A Microsoft Office (Excel, Word) forum. OfficeFrustration

If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Go Back   Home » OfficeFrustration forum » Microsoft Office » Setup, Installing & Configuration
Site Map Home Register Authors List Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read  

Desktop ICONS disappeared/changed



 
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #21  
Old June 13th, 2005, 12:12 AM
John Blaustein
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

JoAnn,

I have now reinstalled XP Home, updated SP2, reinstalled all apps, run
Windows Update, Office Update and other updaters so that all possible
updated are applied.

PC is running slick as sh*t. As always, I will try to avoid the temptation
to install programs that are not essential.

John


"JoAnn Paules [MSFT MVP]" wrote in message
...
You gotta love the first week or so. Everything is nice and tidy. Almost
like having maid service at home. :-)

--

JoAnn Paules
MVP Microsoft [Publisher]



"John Blaustein" wrote in message
...
Your point is well taken. I am not complaining. In addition, of course,
my system will run very smoothly (at first anyway) with a fresh install.

John



"JoAnn Paules [MSFT MVP]" wrote in message
...
I worked for a company that supposed backed up the network drive nightly.
I had been having some minor computer issues and had copied my files over
to my part of the network for several days. (I was doing CAD work at the
time, printed circuit board design specifically.) I tidied up my system
and moved files back to my hard drive. It was Friday the 13th a little
after 1 p.m. (about 13:13 military time) and everything went SEE YA!
Gone - as in everything was wiped out. No OS, nothing.

Our IT guy said it wasn't a virus but there was too much timing
coincidence for me ever to believe him. I thought I was safe - files had
been on the network over night and everything was backed up, right?
Wrong. The main part of the network was backed up. Our personal share of
it was backed up *if* there was space. Apparently because the guys had
used the network space for games, there was nothing left over. (This was
before we were hooked into the Internet and before MP3's, etc.)

I lost months worth of work. I was able to salvage some but most was
gone for good. You're only out a day at the most - and have lost no
work. You're fortunate. Really.

--

JoAnn Paules
MVP Microsoft [Publisher]



"John Blaustein" wrote in message
...
JoAnn,

You are right. It's just about time, but the last time I did this, it
took a good solid day to get back to square one, so it's not
insignificant.

John



"JoAnn Paules [MSFT MVP]" wrote in message
...
Well, you did say you had everything backed up. That's a very good
thing. (I know it's tough to be positive right now but you have
backups and that's more than a lot of people have when they need to
start from square one. All you've lost is a little time.)

--

JoAnn Paules
MVP Microsoft [Publisher]



"John Blaustein" wrote in message
...
I tried to uninstall or repair MS Office. Can't do. I get an error
saying installer files are missing. Back to square one = clean
install. Ugh.

John



"JoAnn Paules [MSFT MVP]" wrote in message
...
Make this your mantra - "I love computers." Repeat it 50 or 60 times
a day.

--

JoAnn Paules
MVP Microsoft [Publisher]



"John Blaustein" wrote in message
...
The plot thickens...

I thought to look on the Western Digital support site and found a
KB article
that addressed the exact System Restore problem I encountered:

http://wdc.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/wdc....i=&p_topview=1

That's KB #1231 on wdc.com in case the link doesn't work.

The WDC solution to restore System Restore is the same as what MS
walked me
through. This does not, however, address the problem of my
changing icons
(which is happening again for Roxio programs only), or my inability
to use
Office Update. I have posted a question for Western Digital
support and
will see what they say. In the meantime, I may reinstall the Roxio
program
and Office (Word and Excel).

For now, I'm holding off on a clean install, though that may be the
final outcome.

Ya gotta love these machines!

John



"JoAnn Paules [MSFT MVP]" wrote in message
...
I know a clean install can be a pain in the arse but I've never
heard
anyone say they had a problem after a fresh start that would have
been
avoided if they'd (fill in the blank).

I'm sorry you're having these problems and I'll keep my fingers
crossed
that goes well.

--

JoAnn Paules
MVP Microsoft [Publisher]



"John Blaustein" wrote in message
...
JoAnn and others who might be interested,

I spoke on the phone this afternoon with a MS Support person who
specializes in XP. After fully explaining my problem, and
telling the
guy that I'd recently replaced my HDD with a new drive, we
concluded that
problem is related to unsuccessfully mirroring the old drive onto
the new
drive. Apparently, the MBR does not get copied bit for bit, and
XP has a
problem with that and the Registry on the new drive.
Furthermore, some
hidden XP files don't get copied correctly, or don't get copied
at all,
leading to further problems.

The MS tech was able to walk me through restoring System Restore,
but he
explained that other apps may still not work and that "only time
will
tell."

My next step is a clean install! Ugh. You live and learn. At
least no
data has been lost.

John



"John Blaustein" wrote in message
...
JoAnn,

For whatever reason, all my icons are back. Your husband was
right.

Yes, everything is backed up.

The plot thickens, however.

When I open System Properties and click on the System Restore
tab, it
freezes and I get an error message about rundll32.exe not
running and
DrWatson PostMortem Debugger not running. I send both error
reports to
MS.

I got a message back from MS support in response to my "call for
help."
The suggestion was as follows:

As a Customer Service Representative, I can assist you with the
support
options available with your Microsoft product. However, I have
taken the
time to look through our self help website and found that the
rundll32.exe file is located in the c:\windows\System32 folder.
RunDLL32 is used to run DLL
s as programs. The following steps may resolve your issue:

1. Search for the file in c:\windows\servicepackfile\i386
folder.
2. Copy to c:\windows\system32 folder.
3. Restart your computer.

I followed these instructions, but the problem persists --
clicking the
System Restore tab still causes a "crash" -- the rundll32.exe
error
message.

I am really baffled by this whole thing.

Since last posting here, I remembered one key thing -- no doubt
important. A week ago, I got a new HDD and used the Western
Digital
utility to transfer my C: drive to the new HD. I've done this
in the
past with no problem. I am thinking my current problem may be
related.

I have run ScanDisk and the Western Digital error checking
utility and
no problems are reported.

JoAnn... perhaps your husband will have some ideas. All idea
are
welcome.

John



"JoAnn Paules [MSFT MVP]" wrote in
message
...
John -

I was talking to my husband about this. He said it happens to
him at
work often. He said just reboot and everything will be fine. He
said
it's always the same icons that go first too. Something about
something
stepping on the part of the RAM where this info is stored.

I've learned that he's usually right. And yes, I've told him
that I say
that. :-)

--

JoAnn Paules
MVP Microsoft [Publisher]



"John Blaustein" wrote in message
...
Hi...

I'm using Office 2000 -- Word and Excel only. Windows XP Home
SP2.
All XP and Office updates applied.

For some reason, all the icons for Word and Excel changed
today from
the Office icons to the "standard DOS-style icon" -- little
white
rectangle with blue bar at the top. When I right click one of
these
icons and select Properties, the "Change Icon" button is
grayed out.

Not only did all the Word and Excel icons disappear (change to
the
DOS-style icon), but the StartAll Programs icons for "New
Office
Document," and "Open Office Document" changed to that standard
DOS-style icon. Also, StartAll ProgramsMicrosoft Office
Tools --
all icons are gone, replaced by the generic icon.

I am also using FrontPage 2003, and the same thing happened
with that
icon.

I am able to restore the icon by finding the .EXE file for
each
program and right-dragging it to the desktop (or Start Menu
folder)
and selecting create shortcut here.

Can someone tell me what's going on here? This is very
strange
behavior and only just happened.

Thank you.

John





























  #22  
Old June 13th, 2005, 01:04 AM
JoAnn Paules [MSFT MVP]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

I'm glad to hear everything is happy. Sure makes life easier, doesn't it?
:-)

--

JoAnn Paules
MVP Microsoft [Publisher]



"John Blaustein" wrote in message
...
JoAnn,

I have now reinstalled XP Home, updated SP2, reinstalled all apps, run
Windows Update, Office Update and other updaters so that all possible
updated are applied.

PC is running slick as sh*t. As always, I will try to avoid the
temptation to install programs that are not essential.

John


"JoAnn Paules [MSFT MVP]" wrote in message
...
You gotta love the first week or so. Everything is nice and tidy. Almost
like having maid service at home. :-)

--

JoAnn Paules
MVP Microsoft [Publisher]



"John Blaustein" wrote in message
...
Your point is well taken. I am not complaining. In addition, of
course, my system will run very smoothly (at first anyway) with a fresh
install.

John



"JoAnn Paules [MSFT MVP]" wrote in message
...
I worked for a company that supposed backed up the network drive
nightly. I had been having some minor computer issues and had copied my
files over to my part of the network for several days. (I was doing CAD
work at the time, printed circuit board design specifically.) I tidied
up my system and moved files back to my hard drive. It was Friday the
13th a little after 1 p.m. (about 13:13 military time) and everything
went SEE YA! Gone - as in everything was wiped out. No OS, nothing.

Our IT guy said it wasn't a virus but there was too much timing
coincidence for me ever to believe him. I thought I was safe - files
had been on the network over night and everything was backed up, right?
Wrong. The main part of the network was backed up. Our personal share
of it was backed up *if* there was space. Apparently because the guys
had used the network space for games, there was nothing left over.
(This was before we were hooked into the Internet and before MP3's,
etc.)

I lost months worth of work. I was able to salvage some but most was
gone for good. You're only out a day at the most - and have lost no
work. You're fortunate. Really.

--

JoAnn Paules
MVP Microsoft [Publisher]



"John Blaustein" wrote in message
...
JoAnn,

You are right. It's just about time, but the last time I did this, it
took a good solid day to get back to square one, so it's not
insignificant.

John



"JoAnn Paules [MSFT MVP]" wrote in message
...
Well, you did say you had everything backed up. That's a very good
thing. (I know it's tough to be positive right now but you have
backups and that's more than a lot of people have when they need to
start from square one. All you've lost is a little time.)

--

JoAnn Paules
MVP Microsoft [Publisher]



"John Blaustein" wrote in message
...
I tried to uninstall or repair MS Office. Can't do. I get an error
saying installer files are missing. Back to square one = clean
install. Ugh.

John



"JoAnn Paules [MSFT MVP]" wrote in message
...
Make this your mantra - "I love computers." Repeat it 50 or 60
times a day.

--

JoAnn Paules
MVP Microsoft [Publisher]



"John Blaustein" wrote in message
...
The plot thickens...

I thought to look on the Western Digital support site and found a
KB article
that addressed the exact System Restore problem I encountered:

http://wdc.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/wdc....i=&p_topview=1

That's KB #1231 on wdc.com in case the link doesn't work.

The WDC solution to restore System Restore is the same as what MS
walked me
through. This does not, however, address the problem of my
changing icons
(which is happening again for Roxio programs only), or my
inability to use
Office Update. I have posted a question for Western Digital
support and
will see what they say. In the meantime, I may reinstall the
Roxio program
and Office (Word and Excel).

For now, I'm holding off on a clean install, though that may be
the final outcome.

Ya gotta love these machines!

John



"JoAnn Paules [MSFT MVP]" wrote in
message
...
I know a clean install can be a pain in the arse but I've never
heard
anyone say they had a problem after a fresh start that would have
been
avoided if they'd (fill in the blank).

I'm sorry you're having these problems and I'll keep my fingers
crossed
that goes well.

--

JoAnn Paules
MVP Microsoft [Publisher]



"John Blaustein" wrote in message
...
JoAnn and others who might be interested,

I spoke on the phone this afternoon with a MS Support person who
specializes in XP. After fully explaining my problem, and
telling the
guy that I'd recently replaced my HDD with a new drive, we
concluded that
problem is related to unsuccessfully mirroring the old drive
onto the new
drive. Apparently, the MBR does not get copied bit for bit, and
XP has a
problem with that and the Registry on the new drive.
Furthermore, some
hidden XP files don't get copied correctly, or don't get copied
at all,
leading to further problems.

The MS tech was able to walk me through restoring System
Restore, but he
explained that other apps may still not work and that "only time
will
tell."

My next step is a clean install! Ugh. You live and learn. At
least no
data has been lost.

John



"John Blaustein" wrote in message
...
JoAnn,

For whatever reason, all my icons are back. Your husband was
right.

Yes, everything is backed up.

The plot thickens, however.

When I open System Properties and click on the System Restore
tab, it
freezes and I get an error message about rundll32.exe not
running and
DrWatson PostMortem Debugger not running. I send both error
reports to
MS.

I got a message back from MS support in response to my "call
for help."
The suggestion was as follows:

As a Customer Service Representative, I can assist you with the
support
options available with your Microsoft product. However, I have
taken the
time to look through our self help website and found that the
rundll32.exe file is located in the c:\windows\System32 folder.
RunDLL32 is used to run DLL
s as programs. The following steps may resolve your issue:

1. Search for the file in c:\windows\servicepackfile\i386
folder.
2. Copy to c:\windows\system32 folder.
3. Restart your computer.

I followed these instructions, but the problem persists --
clicking the
System Restore tab still causes a "crash" -- the rundll32.exe
error
message.

I am really baffled by this whole thing.

Since last posting here, I remembered one key thing -- no doubt
important. A week ago, I got a new HDD and used the Western
Digital
utility to transfer my C: drive to the new HD. I've done this
in the
past with no problem. I am thinking my current problem may be
related.

I have run ScanDisk and the Western Digital error checking
utility and
no problems are reported.

JoAnn... perhaps your husband will have some ideas. All idea
are
welcome.

John



"JoAnn Paules [MSFT MVP]" wrote in
message
...
John -

I was talking to my husband about this. He said it happens to
him at
work often. He said just reboot and everything will be fine.
He said
it's always the same icons that go first too. Something about
something
stepping on the part of the RAM where this info is stored.

I've learned that he's usually right. And yes, I've told him
that I say
that. :-)

--

JoAnn Paules
MVP Microsoft [Publisher]



"John Blaustein" wrote in message
...
Hi...

I'm using Office 2000 -- Word and Excel only. Windows XP
Home SP2.
All XP and Office updates applied.

For some reason, all the icons for Word and Excel changed
today from
the Office icons to the "standard DOS-style icon" -- little
white
rectangle with blue bar at the top. When I right click one
of these
icons and select Properties, the "Change Icon" button is
grayed out.

Not only did all the Word and Excel icons disappear (change
to the
DOS-style icon), but the StartAll Programs icons for "New
Office
Document," and "Open Office Document" changed to that
standard
DOS-style icon. Also, StartAll ProgramsMicrosoft Office
Tools --
all icons are gone, replaced by the generic icon.

I am also using FrontPage 2003, and the same thing happened
with that
icon.

I am able to restore the icon by finding the .EXE file for
each
program and right-dragging it to the desktop (or Start Menu
folder)
and selecting create shortcut here.

Can someone tell me what's going on here? This is very
strange
behavior and only just happened.

Thank you.

John































  #23  
Old June 13th, 2005, 03:06 AM
John Blaustein
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Yes, we've become so dependent on these computers that it's essential they
run well.

Another question that maybe you can answer, though I may post it separately
as well: After doing my clean XP install, I installed Office 2000 Small
Business Edition. The installer created a folder on my D: drive (not C:
drive) called MSOCache that's 5.3MB. While it does not take up a lot of
room, do you know if that's safe to delete? I like to delete things I don't
use or need.

John


"JoAnn Paules [MSFT MVP]" wrote in message
...
I'm glad to hear everything is happy. Sure makes life easier, doesn't it?
:-)



  #24  
Old June 13th, 2005, 03:38 AM
JoAnn Paules [MSFT MVP]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

I honestly don't know. Try Googling the file name and see what you come up
with.

--

JoAnn Paules
MVP Microsoft [Publisher]



"John Blaustein" wrote in message
...
Yes, we've become so dependent on these computers that it's essential they
run well.

Another question that maybe you can answer, though I may post it
separately as well: After doing my clean XP install, I installed Office
2000 Small Business Edition. The installer created a folder on my D:
drive (not C: drive) called MSOCache that's 5.3MB. While it does not take
up a lot of room, do you know if that's safe to delete? I like to delete
things I don't use or need.

John


"JoAnn Paules [MSFT MVP]" wrote in message
...
I'm glad to hear everything is happy. Sure makes life easier, doesn't it?
:-)





  #25  
Old June 13th, 2005, 02:45 PM
Bob I
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Please read the following, and then make your decision

Local Install Source (Msocache)
http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;en-us;825933

John Blaustein wrote:

Yes, we've become so dependent on these computers that it's essential they
run well.

Another question that maybe you can answer, though I may post it separately
as well: After doing my clean XP install, I installed Office 2000 Small
Business Edition. The installer created a folder on my D: drive (not C:
drive) called MSOCache that's 5.3MB. While it does not take up a lot of
room, do you know if that's safe to delete? I like to delete things I don't
use or need.

John


"JoAnn Paules [MSFT MVP]" wrote in message
...

I'm glad to hear everything is happy. Sure makes life easier, doesn't it?
:-)





  #26  
Old June 13th, 2005, 05:23 PM
John Blaustein
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Bob I,

I now realize that in addition to installing Office 2000 (Word and Excel
only), I also installed FrontPage 2003. I suspect the MSOCache folder was
installed by FrontPage 2003. If that's the case, then the article you
linked to would apply.

Thank you for your help.

John


"Bob I" wrote in message
...
Please read the following, and then make your decision

Local Install Source (Msocache)
http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;en-us;825933

John Blaustein wrote:

Yes, we've become so dependent on these computers that it's essential
they run well.

Another question that maybe you can answer, though I may post it
separately as well: After doing my clean XP install, I installed Office
2000 Small Business Edition. The installer created a folder on my D:
drive (not C: drive) called MSOCache that's 5.3MB. While it does not
take up a lot of room, do you know if that's safe to delete? I like to
delete things I don't use or need.

John


"JoAnn Paules [MSFT MVP]" wrote in message
...

I'm glad to hear everything is happy. Sure makes life easier, doesn't it?
:-)







  #27  
Old June 13th, 2005, 08:56 PM
Bob I
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

You're welcome, happy it solved the issue.

John Blaustein wrote:

Bob I,

I now realize that in addition to installing Office 2000 (Word and Excel
only), I also installed FrontPage 2003. I suspect the MSOCache folder was
installed by FrontPage 2003. If that's the case, then the article you
linked to would apply.

Thank you for your help.

John


"Bob I" wrote in message
...

Please read the following, and then make your decision

Local Install Source (Msocache)
http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;en-us;825933

John Blaustein wrote:


Yes, we've become so dependent on these computers that it's essential
they run well.

Another question that maybe you can answer, though I may post it
separately as well: After doing my clean XP install, I installed Office
2000 Small Business Edition. The installer created a folder on my D:
drive (not C: drive) called MSOCache that's 5.3MB. While it does not
take up a lot of room, do you know if that's safe to delete? I like to
delete things I don't use or need.

John


"JoAnn Paules [MSFT MVP]" wrote in message
...


I'm glad to hear everything is happy. Sure makes life easier, doesn't it?
:-)






 




Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is Off
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Desktop ICONS disappeared/changed John Blaustein General Discussions 26 June 13th, 2005 08:56 PM
Copying Desktop Icons to another computer Joseph Meehan General Discussion 2 February 16th, 2005 11:02 PM
'Office' icons on desktop don't work after SP2 installed. why? Tony_tony837 General Discussions 0 February 1st, 2005 12:09 AM
Desktop icons suddenly changed to MS-DOS style Rob General Discussions 1 September 8th, 2004 11:47 PM
Desktop filling up with FrontPage e icons, yellow folders, bps files Mary Hootie New Users 2 May 16th, 2004 01:26 PM


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 05:41 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.6.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©2004-2024 OfficeFrustration.
The comments are property of their posters.