echo The %localappdata%\IconCache.db file has already been deleted.
echo.
If exist "%iconcache_x%" goto delete
echo.
echo The %localappdata%\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer\IconCache_*.db files have already been deleted.
echo.
exit /B

:delete
echo.
echo Attempting to delete IconCache.db files...
echo.
ie4uinit.exe -show
taskkill /IM explorer.exe /F
timeout /t 2 >nul
del /A /F /Q "%iconcache%"
del /A /F /Q "%iconcache_x%"
start explorer.exe

2 Save the BAT file to your desktop.

3 Save and close anything that you are working on before proceeding. The next steps will involve killing the explorer process while rebuilding the icon cache.

4 Unblock and run the BAT file.

5 Follow the instructions in the command prompt to rebuild the icon cache. (see screenshot below)

reset_icon_cache.png

6 If the icons are still not displaying properly after rebuilding the icon cache, then download and merge the .reg file for the .ico (ICO) option here to restore the default associations of .ico (icon) files in Windows.




Option Three

Rebuild Icon Cache in Command Prompt


1 Close and save anything that you are working on before proceeding. The next steps will involve killing the explorer process while rebuilding rebuild the icon cache.

2 Open Windows Terminal, and select Command Prompt.

3 Copy and paste each command below one at a time into Windows Terminal, and press Enter after each command.

ie4uinit.exe -show

taskkill /IM explorer.exe /F

DEL /A /Q "%localappdata%\IconCache.db"

DEL /A /F /Q "%localappdata%\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer\iconcache*"

4 If the icons are still not displaying properly after rebuilding the icon cache, then download and merge the .reg file for the .ico (ICO) option here to restore the default associations of .ico (icon) files in Windows.


That's it,
Shawn Brink


 

Attachments

  • configuration.png
    configuration.png
    5.3 KB · Views: 201
  • Rebuild_Icon_Cache.bat
    991 bytes · Views: 13
Last edited:
@Brink

Hi :giggle:

I've looked at the bat file for W10 and this one for W11, and I see no difference at all. Am I missing sthg, or does the rebuilding process work exactly the same way in both 10 and 11?

Thanks,

Dan
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    11 Pro 23H2 22631.3296
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkCentre M920S SFF
    CPU
    i7-9700 @ 3.00GHz
    Motherboard
    Lenovo 3132
    Memory
    32GBDDR4 @ 2666MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD 630 Graphics onboard
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG E2442
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    1 x Samsung 970 EVO PLUS 500GB NVMe SSD, 1 x WD_BLACK SN770
    250GB NVMe SSD (OS and programs), 1 x WD_BLACK SN770
    500GB NVMe SSD (Data)
    Case
    Lenovo SFF
    Keyboard
    Cherry Stream TKL JK-8600US-2 Wired
    Mouse
    LogiTech M510 wireless
    Internet Speed
    Fast (for fixed wireless!)
    Browser
    Chrome, sometimes Firefox
    Antivirus
    Malwarebytes Premium & Defender (working together beautifully!)
  • Operating System
    11 Pro 23H2 22631.3374
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkCentre M920S SFF
    CPU
    i5-8400 @ 2.80GHz
    Motherboard
    Lenovo 3132
    Memory
    32GB DDR4 @ 2600MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel HD 630 Graphics onboard
    Sound Card
    Realtek High Definition Audio onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG FULL HD (1920x1080@59Hz)
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    1 x Samsung 970 EVO PLUS NVMe; 1 x Samsung 980 NVMe SSD
    Case
    Lenovo Think Centre SFF
    Mouse
    LogiTech M510 wireless
    Keyboard
    Cherry Stream TKL JK-8600US-2 Wired
    Internet Speed
    Fast (for fixed wireless!)
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Malwarebytes Premium and MS Defender, beautiful together
@Brink

Hi :giggle:

I've looked at the bat file for W10 and this one for W11, and I see no difference at all. Am I missing sthg, or does the rebuilding process work exactly the same way in both 10 and 11?

Thanks,

Dan

Hello Dan, :-)

Correct. It's the same process as in Windows 10.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self build
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING (11GB GDDR5X)
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G75 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3 wall mounted
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gbps Download and 35 Mbps Upload
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Spectre x360 2in1 14-eu0098nr (2024)
    CPU
    Intel Core Ultra 7 155H 4.8 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB LPDDR5x-7467 MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    Integrated Intel Arc
    Sound Card
    Poly Studio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    14" 2.8K OLED multitouch
    Screen Resolution
    2880 x 1800
    Hard Drives
    2 TB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
    Internet Speed
    Intel Wi-Fi 7 BE200 (2x2) and Bluetooth 5.4
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
Can i recommend alternative way, First one is for Windows 11 and Windows 10 , second one is for lower windows versions:

ie4uinit.exe -show
ie4uinit.exe -ClearIconCache
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Custom Edited
    Computer type
    Laptop
    CPU
    i7 9750
    Memory
    32GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    1660ti
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 980 Evo Plus
Here's the similar method I've been using for years which has been working great for clearing the cache manually, without restarting the system.



Manually Clear Icon & Thumbnail Cache :

  • Run the "Command Prompt" as administrator (in the [Search box], type "cmd").
  • Paste each command line -separately- and validate with [Enter]except the last one.
    Code:
    cd /d %userprofile%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer
    attrib –h iconcache_*.db
    del iconcache_*.db
  • You will have to end the Windows Explorer processbefore validating this last command.
  • Make sure all File Explorer windows are closed, and open the "Task Manager" by pressing [Ctrl+Shift+Esc] simultaneously.
  • Scroll down the list until you reach all [Windows Explorer] process.
  • Select it/them, right-click and choose [End Task] : "It's going to be all dark!"
  • Close the "Task Manager".
  • Now validate the last del iconcache_*.db command, then close the "Command Prompt" window.
  • Access the "Task Manager" again with [Ctrl+Shift+Esc] keys, click on [File], [Run new task] then type "explorer.exe" and [Enter].
  • Light's back on ! Close the "Task Manager".


System icons are updated, but I'm not sure it includes the full windows app icons.
Most 3rd party apps seem to have their own icon cache file stored separately, and not necessarily next to their .exe file.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC  Dual Boot  21H2 + 1809
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Self-made 2013
    CPU
    Intel Core i5-2550K
    Motherboard
    Intel DH67CL
    Memory
    8 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450
    Sound Card
    EmuPMX
    Monitor(s) Displays
    16/9 Samsung + 4/3 iiyama
    Screen Resolution
    1360 x 768 + 1024 x 768
    Hard Drives
    Main SSD: Samsung 250 Gb
    Secondary HDDs: Western Digital
    (Purple 4 Tb + Blue 2 Tb) x2
    + Green 0.5 Tb
    Case
    Antec
    Keyboard
    Dell
    Mouse
    Advance
    Browser
    Chrome &  LibreWolf
    Antivirus
    Windows Security
    Other Info
    + Portable Cleanup Utilities :

    AdwCleaner
    ZHP Cleaner (+Diag)
    Kaspersky Virus Removal Tool
    CCleaner
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP
    Other Info
    Using W11 OS on customers' computers more and more often, and sometimes on my mum's new laptop.
I have some portable apps pinned to Start. They are on drive "D", which is encrypted (BitLocker). Auto unlock is disabled, and I do unlock the drive manually. This rebuild bat file works until I restart Windows and the icons appear as a blank icon after login (restart).

AIMP (portable) icon has never got this problem because its custom icon is on drive "C" (I have made an ICL file on drive "C" for some apps and folders). But I don't use a custom icon for these two apps (they use their original icons from their original path, drive "D").

I don't know why Windows doesn't cache these two apps' icon (NP++ and MS Paint Classic)!

ss1.png


I use a script (from WinHelpOnline), and it doesn't need a Windows restart. It sometimes works!
 

Attachments

  • Rebuild Icon Cache Script.zip
    1.1 KB · Views: 170

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 11 Enterprise
    Computer type
    Laptop
    CPU
    i7
    Hard Drives
    SSD
Hello @atinfo, :-)

It appears the icons will not show for the apps since they are located on a locked BitLocker encrypted drive.

I'm not sure why it doesn't keep the icon in the cache either. As a test, you could see if increasing the icon cache size below may help if it's not a security feature causing them not to be cached.

 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self build
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING (11GB GDDR5X)
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G75 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3 wall mounted
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gbps Download and 35 Mbps Upload
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Spectre x360 2in1 14-eu0098nr (2024)
    CPU
    Intel Core Ultra 7 155H 4.8 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB LPDDR5x-7467 MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    Integrated Intel Arc
    Sound Card
    Poly Studio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    14" 2.8K OLED multitouch
    Screen Resolution
    2880 x 1800
    Hard Drives
    2 TB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
    Internet Speed
    Intel Wi-Fi 7 BE200 (2x2) and Bluetooth 5.4
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
Hello @Brink,

I have already done it with WinaeroTweaker. No difference.

ss2.png
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 11 Enterprise
    Computer type
    Laptop
    CPU
    i7
    Hard Drives
    SSD
Hello @Brink,

I have already done it with WinaeroTweaker. No difference.

In that case, it's probably by design since it's on an encrypted drive. It appears you'll need to have the drive automatically unlock to keep the icons showing.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self build
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING (11GB GDDR5X)
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G75 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3 wall mounted
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gbps Download and 35 Mbps Upload
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Spectre x360 2in1 14-eu0098nr (2024)
    CPU
    Intel Core Ultra 7 155H 4.8 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB LPDDR5x-7467 MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    Integrated Intel Arc
    Sound Card
    Poly Studio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    14" 2.8K OLED multitouch
    Screen Resolution
    2880 x 1800
    Hard Drives
    2 TB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
    Internet Speed
    Intel Wi-Fi 7 BE200 (2x2) and Bluetooth 5.4
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
In that case, it's probably by design since it's on an encrypted drive. It appears you'll need to have the drive automatically unlock to keep the icons showing.
Thanks. I think I have to add their icons to my ICL icon file on drive "C" and assign their icons from this file.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 11 Enterprise
    Computer type
    Laptop
    CPU
    i7
    Hard Drives
    SSD
Thanks. I think I have to add their icons to my ICL icon file on drive "C" and assign their icon from this file.
That should do the trick.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self build
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING (11GB GDDR5X)
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G75 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3 wall mounted
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gbps Download and 35 Mbps Upload
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Spectre x360 2in1 14-eu0098nr (2024)
    CPU
    Intel Core Ultra 7 155H 4.8 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB LPDDR5x-7467 MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    Integrated Intel Arc
    Sound Card
    Poly Studio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    14" 2.8K OLED multitouch
    Screen Resolution
    2880 x 1800
    Hard Drives
    2 TB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
    Internet Speed
    Intel Wi-Fi 7 BE200 (2x2) and Bluetooth 5.4
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
ie4uinit.exe -show worked fine for me in Windows 10, but in Windows 11 so far I was only successful with methods involving shutting down explorer.exe.

BUT I NEVER NEEDED TO RESTART MY PC

This is my batch file that works in Windows 10 and 11:

Taskkill /IM explorer.exe /F
CD /d %userprofile%\AppData\Local
DEL IconCache.db /a
start explorer.exe

But can you help me by providing a working solution for Windows 11 which does not require killing explorer.exe?

The reason is, that when I kill explorer.exe some tray icons will disappear and won't come back before the next restart. This includes COMODO Internet Security tray icon.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
Hello @StefanM, and welcome. :alien:

You can check COMODO's and other's settings to see if they may have a setting to always show their notification icon and not just when run at startup.

Otherwise, you should be able to manually run the apps to have their notification icon show again without having to restart.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self build
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING (11GB GDDR5X)
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G75 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3 wall mounted
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gbps Download and 35 Mbps Upload
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Spectre x360 2in1 14-eu0098nr (2024)
    CPU
    Intel Core Ultra 7 155H 4.8 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB LPDDR5x-7467 MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    Integrated Intel Arc
    Sound Card
    Poly Studio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    14" 2.8K OLED multitouch
    Screen Resolution
    2880 x 1800
    Hard Drives
    2 TB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
    Internet Speed
    Intel Wi-Fi 7 BE200 (2x2) and Bluetooth 5.4
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
Hello @Brink and thanks for the prompt reply.
All other apps I can manually restart, but not COMODO Internet Security.
That's why I need a solution for restoring those icons without the need for killing explorer.exe.
With COMODO it is not a notification icon. It is needed for any settings regarding firewall, antivirus, containment, ...

Any ideas how to get ie4uinit.exe running in Windows 11?
Any other switches I could try, maybe?
There is no help for ie4uinit.exe I could see in CMD.

Or an answer to why it isn't running properly in Windows 11?

Thanks and best regards,
Stefan
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
Hello @Brink and thanks for the prompt reply.
All other apps I can manually restart, but not COMODO Internet Security.
That's why I need a solution for restoring those icons without the need for killing explorer.exe.
With COMODO it is not a notification icon. It is needed for any settings regarding firewall, antivirus, containment, ...

Any ideas how to get ie4uinit.exe running in Windows 11?
Any other switches I could try, maybe?
There is no help for ie4uinit.exe I could see in CMD.

Or an answer to why it isn't running properly in Windows 11?

Thanks and best regards,
Stefan

I'm not sure either then other than to use option 2 or 3 that would restart the computer.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self build
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING (11GB GDDR5X)
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G75 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3 wall mounted
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gbps Download and 35 Mbps Upload
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Spectre x360 2in1 14-eu0098nr (2024)
    CPU
    Intel Core Ultra 7 155H 4.8 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB LPDDR5x-7467 MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    Integrated Intel Arc
    Sound Card
    Poly Studio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    14" 2.8K OLED multitouch
    Screen Resolution
    2880 x 1800
    Hard Drives
    2 TB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
    Internet Speed
    Intel Wi-Fi 7 BE200 (2x2) and Bluetooth 5.4
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
@Brink
Well, Windows 10 and 11, both, cure the problem automatically by re-assigning the corresponding icons to those shortcuts after some time. But...
...this can be one hour, and it also can be 24 hours.

Anyway, if I would know, how Windows does this job or how I could make Windows do that job...

One 'work around' would be to save all those icons to a folder located on the system volume and assign those icons to the corresponding desktop shortcuts permanently.

Another option would be a script or a batch file which kind of 'overwrites' those shortcuts with new ones, once the external drive with those apps has been mounted.

Simple re-assignment of those icons hasn't worked for me, yet. Unless I find a way, some day...

There are quite a few more options.

But what actually is needed, is resetting/rebuilding the icon cache without killing explorer.exe, without those side effects that is.

Thanks anyway for your input. Maybe you'll find a solution sooner than me!?!?
Then, just let me know.

Best regards,
Stefan
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
Are these three options functionally the same? If not, is one more effective?

EDIT-Rereading these, do I understand correctly that each option is more comprehensive than the one preceding it? So, #1 is the mild salsa, #3 is picante?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 22H2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon G10
    CPU
    i5-1240p
    Memory
    16gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    Whatever comes in it
    Sound Card
    Whatever comes in it
    Monitor(s) Displays
    No external monitor. Yet.
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1200
    Hard Drives
    Internal 512 GB SSD
    External 6 TB, 1 TB, 225 GB desktop HDD, 2TB portable HDD
    A whole army of USB flash memory sticks
    Mouse
    Logitech M317
    Internet Speed
    500 mbps
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    CalDigit TS4 dock for all my USB stuff, speakers, and connect to Android phone
    HP MFP M277dw laser printer/scanner
@Buddy No, they are all picante. Just 3 ways of accomplishing the same thing. Using the .bat file method is what I use. I saved the file to keep for future use.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 22631.3296
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Optiplex 7080
    CPU
    i9-10900 10 core 20 threads
    Motherboard
    DELL 0J37VM
    Memory
    32 gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    none-Intel UHD Graphics 630
    Sound Card
    Integrated Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Benq 27
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1tb Solidigm m.2 +256gb ssd+512 gb usb m.2 sata
    PSU
    500w
    Case
    MT
    Cooling
    Dell Premium
    Keyboard
    Logitech wired
    Mouse
    Logitech wireless
    Internet Speed
    so slow I'm too embarrassed to tell
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender+MWB Premium
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro 22H2 19045.3930
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Optiplex 9020
    CPU
    i7-4770
    Memory
    24 gb
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Benq 27
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    256 gb Toshiba BG4 M.2 NVE SSB and 1 tb hdd
    PSU
    500w
    Case
    MT
    Cooling
    Dell factory
    Mouse
    Logitech wireless
    Keyboard
    Logitech wired
    Internet Speed
    still not telling
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender+MWB Premium
Thanks, @glasskuter. I got the BAT file, in part because I could save it with some other fixes and tools and have it to rerun later if needed. I've run it, so now it's time to wait through a couple of days and some boots to see if things settle down.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 22H2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon G10
    CPU
    i5-1240p
    Memory
    16gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    Whatever comes in it
    Sound Card
    Whatever comes in it
    Monitor(s) Displays
    No external monitor. Yet.
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1200
    Hard Drives
    Internal 512 GB SSD
    External 6 TB, 1 TB, 225 GB desktop HDD, 2TB portable HDD
    A whole army of USB flash memory sticks
    Mouse
    Logitech M317
    Internet Speed
    500 mbps
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    CalDigit TS4 dock for all my USB stuff, speakers, and connect to Android phone
    HP MFP M277dw laser printer/scanner
Taskkill argument order is wrong, /F needs to be before /IM.

> taskkill /IM explorer.exe /F
ERROR: Invalid argument/option - '/F'.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows

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