I can't change it; neither with the "change icon" in Properties, nor
with FileTypesMan. It stays stubbornly as a white page icon (Notepad
style), although it's fine on the taskbar.
I can't change it; neither with the "change icon" in Properties, nor
with FileTypesMan. It stays stubbornly as a white page icon (Notepad
style), although it's fine on the taskbar.
The icons showing in Firefox.exe include correct ones, but also PDF and
a handful of others.
I tried changing to an icon in shell32.dll; no joy.
Ed
I can't change it; neither with the "change icon" in Properties, nor
with FileTypesMan. It stays stubbornly as a white page icon (Notepad
style), although it's fine on the taskbar.
The icons showing in Firefox.exe include correct ones, but also PDF and
a handful of others.
I tried changing to an icon in shell32.dll; no joy.
I can't change it; neither with the "change icon" in Properties, nor with FileTypesMan. It stays stubbornly as a white page icon (Notepad style), although it's fine on the taskbar.
You can't change what? The icon for HTML files? There's
no such thing as a Firefox file icon. To affect the icon for
file types you can either go through Microsoft's maddening
new system (which I can't even remember how to get to)
or you can do it in the Registry. All file types follow the
same pattern. You look up extension, which gives you class
name, which leads to icon:
HKCR\.html
default value: classname (such as "htmlfile" or "FirefoxHTML")
HKCR\[classname]\DefaultIcon
default value: path of icon, such as "C:\icons\html.ico,0"
The nuber at the end indicates the icon number in the file. For
ico files it's always 0.
Ed Cryer <ed@somewhere.in.the.uk> wrote:
I can't change it; neither with the "change icon" in Properties, nor
with FileTypesMan. It stays stubbornly as a white page icon (Notepad
style), although it's fine on the taskbar.
The icons showing in Firefox.exe include correct ones, but also PDF and
a handful of others.
I tried changing to an icon in shell32.dll; no joy.
Don't know what is a "Firefox file icon". Please describe better.
If you are creating .url shortcuts on your desktop or in a folder, don't
use those if you want to have a different icon for each one. Instead, creating a .lnk shortcut (e.g., right-click on the desktop, create a new shortcut), and enter the following for the command:
<path>\firefox.exe <url>
<path> to wherever you installed Firefox (or whatever web browser you
want to use to open the <url>). Then right-click on that new shortcut,
and go to the Shortcut tab to change its icon. If the executable
specified for the target (command) doesn't have an icon you want, you
can browse to other .exe and .dll files that have icon resources defined within them.
The above is how I created .lnk shortcuts (to programs) to let me change icons to differentiate, for example, between a weather web site, Google Voice, crossword puzzle site, different webmail clients, etc. You don't
want a .url shortcut. You want a .lnk shortcut since that lets you
choose an icon for just that shortcut.
It's not clear to me, whether "redoing stuff" (canonical location
updates) will ever repair iconcache.
Ed Cryer wrote:
VanguardLH wrote:
Ed Cryer <ed@somewhere.in.the.uk> wrote:
I can't change it; neither with the "change icon" in Properties, nor
with FileTypesMan. It stays stubbornly as a white page icon (Notepad
style), although it's fine on the taskbar.
The icons showing in Firefox.exe include correct ones, but also PDF and >>>> a handful of others.
I tried changing to an icon in shell32.dll; no joy.
Don't know what is a "Firefox file icon". Please describe better.
If you are creating .url shortcuts on your desktop or in a folder, don't >>> use those if you want to have a different icon for each one. Instead,
creating a .lnk shortcut (e.g., right-click on the desktop, create a new >>> shortcut), and enter the following for the command:
<path>\firefox.exe <url>
<path> to wherever you installed Firefox (or whatever web browser you
want to use to open the <url>). Then right-click on that new shortcut, >>> and go to the Shortcut tab to change its icon. If the executable
specified for the target (command) doesn't have an icon you want, you
can browse to other .exe and .dll files that have icon resources defined >>> within them.
The above is how I created .lnk shortcuts (to programs) to let me change >>> icons to differentiate, for example, between a weather web site, Google
Voice, crossword puzzle site, different webmail clients, etc. You don't >>> want a .url shortcut. You want a .lnk shortcut since that lets you
choose an icon for just that shortcut.
I have lots of .html files in a utility I use regularly. Their properties show that they open with
Firefox, and they do just that when I click on them.
All works well, at least so far.
The problem is that when you navigate to the folder and show the files listed, they have the wrong
icon. And I can't change that icon. And whatever I do to try and change it, reports no problem; it
finishes as if it had done the change.
Ed
I've found some files locally that have a Firefox icon. They have an extension of .URL, and are
called "Internet shortcut".
There appears to have been some radical shift from MS in their handling of file extensions.
Ed
Do you know whether this uses that blasted set of iconcache files ?
It's not clear to me, whether "redoing stuff" (canonical location updates) will ever repair iconcache. We have David Ross's AVG blank-sheet icon
as an example. The only iconcache DB viewer, costs money.
VanguardLH wrote:
Ed Cryer <ed@somewhere.in.the.uk> wrote:
I can't change it; neither with the "change icon" in Properties, nor
with FileTypesMan. It stays stubbornly as a white page icon (Notepad
style), although it's fine on the taskbar.
The icons showing in Firefox.exe include correct ones, but also PDF and
a handful of others.
I tried changing to an icon in shell32.dll; no joy.
Don't know what is a "Firefox file icon". Please describe better.
If you are creating .url shortcuts on your desktop or in a folder, don't
use those if you want to have a different icon for each one. Instead,
creating a .lnk shortcut (e.g., right-click on the desktop, create a new
shortcut), and enter the following for the command:
<path>\firefox.exe <url>
<path> to wherever you installed Firefox (or whatever web browser you
want to use to open the <url>). Then right-click on that new shortcut,
and go to the Shortcut tab to change its icon. If the executable
specified for the target (command) doesn't have an icon you want, you
can browse to other .exe and .dll files that have icon resources defined
within them.
The above is how I created .lnk shortcuts (to programs) to let me change
icons to differentiate, for example, between a weather web site, Google
Voice, crossword puzzle site, different webmail clients, etc. You don't
want a .url shortcut. You want a .lnk shortcut since that lets you
choose an icon for just that shortcut.
I have lots of .html files in a utility I use regularly. Their
properties show that they open with Firefox, and they do just that when
I click on them.
All works well, at least so far.
The problem is that when you navigate to the folder and show the files listed, they have the wrong icon. And I can't change that icon. And
whatever I do to try and change it, reports no problem; it finishes as
if it had done the change.
Ed
Ed Cryer <ed@somewhere.in.the.uk> wrote:
VanguardLH wrote:
Ed Cryer <ed@somewhere.in.the.uk> wrote:
I can't change it; neither with the "change icon" in Properties, nor
with FileTypesMan. It stays stubbornly as a white page icon (Notepad
style), although it's fine on the taskbar.
The icons showing in Firefox.exe include correct ones, but also PDF and >>>> a handful of others.
I tried changing to an icon in shell32.dll; no joy.
Don't know what is a "Firefox file icon". Please describe better.
If you are creating .url shortcuts on your desktop or in a folder, don't >>> use those if you want to have a different icon for each one. Instead,
creating a .lnk shortcut (e.g., right-click on the desktop, create a new >>> shortcut), and enter the following for the command:
<path>\firefox.exe <url>
<path> to wherever you installed Firefox (or whatever web browser you
want to use to open the <url>). Then right-click on that new shortcut,
and go to the Shortcut tab to change its icon. If the executable
specified for the target (command) doesn't have an icon you want, you
can browse to other .exe and .dll files that have icon resources defined >>> within them.
The above is how I created .lnk shortcuts (to programs) to let me change >>> icons to differentiate, for example, between a weather web site, Google
Voice, crossword puzzle site, different webmail clients, etc. You don't >>> want a .url shortcut. You want a .lnk shortcut since that lets you
choose an icon for just that shortcut.
I have lots of .html files in a utility I use regularly. Their
properties show that they open with Firefox, and they do just that when
I click on them.
All works well, at least so far.
The problem is that when you navigate to the folder and show the files
listed, they have the wrong icon. And I can't change that icon. And
whatever I do to try and change it, reports no problem; it finishes as
if it had done the change.
Ed
So, it's not about .url shortcuts, but about .html files, and the icons displayed for those .html files (in whatever unidentified file viewer).
In other words, you want to change the .html filetype icon, not some
Firefox file icon.
In FileTypesMan, right-click on the .html extension (filetype), and
select to jump to the registry setting for that filetype, or select the filetype and use Ctrl+R to jump to the registry setting. Expand that registry key to see the DefaultIcon subkey. Does its default item have
a value of:
C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe,1
The path is where I installed Firefox. Might be different for you. The
",1" is specifying the 1st icon resource (dead keeled over fox) in the
.exe file.
If you don't want to edit in regedit.exe the DefaultIcon pointer, you
can right-click on the .html filetype in FileTypeMan to select "Edit
Selected File Type". In that entry form, you can enter the resource
index in an .exe or .dll file for which icon you want, or use the Browse button to find the .exe or .dll file (but you'll have to figure out the resource index if the first one isn't what you want).
In regedit, go to:
HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FileExts\.html
Under that key is a UserChoice subkey. Microsoft added this subkey for critical filetype and protocol handlers. Windows knows how to generate
this value, not malware that might attempt to change which handlers are
used for which filetypes or protocols. If the hash value is invalid,
Windows will revert the filetype or protocol back to the default
handler. Programs cannot programmatically use the registry API to
change these protected handlers. You have to use the Windows wizard:
Default Apps, and select either "Choose default apps by filetype" or
"Choose default apps by protocol". Since you are asking about the .html filetype, use "Choose default apps by filetype". Scroll down to the
.html filetype. You should see:
.htm Firefox
Firefox HTML Document
.html Firefox
Firefox HTML Document
If that is what you see, toggle the handler to see if returning back to Firefox as the handler steps atop whatever foul up might be regarding handlers and icons.
There is also the possibility your shelliconcache is fouled. Delete it, logoff and logon to rebuild the cache, and test which icon shows up. I
use WinAero Tweaker's Reset Icon Cache to delete and rebuild. Or you
can read about the tweak at:
https://winaero.com/fix-broken-icons-reset-icon-cache-in-windows-10-without-reboot/
If you have lots of different filetype and protocol handler icons, the default 500 KB size of the icon cache file may not be sufficient. Some
will have to get tossed out to make room for new ones. In WinAero
Tweaker, you can increase the size of the cache (Icon Cache Size). Mine
was only at 512 KB, so I upped it to 8192 KB (8 MB). See:
https://winaero.com/change-icon-cache-size-windows-10/
Since the change is to an HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE subkey, the change applies
to all Windows accounts. Although not mentioned, I'd probably logoff
and logon to make sure the registry change got applied.
Peculiarly, under the Explorer key, I have 2 settings:
MaxCachedIcons
Max Cached Icons
One with spaces, one without. Possibly I did a registry edit a long
time ago, and whoever's article I read about this had the spaces in the
key, or the spaced version was used before, but Microsoft changed the
data item's name.
Big Al wrote:
On 4/8/24 03:15 PM, Ed Cryer wrote:
Ed Cryer wrote:I don't think URL is a deviation. URL is a link where HTML/HTM is a page itself.
VanguardLH wrote:
Ed Cryer <ed@somewhere.in.the.uk> wrote:
I can't change it; neither with the "change icon" in Properties, nor >>>>>> with FileTypesMan. It stays stubbornly as a white page icon (Notepad >>>>>> style), although it's fine on the taskbar.
The icons showing in Firefox.exe include correct ones, but also PDF and >>>>>> a handful of others.
I tried changing to an icon in shell32.dll; no joy.
Don't know what is a "Firefox file icon". Please describe better.
If you are creating .url shortcuts on your desktop or in a folder, don't >>>>> use those if you want to have a different icon for each one. Instead, >>>>> creating a .lnk shortcut (e.g., right-click on the desktop, create a new >>>>> shortcut), and enter the following for the command:
<path>\firefox.exe <url>
<path> to wherever you installed Firefox (or whatever web browser you >>>>> want to use to open the <url>). Then right-click on that new shortcut, >>>>> and go to the Shortcut tab to change its icon. If the executable
specified for the target (command) doesn't have an icon you want, you >>>>> can browse to other .exe and .dll files that have icon resources defined >>>>> within them.
The above is how I created .lnk shortcuts (to programs) to let me change >>>>> icons to differentiate, for example, between a weather web site, Google >>>>> Voice, crossword puzzle site, different webmail clients, etc. You don't >>>>> want a .url shortcut. You want a .lnk shortcut since that lets you >>>>> choose an icon for just that shortcut.
I have lots of .html files in a utility I use regularly. Their properties show that they open
with Firefox, and they do just that when I click on them.
All works well, at least so far.
The problem is that when you navigate to the folder and show the files listed, they have the
wrong icon. And I can't change that icon. And whatever I do to try and change it, reports no
problem; it finishes as if it had done the change.
Ed
I've found some files locally that have a Firefox icon. They have an extension of .URL, and are
called "Internet shortcut".
There appears to have been some radical shift from MS in their handling of file extensions.
Ed
I have a copy of my web page on my laptop and it's all HTML files, and they are text.
A URL is like this, it's not a web page.:
[{000214A0-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}]
Prop3=19,2
[InternetShortcut]
IDList=
URL=http://rs.ciggws.net/rd.cgi?FNC=MTSU_WM&CHA=UF2_DESKTOP&RES=america&LNG=EN&DEV=TR8600+series&OSV=W&ARA=US&CNM_SEP=0&OSV=W&DEV=TR8600+series&CTV=1.0&LNG=EN
.URl is a Windows extension. It points to:
Windows system32.dll, url.dll,0
Internet shortcut
and , of course, Windows assigns a program to open those files.
It strikes me that this .URL extension has thrown the cat amidst the pigeons. It's new to me. How
long has it been infecting Win10?
Ed
VanguardLH wrote:
Ed Cryer <ed@somewhere.in.the.uk> wrote:
VanguardLH wrote:
Ed Cryer <ed@somewhere.in.the.uk> wrote:
I can't change it; neither with the "change icon" in Properties, nor >>>>> with FileTypesMan. It stays stubbornly as a white page icon (Notepad >>>>> style), although it's fine on the taskbar.
The icons showing in Firefox.exe include correct ones, but also PDF and >>>>> a handful of others.
I tried changing to an icon in shell32.dll; no joy.
Don't know what is a "Firefox file icon". Please describe better.
If you are creating .url shortcuts on your desktop or in a folder, don't >>>> use those if you want to have a different icon for each one. Instead, >>>> creating a .lnk shortcut (e.g., right-click on the desktop, create a new >>>> shortcut), and enter the following for the command:
<path>\firefox.exe <url>
<path> to wherever you installed Firefox (or whatever web browser you
want to use to open the <url>). Then right-click on that new shortcut, >>>> and go to the Shortcut tab to change its icon. If the executable
specified for the target (command) doesn't have an icon you want, you
can browse to other .exe and .dll files that have icon resources defined >>>> within them.
The above is how I created .lnk shortcuts (to programs) to let me change >>>> icons to differentiate, for example, between a weather web site, Google >>>> Voice, crossword puzzle site, different webmail clients, etc. You don't >>>> want a .url shortcut. You want a .lnk shortcut since that lets you
choose an icon for just that shortcut.
I have lots of .html files in a utility I use regularly. Their
properties show that they open with Firefox, and they do just that when
I click on them.
All works well, at least so far.
The problem is that when you navigate to the folder and show the files
listed, they have the wrong icon. And I can't change that icon. And
whatever I do to try and change it, reports no problem; it finishes as
if it had done the change.
Ed
So, it's not about .url shortcuts, but about .html files, and the icons
displayed for those .html files (in whatever unidentified file viewer).
In other words, you want to change the .html filetype icon, not some
Firefox file icon.
In FileTypesMan, right-click on the .html extension (filetype), and
select to jump to the registry setting for that filetype, or select the
filetype and use Ctrl+R to jump to the registry setting. Expand that
registry key to see the DefaultIcon subkey. Does its default item have
a value of:
C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe,1
The path is where I installed Firefox. Might be different for you. The
",1" is specifying the 1st icon resource (dead keeled over fox) in the
.exe file.
If you don't want to edit in regedit.exe the DefaultIcon pointer, you
can right-click on the .html filetype in FileTypeMan to select "Edit
Selected File Type". In that entry form, you can enter the resource
index in an .exe or .dll file for which icon you want, or use the Browse
button to find the .exe or .dll file (but you'll have to figure out the
resource index if the first one isn't what you want).
In regedit, go to:
HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FileExts\.html
Under that key is a UserChoice subkey. Microsoft added this subkey for
critical filetype and protocol handlers. Windows knows how to generate
this value, not malware that might attempt to change which handlers are
used for which filetypes or protocols. If the hash value is invalid,
Windows will revert the filetype or protocol back to the default
handler. Programs cannot programmatically use the registry API to
change these protected handlers. You have to use the Windows wizard:
Default Apps, and select either "Choose default apps by filetype" or
"Choose default apps by protocol". Since you are asking about the .html
filetype, use "Choose default apps by filetype". Scroll down to the
.html filetype. You should see:
.htm Firefox
Firefox HTML Document
.html Firefox
Firefox HTML Document
If that is what you see, toggle the handler to see if returning back to
Firefox as the handler steps atop whatever foul up might be regarding
handlers and icons.
There is also the possibility your shelliconcache is fouled. Delete it,
logoff and logon to rebuild the cache, and test which icon shows up. I
use WinAero Tweaker's Reset Icon Cache to delete and rebuild. Or you
can read about the tweak at:
https://winaero.com/fix-broken-icons-reset-icon-cache-in-windows-10-without-reboot/
If you have lots of different filetype and protocol handler icons, the
default 500 KB size of the icon cache file may not be sufficient. Some
will have to get tossed out to make room for new ones. In WinAero
Tweaker, you can increase the size of the cache (Icon Cache Size). Mine
was only at 512 KB, so I upped it to 8192 KB (8 MB). See:
https://winaero.com/change-icon-cache-size-windows-10/
Since the change is to an HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE subkey, the change applies
to all Windows accounts. Although not mentioned, I'd probably logoff
and logon to make sure the registry change got applied.
Peculiarly, under the Explorer key, I have 2 settings:
MaxCachedIcons
Max Cached Icons
One with spaces, one without. Possibly I did a registry edit a long
time ago, and whoever's article I read about this had the spaces in the
key, or the spaced version was used before, but Microsoft changed the
data item's name.
.URL, .htm, .html are all Windows file extensions; or, at least, they
used to be.
They guide Windows, or, at least they used to, to different programs.
They have icons associated with them; or, at least they used to.
Ergo, if I look at a file's extension with WinExplorer, it should point
to those root elements of the Windows architecture.
But this schematic appears to have crumbled. OK, so be it. But how do I
get to know the new layout?
Ed
.URL, .htm, .html are all Windows file extensions; or, at least, they used to be.
They guide Windows, or, at least they used to, to different programs.
They have icons associated with them; or, at least they used to.
Ergo, if I look at a file's extension with WinExplorer, it should point to those root elements of the Windows architecture.
But this schematic appears to have crumbled. OK, so be it. But how do I get to know the new layout?
Ed
On 4/8/2024 5:09 PM, Ed Cryer wrote:
.URL, .htm, .html are all Windows file extensions; or, at least, they used to be.
They guide Windows, or, at least they used to, to different programs.
They have icons associated with them; or, at least they used to.
Ergo, if I look at a file's extension with WinExplorer, it should point to those root elements of the Windows architecture.
But this schematic appears to have crumbled. OK, so be it. But how do I get to know the new layout?
Ed
File types are, as they have been.
Windows is object oriented in a sense. In that, double clicking
a data icon of some sort, the system associates the data icon
with an executable which will be used to handle it. This is roughly
the equivalent of dragging the data icon on top of the program icon.
File Types Management, is a means of doing something like this
.html ==> Firefox
The Firefox browser, registers with the OS, that it supports
the reading and parsing of certain (multiple) file types.
But, on the converse direction, the *user* has the
ability to associate a specific data file type, with a
specific application. And, we would hope when a user
makes the selection, that all choices were equally
functional.
.html ==> Firefos
Internet Explorer
MSEdge
Notepad
Now, the file is one of many that are plain text,
and consequently, Notepad is a "valid" choice that
a user can make. Except it is not technically
the "best" choice, since assigning a browser to
parse that file type, is closer to the original intent.
There are interfaces in the OS itself, without any
third party, for setting these.
You could attempt to force an association, except certain
things in the Registry are protected with a hash check,
as "proof" the Windows agent did the work of setting
the choice. An example of where this protection is
present, is the "User Default Browser Choice". which
might indeed be related to .htm or .html.
Microsoft has been using that hash, to "bias" the user
choice. To annoy users that they can't make Firefox
their default browser, and MSEdge seems to keep coming
back. It would come back, any time the hash value
is incorrect. Thus, any tool that duplicates that system
built-in function, must also duplicate the hash scheme.
There is crypto involved. But someone did break it,
and to avoid DMCA charges, he cannot publicly give
a recipe as to what his code is doing. That would
be "hacking", punishable under the DMCA. Like Assange,
he could be kept in a cardboard box for five years, in
a kind of limbo. Developers must be very careful in
their expression and thought <snicker>.
https://i.postimg.cc/L4wJN66z/win10-default-apps.gif
https://i.postimg.cc/44D62TJh/win10-default-apps-by-file-type.gif
https://i.postimg.cc/vZQ6CYCD/win11-default-apps-Firefox.gif
Paul
Paul,
It's not clear to me, whether "redoing stuff" (canonical location
updates) will ever repair iconcache.
Likely deleting them so Windows will rebuild them should than help.
https://www.windowscentral.com/how-reset-icon-cache-database-windows-10
Regards,
Rudy Wieser
All systems are up to date, as are the Firefoxes.
Has anyone here using Home got my misbehaving browser?
On 4/9/2024 7:00 AM, Ed Cryer wrote:
All systems are up to date, as are the Firefoxes.
Has anyone here using Home got my misbehaving browser?
I have Win10 Home running Firefox. I haven't had any trouble
with browsers. All my HTML files show a black-with-FF-logo
icon. Though I did find something that claimed to
remove Edge. Then I tracked down remaining Edge files and
removed those. (In ProgramData? Program Files? I'm not sure.
I was just setting up Win10 and it was days of whack-a-mole
as I tried to get it to behave with some kind of baseline civility.)
Could that have had an effect? I doubt it. I'm guessing that
I must have gone through "choose defaults by extension". I
remember that I used that for some files because the defaults
I wanted were simply not included in my options for open with...
Looking in my Registry now I see that actually FF never overwrote
the HKCR extension and classname keys. It all points to IE!
Instead, the only indication of Firefox is in the keys that
Vanguard mentioned:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FileExts\.html\UserChoice
There it has a value of ProgID which has data of FirefoxHTML-xxxxxxxxxx
I don't know whether the number is unique. There's also a Hash value.
So UserChoice overrides HKCR and is designed such that it can only
be set through Windows. I have no values or subkeys for .html under HKCU\Software\Classes. FirefoxHTML-xxxxx points back into HKCR.
This is more convoluted than I realized. And confusing. The term
"ProgID" has traditionally had a very specfic meaning as a COM
server.class designation. But it doesn't mean that here. It seems to
be some kind of MS nerd practical joke.
It looks like there's no reason not to go along with UserChoice
if it works. Alternatively, one could reportedly delete the UserChoice
key and thereby cause the setting to revert to HKCR. Then you'd
need to change the class name under .html etc to the Firefox class
identifier -- FirefoxHTML-xxxxxxx. I expect the UserChoice values can't
be changed by hand. The Hash probably has to match the ProgID
value.
Both .htm and .html have Firefox assigned; but .url has "Internet
Browser", and the only alternative choice is "Look for an app in the Microsoft Store".
Ed Cryer <ed@somewhere.in.the.uk> wrote:
Both .htm and .html have Firefox assigned; but .url has "Internet
Browser", and the only alternative choice is "Look for an app in the
Microsoft Store".
Internet Browser is a switching client. It picks whatever you assigned
to be the default web browser. I had changed the handler (don't
remember how) to point at Firefox, but ran into some problem that I
cannot now remember. It was serious, and luckily I remember what I
changed in the last couple days; else, I would've had to restore from an image backup. When double-clicking on a .url file, the Internet Browser
is used to determine which web browser to load. It is not an actual web browser. In dev circles, "browser" is often something to make a
selection, like the file browser is a dialog that opens when you go to
save a file or select one.
It is the ieframe.dll file with its functions (exports) having a
friendly name of "Internet Browser". It's one of those Internet
Explorer libs used for more than IE, and something that survived despite Microsoft dropping Internet Explorer (and even if you manage to
uninstall IE). Using a DLL viewer, like Nirsoft's DLL Export View, you
can see the list of functions that can be called inside the DLL file.
https://www.ctrl.blog/entry/windows-internet-browser.html
This MS forum shows a chap with a problem very similar to mine; https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/incorrect-icon-being-displayed-for-one-particular/b70a2913-4f8f-4435-a14a-eba38ca38e1a
In addition to what he mentions, I've also quadrupled the size of the
icon cache. Oh, and BTW, the solutions suggested by the independent
advisor Paul Abayon didn't work either.
Ed Cryer <ed@somewhere.in.the.uk> wrote:
This MS forum shows a chap with a problem very similar to mine;
https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/incorrect-icon-being-displayed-for-one-particular/b70a2913-4f8f-4435-a14a-eba38ca38e1a
In addition to what he mentions, I've also quadrupled the size of the
icon cache. Oh, and BTW, the solutions suggested by the independent
advisor Paul Abayon didn't work either.
I already mentioned using WinAero Tweaker to reset the icon cache, and
to change its size. Or, you can follow online articles delving into the
same issues, like using a .bat file to 'del' the icon .db file and
reg.exe to change a registry setting.
As I recall, I've only had to delete the icon cache just once, but so
long ago that I don't remember for which version of Windows. Once the registry setting is changed to increase the cache size, very unlikely
you have to do it again.
Paul, in that article, didn't seem to help much. More like he was
trying to keep the user occupied with busy-work rather than addressing
the issue. He is one of those pseudo-techs that professes competence he doesn't have. There are lots of those in the MS Answers web forums.
His only real help was in providing a link to the TenForums article.
There are tons of online articles describing how to delete the icon
cache file, and upping the size of the cache. I picked the WinAero
articles, because the tweaker has links to them to provide information
on just what the tweaker does (unlike a lot of tweakers that keep secret
that info, like that makes them magical and special).
VanguardLH wrote:
Ed Cryer <ed@somewhere.in.the.uk> wrote:
This MS forum shows a chap with a problem very similar to mine;
https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/incorrect-icon-being-displayed-for-one-particular/b70a2913-4f8f-4435-a14a-eba38ca38e1a
In addition to what he mentions, I've also quadrupled the size of the
icon cache. Oh, and BTW, the solutions suggested by the independent
advisor Paul Abayon didn't work either.
I already mentioned using WinAero Tweaker to reset the icon cache, and
to change its size. Or, you can follow online articles delving into the
same issues, like using a .bat file to 'del' the icon .db file and
reg.exe to change a registry setting.
As I recall, I've only had to delete the icon cache just once, but so
long ago that I don't remember for which version of Windows. Once the
registry setting is changed to increase the cache size, very unlikely
you have to do it again.
Paul, in that article, didn't seem to help much. More like he was
trying to keep the user occupied with busy-work rather than addressing
the issue. He is one of those pseudo-techs that professes competence he
doesn't have. There are lots of those in the MS Answers web forums.
His only real help was in providing a link to the TenForums article.
There are tons of online articles describing how to delete the icon
cache file, and upping the size of the cache. I picked the WinAero
articles, because the tweaker has links to them to provide information
on just what the tweaker does (unlike a lot of tweakers that keep secret
that info, like that makes them magical and special).
I'm teetering around a re-installation of Firefox; a complete clean uninstall using IOBit, after
saving all bookmarks and list of add-ons.
I'm reluctant to do that because it might work and remove the problem; which is so abstruse that I'm
aiming for a Nobel prize. I'll follow in the footsteps of Watson & Crick, and Peter Higgs.  (:-
Ed
P.S. I can't rid myself of a suspicion that MS are to blame here; they perform somersaults and
sleight of hand in order to keep Edge installed and active. So, what have they done here? I recall a
year or so ago that I had two FFs running when I downloaded a second one from the Store; for some
reason I can't recall, probably just adventurous curiosity to see what would happen.
VanguardLH wrote:
Ed Cryer <ed@somewhere.in.the.uk> wrote:
This MS forum shows a chap with a problem very similar to mine;
https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/incorrect-icon-being-displayed-for-one-particular/b70a2913-4f8f-4435-a14a-eba38ca38e1a
In addition to what he mentions, I've also quadrupled the size of the
icon cache. Oh, and BTW, the solutions suggested by the independent
advisor Paul Abayon didn't work either.
I already mentioned using WinAero Tweaker to reset the icon cache, and
to change its size. Or, you can follow online articles delving into the
same issues, like using a .bat file to 'del' the icon .db file and
reg.exe to change a registry setting.
As I recall, I've only had to delete the icon cache just once, but so
long ago that I don't remember for which version of Windows. Once the
registry setting is changed to increase the cache size, very unlikely
you have to do it again.
Paul, in that article, didn't seem to help much. More like he was
trying to keep the user occupied with busy-work rather than addressing
the issue. He is one of those pseudo-techs that professes competence he
doesn't have. There are lots of those in the MS Answers web forums.
His only real help was in providing a link to the TenForums article.
There are tons of online articles describing how to delete the icon
cache file, and upping the size of the cache. I picked the WinAero
articles, because the tweaker has links to them to provide information
on just what the tweaker does (unlike a lot of tweakers that keep secret
that info, like that makes them magical and special).
I'm teetering around a re-installation of Firefox; a complete clean
uninstall using IOBit, after saving all bookmarks and list of add-ons.
I'm reluctant to do that because it might work and remove the problem;
which is so abstruse that I'm aiming for a Nobel prize. I'll follow in
the footsteps of Watson & Crick, and Peter Higgs. (:-
Ed
P.S. I can't rid myself of a suspicion that MS are to blame here; they perform somersaults and sleight of hand in order to keep Edge installed
and active. So, what have they done here? I recall a year or so ago that
I had two FFs running when I downloaded a second one from the Store; for
some reason I can't recall, probably just adventurous curiosity to see
what would happen.
Ed Cryer <ed@somewhere.in.the.uk> wrote:
VanguardLH wrote:
Ed Cryer <ed@somewhere.in.the.uk> wrote:
This MS forum shows a chap with a problem very similar to mine;
https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/incorrect-icon-being-displayed-for-one-particular/b70a2913-4f8f-4435-a14a-eba38ca38e1a
In addition to what he mentions, I've also quadrupled the size of the
icon cache. Oh, and BTW, the solutions suggested by the independent
advisor Paul Abayon didn't work either.
I already mentioned using WinAero Tweaker to reset the icon cache, and
to change its size. Or, you can follow online articles delving into the >>> same issues, like using a .bat file to 'del' the icon .db file and
reg.exe to change a registry setting.
As I recall, I've only had to delete the icon cache just once, but so
long ago that I don't remember for which version of Windows. Once the
registry setting is changed to increase the cache size, very unlikely
you have to do it again.
Paul, in that article, didn't seem to help much. More like he was
trying to keep the user occupied with busy-work rather than addressing
the issue. He is one of those pseudo-techs that professes competence he >>> doesn't have. There are lots of those in the MS Answers web forums.
His only real help was in providing a link to the TenForums article.
There are tons of online articles describing how to delete the icon
cache file, and upping the size of the cache. I picked the WinAero
articles, because the tweaker has links to them to provide information
on just what the tweaker does (unlike a lot of tweakers that keep secret >>> that info, like that makes them magical and special).
I'm teetering around a re-installation of Firefox; a complete clean
uninstall using IOBit, after saving all bookmarks and list of add-ons.
I'm reluctant to do that because it might work and remove the problem;
which is so abstruse that I'm aiming for a Nobel prize. I'll follow in
the footsteps of Watson & Crick, and Peter Higgs. (:-
Ed
P.S. I can't rid myself of a suspicion that MS are to blame here; they
perform somersaults and sleight of hand in order to keep Edge installed
and active. So, what have they done here? I recall a year or so ago that
I had two FFs running when I downloaded a second one from the Store; for
some reason I can't recall, probably just adventurous curiosity to see
what would happen.
Deleting the iconcache.db file (and optionally increasing its size), and logging out and back in, did not work for you? Have you tried it yet?
Corruption of the icon cache has been a problem for every Windows
version. Increasing the cache size will alleviate the problem until you install so many program with so many app icons that the cache gets
filled again to start truncating its content.
I know you seem convinced that [icon cache corruption] is the cause.
You mention it time and again. But it was one of the first things I
did.
There are other iconcache files in Appdata/ Local/ Microsoft/ Windows/ Explorer folder; lots of them, things like iconcache_48.
Big Al wrote:downloaded a second one from the Store; for some reason I can't recall, probably just adventurous curiosity to see what would happen.
On 4/10/24 06:52 AM, Ed Cryer wrote:
I'm teetering around a re-installation of Firefox; a complete clean uninstall using IOBit, after saving all bookmarks and list of add-ons.
I'm reluctant to do that because it might work and remove the problem; which is so abstruse that I'm aiming for a Nobel prize. I'll follow in the footsteps of Watson & Crick, and Peter Higgs.  (:-
Ed
P.S. I can't rid myself of a suspicion that MS are to blame here; they perform somersaults and sleight of hand in order to keep Edge installed and active. So, what have they done here? I recall a year or so ago that I had two FFs running when I
If you don't have it turned on, Firefox sync will sync (by choice) bookmarks, settings, etc.  If you re-install and turn sync back on, it will restore those bookmarks.
All you need is an email and make a password to set it up. I"m not even sure the email address has to be valid, I don't remember (it's been too long) if it sent you a verification email or not.
Experiment I've conducted on this rogue icon.
Properties of .html file.
Open with, Change.
I change it to Edge, icons of all html files in that folder change before my eyes to the Edge icon.
I change it to Opera, icons of all html files in that folder change before my eyes to the Opera icon.
I change it to Safari, icons of all html files in that folder change before my eyes to the Safari icon.
I change it to Slimjet, icons of all html files in that folder change before my eyes to the Slimjet icon.
I change it to Internet Explorer, icons of all html files in that folder change before my eyes to the Edge icon.
I change it to Firefox, icons of all html files in that folder change before my eyes to the wrong icon; the Notepad one that doesn't appear in FF's icons.
Why? Why? Why? What's blocking? What interferes with the routing? Where is that icon coming from? How can I trace the path being followed?
Ed
Ed Cryer <ed@somewhere.in.the.uk> wrote:
I know you seem convinced that [icon cache corruption] is the cause.
You mention it time and again. But it was one of the first things I
did.
I mentioned it several times, because until now you did NOT mention
doing it at first. Might've been the first thing you did, but the last
you admitted. Apparently it did not help.
Um, after deleting the iconcache.db file, you did logoff and logon
again, right? The cache gets read into memory. Deleting the file won't remove the memory image. Since the file is under your %userprofile%
folder, separate caches are maintained for each Windows account. Just logging out and logging in should reload the file into memory; else, I'd
next try rebooting Windows.
There are other iconcache files in Appdata/ Local/ Microsoft/ Windows/
Explorer folder; lots of them, things like iconcache_48.
I've read other articles that mention iconcache_* files. Since they are cache files, should be okay to delete them, and get them rebuilt. I
would do a backup first to restore them if found they're really needed.
I have:
%localappdata%
iconcache.db (hidden file)
iconcache.db.backup (hidden file)
%localappdata%\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer
iconcache_*.db (17 files)
Mine were modified today or yesterday, no earlier. From what I've read
of others trying to delete the Explorer\iconcache_*.db files, they were targeting those files only because of "iconcache" in their filename.
When they tried to delete those files, they got an error the files were in-use by explorer.exe (which functions as both the file manager and the desktop manager). You can open a cmd.exe shell (I'd make it an admin
aka elevated shell), and enter "taskkill /f /im explorer.exe" to kill
all instances of that process. The desktop disappears. Then use the
command shell to use 'del' commands on the iconcache_*.db files. Then
run explorer.exe, and the desktop should reappear.
When I've had to correct an icon problem (very rare), I only focused on deleting the iconcache.db file, not the iconcache_*.db files.
Well, well, well! Could it be that it's getting its 8 from a default icon dll?
Ed
On 4/11/2024 5:14 AM, Ed Cryer wrote:
Well, well, well! Could it be that it's getting its 8 from a default icon dll?
Ed
It does suggest they're not cleaning up as well as they should.
I had expected better of them, and then I had a look...
Normally, there should not be a need for Firefox to interact
with the Registry. I don't really know how they've done what
they have done. Whether there is an interface that indirectly
sprays those items, or they actually did reg interface things
directly.
I suspect their freeware Installer Kit they use (NSIS) likely
has all of the gubbins to do this properly. But perhaps none
of the staff are skilled at driving it. They don't use
InstallShield (commercial), because that would be an admission
that they had participated in the Windows ecosystem.
*******
This is an example of a mapping protected by the Microsoft hash.
This scheme was recently changed by a "driver" for the function.
The gentleman at the site below, will have to redo his reverse
engineering (if he still enjoys puzzles).
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FileExts\.pdf\UserChoice]
"Hash"="xh8KhPWlZL0="
"ProgId"="AcroExch.Document"
There is a tool here for setting the hash (scheme now defunt).
This is the guy that reverse engineered the previous scheme.
Due to DMCA, he could not document every step or receive
a "hacking charge".
http://kolbi.cz/blog/?p=346
http://www.kolbi.cz/SetUserFTA_v1.5.zip
SHA256 of SetUserFTA.exe (58,880 bytes)
(6B7DBA337D2490083391623C1E2EAAFEC9C3DCBDE1DCDB2ABFD0E1F0C2BF31B8)
SetUserFTA.exe .pdf AcroExch.Document.DC
Paul
I then look around. Everything ok, with the single exception of that
rogue icon. Nothing has altered.
Paul wrote:
On 4/11/2024 5:14 AM, Ed Cryer wrote:
Well, well, well! Could it be that it's getting its 8 from a default icon dll?
Ed
It does suggest they're not cleaning up as well as they should.
I had expected better of them, and then I had a look...
Normally, there should not be a need for Firefox to interact
with the Registry. I don't really know how they've done what
they have done. Whether there is an interface that indirectly
sprays those items, or they actually did reg interface things
directly.
I suspect their freeware Installer Kit they use (NSIS) likely
has all of the gubbins to do this properly. But perhaps none
of the staff are skilled at driving it. They don't use
InstallShield (commercial), because that would be an admission
that they had participated in the Windows ecosystem.
*******
This is an example of a mapping protected by the Microsoft hash.
This scheme was recently changed by a "driver" for the function.
The gentleman at the site below, will have to redo his reverse
engineering (if he still enjoys puzzles).
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FileExts\.pdf\UserChoice]
"Hash"="xh8KhPWlZL0="
"ProgId"="AcroExch.Document"
There is a tool here for setting the hash (scheme now defunt).
This is the guy that reverse engineered the previous scheme.
Due to DMCA, he could not document every step or receive
a "hacking charge".
http://kolbi.cz/blog/?p=346
   http://www.kolbi.cz/SetUserFTA_v1.5.zip
      SHA256 of SetUserFTA.exe  (58,880 bytes)
      (6B7DBA337D2490083391623C1E2EAAFEC9C3DCBDE1DCDB2ABFD0E1F0C2BF31B8)
      SetUserFTA.exe .pdf AcroExch.Document.DC
   Paul
My rogue icon is the first in shell32.dll. And when I look at that dll with Icofx it is listed as 1(8).
8-7=1.
Ed
On 4/11/2024 3:27 PM, Ed Cryer wrote:
My rogue icon is the first in shell32.dll. And when I look at that dll with Icofx it is listed as 1(8).
8-7=1.
Ed
So your registry actually has a reference to shell32.dll,1 for a Firefox entry ?
What would do that ?
If the new protection was present on your OS, this article explains
how today, you could deal with it.
https://kolbi.cz/blog/2024/04/03/userchoice-protection-driver-ucpd-sys/
Paul
Ed Cryer <ed@somewhere.in.the.uk> wrote:
I then look around. Everything ok, with the single exception of that
rogue icon. Nothing has altered.
I've had the blank page icon show up for some .url shortcuts. Too long
since I created them to remember which web browser and version of it was
used to create the shortcut, or if I right-click in a folder to use New Shortcut to add a URL shortcut there, or if I dragged from the address
bar of the web browser to create the shortcut. Alternatively, I'd copy
the URL from the old blank page .url shortcut, delete the old shortcut,
and use right-click in the folder to New -> Shortcut, and enter the URL
in the first dialog page (which interprets http: and https: entries as
URLs to create a .url shorcut instead of a .lnk shortcut to a file).
I just hunted through my Downloads folder where there are subfolders by category, and then more subfolders by product. I put URL shortcuts in
those product folders, so I know where I got the product. Some had the
blank page icon despite most other .url shortcuts show the Firefox icon.
I double-clicked on the blank page .url shortcut to open the page in
Firefox. Then I deleted the .url shortcut, and created a new one by
dragging the padlock icon in Firefox's address bar to the same folder. Basically I deleted the old .url shortcut to create a new one. The old
one had the blank page icon. The new one has the Firefox icon.
A while ago, there were different .url shortcuts that Microsoft would
create depending on how you performed the create. It's been too long to remember the details, but I recall that I didn't like the .url shortcut
that Windows created, and had to use a workaround to create the legacy
style of shortcut. I think the style changed in Windows 7, and lots of
users were complaining that .url shortcuts didn't work like before.
There was something different between creating a new shortcut and
entering the URL string, and dragging a URL from the web browser's
address bar.
When I open a .url shortcut file (this one pointing to my e-mail
client's home page) which shows the Firefox icon, I see:
[InternetShortcut]
URL=https://www.emclient.com/
IDList=
HotKey=0 IconFile=C:\Users\leeho\AppData\Local\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\8eskbbyh.default-release\shortcutCache\21nlP3+4Q2kXQWsYPh_tHp9lFzx_SdafGFVT4v_r7Fo=.ico
IconIndex=0
The URL field is obvious. The IconFile field shows from which file the
icon is found. IconIndex is the resource index for the icon. Could be
zero or non-zero for an icon resource inside an .exe or .dll file, but
this shortcut is pointing to an .ico icon file (which I don't recall can
have more than one icon, so the index is zero).
I found another .url shortcut that had the blank page icon, and in
Notepad its content was:
[InternetShortcut] URL=https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10
IDList=
HotKey=0 IconFile=C:\Users\lee_hodsdon\AppData\Local\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\6u4gergv.default\shortcutCache\QxrMc9AYfHUvWIXr8t+QwA==.ico
IconIndex=0
The one with the Firefox icon pointed to the .ico file under my current Firefox profile folder (8eskbbyh.default-release). The one with the
blank page icon points to a Firefox folder (6u4gergv.default) that does
not exist. I might've change or refreshed (create a new profile), or
somehow had that old profile folder before, but I don't now, so the old
.url shortcut with a blank page icon couldn't find the old .ico file.
The old .url shortcut that had a blank icon (because its .ico file
didn't exist anymore) was created back in 2016, so it's been 8 years
since I created that shortcut. In that time, a profile I had in Firefox
back then doesn't exist anymore, so any .url shortcuts pointing to it
won't find the .ico file.
Have you tried copying the URL in the .url shortcut's properties,
deleting the old .url shortcut file, and create a new .url shortcut
using the same URL string?
Have you ever right-clicked on the blank page icon .url shortcuts to
click "Change icon"? You said that in your first post, but not to what
you pointed to in finding an icon. If you don't keep the file from
which shortcut intends to get the icon, or not keep the .exe or .dll
file from where you selected an icon resource inside (or the resource
index changes, like in an updated version of the file), Windows no
longer can find the icon, so it'll display the generic blank page icon.
In the past, I would save the favicon.ico file from a web site to store
in a media folder. I could then use Change Icon in the .url shortcut properties to point to the web site's icon. However, a .url shortcut
uses what is specified for the handler, so I had to create a regular
shortcut that ran "firefox.exe <url>" as a program instead of pointing
at a URL. Then change icon worked. I accidentally deleted the favicon folder, and all those shortcuts I had changed to point there went to the blank page icon. I recovered the folder from backups, and the URL
shortcuts started using the favicons I had saved.
This reminds of even longer ago when I created URL shortcuts that they managed to use the favicon.ico at a web site, if it had one, but that
was tenuous. If I cleared the web browser's cache, the cached favicons
were gone, and why I started to grab favion.ico files from web sites to
store in my own separate "cache" folder.
When you go into Default Apps, and select "Default apps by filetypes",
and look at ".URL - Internet Shortcut", what handler is specified?
Internet Browser, or Firefox? Change back to Internet Browser if you
somehow changed that to Firefox.
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