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My MPC Transport won’t show icons?

Restore Missing Desktop Icons

When it comes to missing icons, I think that the likely culprit is your operating system - most likely Windows - not your computer hardware. There is nothing about the make or model of your computer that suggests there are icons other than the ones that are on the usual desktop interface that you are used to seeing with Windows.

How to Restore Icons in Windows XP

Here are the steps to restore the icons on Windows XP. The first choice might apply if the option to turn the desktop icons was inadvertently turned off.

1. Right click the desktop
2. Point the cursor to Arrange Icons By
3. Choose Show Desktop Icons

Customize Desktop in Windows XP

The second possibility might result if you recently upgraded to a later version of Windows or performed a clean installation. In this case, the online icon that displays on the desktop is the recycle bin. Here’s how to add the My Computer, My Network Places, Internet Explorer and My Document icons:

1. Right click the desktop and choose Properties
2. On the Desktop tab, choose Customize Desktop
3. Under Desktop Icons, choose the icons that you want to appear
4. Click OK, then OK again

How to Restore Icons in Windows Vista

If you’re running Windows Vista, follow these instructions to restore your missing icons. First of all, the same process might work as applies for XP. Simply right click an empty part of the desktop and then choose Show Desktop Icons.

1. Right click on an empty part of the desktop
2. Choose Personalize
3. From the left side panel, choose Change Desktop Icons
4. Check or uncheck the icons that you want to appear or remove from the desktop
5. Additionally, you can also right click any file or folder and click Send To, and then choose Desktop (create shortcut)
6. Choose OK to apply, then close the Windows and your icons should appear

Corrupt Iconcache.db File

It’s also possible that the iconcache.db file, which is a database of your icons, is damaged. Read this Filetonic Article, specifically the section titled “Corrupt Shortcuts” for details on how to delete and recreate this vital file.

How to Change Icons in Vista

You can also change the icon that appears for different files, folders or programs.

1. Click the icon to choose it
2. Choose Change Icon
3. Select the icon you want and choose OK to apply

Good luck, and let us know if there is anything else that we can help you with.

The desktop icons have disappeared from my Compaq Presario. I don’t have a disc or restore file. Help!

So System Restore and the System File Checker utility are not options in this case. That’s okay though. We can work through this. First, let’s look at the two most common reasons for a corrupt desktop: Windows Explorer and the Icon Cache File.

Missing Desktop Icons and Windows Explorer

Windows Explorer, or explorer.exe, is the program that gives your computer its pretty interface. This program is responsible for the desktop, the desktop icons, the Start button and menu, the taskbar, and other graphical elements. Occasionally, Windows Explorer stops running and needs to be told to start back up again. When this happens, your Windows desktop stops looking as it should. The taskbar may disappear, the icons may go away, or your entire display may be blank. Other symptoms also manifest such as the taskbar may suddenly stop responding.

To work around a stalled explorer.exe program, you’ll need to relaunch it. It’s kind of tricky because due to its absence, you may not have any buttons to click! The easiest way to get explorer back in action is to use the Control + Alt + Delete key combination which will then prompt you with a menu of choices including “Launch Task Manager.” Open Task Manager and go to the File menu. Choose New Task (Run) and enter: explorer.exe in the text box. Click OK and Windows Explorer should start up and your desktop icons should magically appear.

Missing Desktop Icons and the Icon Cache File

While restarting Windows Explorer works in many cases, if the icons are missing because the icon cache file is corrupt, then you’ll need to tackle the problem from a different angle. The icon cache is usually located in:

Windows XP - C:\Documents and Settings\User Name\Local Settings\Application Data\iconcache.db

Windows Vista - %UserProfile%\AppData\Local\iconcache.db

Once you find the iconcache.db file, delete it. Now, open the Task Manager and close down all instances of explorer.exe. Press Control + Alt + Delete and choose the option for rebooting your computer. When your computer reboots, it will automatically create a new icon cache file.