A. A. Windows keeps a cache of icons and this can become corrupted and so one method to try is to delete the hidden file '%SystemRoot%\ShellIconCache' and restart Windows NT. The 'correct' desktop icons will be recreated when you login.
C:\> attrib %systemroot%\shelliconcache -h
C:\> del %systemroot%\shelliconcache
If the icons are still corrupt delete the file again and reboot. I have seen many occasions where two reboots are necessary.
This problem can also be caused by an incompatibility between the final version of Internet Explorer 4.0 and TweakUI. To fix this you will need to uninstall TweakUI.
- Start the Add/Remove Control Panel Applet (Start - Settings - Add/Remove Programs)
- Select TweakUI and click Add/Remove
If you get an error saying it was unable to be removed you can manually remove it by entering the following command
rundll32 syssetup.dll,SetupInfObjectInstallAction DefaultUninstall 4 e:\winnt\inf\tweakui.inf
You should then reboot the computer.
If you find after the reboot the icons are still corrupt, install TweakUI again and then remove.
