Quick overview:
The icons on the desktop, in Explorer or in the Start menu are all stored in a specific part of the working memory. This part is called the icon cache and can also get mixed up due to its limited size (it holds a total of 500 icons) - icons are then overwritten and moved. For example, if Windows wants to display the icon from My Computer, it is no longer in the same place: a completely different icon is then displayed.
It is therefore advisable to increase the so-called icon cache to prevent such errors from occurring in the first place.
Conveniently set the size of the icon cache
1. Click on Start/Run and enter the command regedit next to Open.
2. Now navigate through the keys HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\ Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\explorer and right-click in the right pane.
3. Now select New/String from the context menu that appears and name this newly created value Max Cached Icons (please note spaces).
4. Now double-click on it and enter the number 2000.
A restart should be enough for your symbols to be displayed correctly again. A whopping 2000 symbols are now loaded into the working memory!
NOTE FOR NEW PUBLICATION: This article was produced by Sandro Villinger and comes from the Windows Tweaks archive, which has been built up since the late 1990s.
On Windows Tweaks you will find time-saving tech guides for PC, software & Microsoft. For a stress-free digital everyday life. Already we have been "tweaking" Windows since 1998 and just won't stop!
