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[Sirus]

Alright, a question for the computer techies around here.

My problem started a couple of weeks ago, when I tried to switch a windowed program to fullscreen mode. It did the job, but something went wrong. The icons on my taskbar will disappear at random, resulting in something like this:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Please note that restarting the computer DID NOT fix the problem. I am currently using a laptop running Windows 7 Home Premium with Intel processors and graphics card.

Any suggestions?

[Tellemurius]

corruption with either the icon cache or the registry, run ccleaner and this
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/49819-icon-cache-rebuild.html

[Sirus]

corruption with either the icon cache or the registry, run ccleaner and this
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/49819-icon-cache-rebuild.html

So far, so good! Thanks much!

[Sirus]

Sorry for the self-necro, but this is a recurring problem. It mostly seems to happen when a program, especially older ones like Roller Coaster Tycoon, force a change to a different color scheme. Whenever that happens, I need to rebuild the icon cache and restart the computer, which is a bit of a hassle to be honest.

Can anyone hazard a guess as to why this keeps happening?

[Tellemurius]

i say corruption at best, im assuming rollercoaster tycoon is forcing it into 8bit color?

[Sirus]

Forcing it into something, anyway. However, it's not the only game or program that corrupts the cache.

Is there any way to prevent this from happening? I wouldn't think that simply changing color modes could screw up unrelated systems.

[rutsber]

Forcing it into something, anyway. However, it's not the only game or program that corrupts the cache.

Is there any way to prevent this from happening? I wouldn't think that simply changing color modes could screw up unrelated systems.

Are you running Windows 7, and if so does it change it to Windows 7 basic? I know Civilization 4 does this for me. As far as I know there isn't a way to disable this, and it changes due to incompatibilities.

[Sirus]

Forcing it into something, anyway. However, it's not the only game or program that corrupts the cache.

Is there any way to prevent this from happening? I wouldn't think that simply changing color modes could screw up unrelated systems.

Are you running Windows 7, and if so does it change it to Windows 7 basic? I know Civilization 4 does this for me. As far as I know there isn't a way to disable this, and it changes due to incompatibilities.

Yes to both questions. However (and I just tested this) Civ 4 does not corrupt the cache.

I don't really have a problem with the color scheme changing, I just want to know if there's a reason why doing so messes up icons for any and all programs, and how to prevent the corruption from occurring.

[bucket]

I don't think anything is getting corrupted. I'm guessing your games change the palette. I have a few older games that do that, and even though I use the Windows Classic theme, taskbar icons still look funky after I close the program. I'd also get a pop-up warning saying the resolution is incorrect. I'll go out on a limb and say Windows Aero is extra sensitive to odd palettes, so it doesn't draw the icons. Try these things:

- Set up a profile for the individual games in your graphics card's properties. This may trick Windows into resetting the display for games.
- Set your games to run at the native resolution and color depth. Obviously then Windows won't have to change it back.
- Use the Windows Classic theme. Yeah, Aero is shiny and all, but I'd actually recommend Classic if you're using a low-end card.

[Sirus]

My graphics card is crap, so I couldn't set up profiles for individual games. Or maybe I can from a completely different window than I found.

For RCT, at least, I was able to get the game to run in 256 color mode, which doesn't seem to mess up the icons. Is that what you meant by "native color depth"?

If problems persist, then yes I will switch to Classic theme. Aero is just so pretty