Post-reformat, PNG thumbnail changed

[hyou0079]

I want to begin by saying this is not something that's really causing trouble, just something I'd like an answer to.

I recently reformatted my Win7 laptop because trying to fix things just kept breaking other things. What I immediately noticed however was the default icon for PNG files, set to open with Windows Photo Viewer, has changed. Originally it was a bunch of shapes against a blue and yellow background,, now it appears as some red and yellow flowers.

Anybody have any idea what could have caused this?

 

[jr9]

Default icons will change if the default program for opening a file changes or a setting in Windows changes. On my Win7 I get shapes+blue/yellow background for png files and the blue ocean/sky for jpg. Thumbnails can be enabled in folder options by if yours aren't working:

Windows key -> folder options -> enter -> View tab -> Uncheck "Always show icons, never thumbnails"

This is nice because icons for pictures in Explorer are not helpful. Thumbnails are.

You can also manually change the icons that are associated with certain file type. More info can be found here:

https://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/57455-file-extension-icon-change-default-icon.html

 

[hyou0079]

Default icons will change if the default program for opening a file changes or a setting in Windows changes. On my Win7 I get shapes+blue/yellow background for png files and the blue ocean/sky for jpg. Thumbnails can be enabled in folder options by if yours aren't working:

Windows key -> folder options -> enter -> View tab -> Uncheck "Always show icons, never thumbnails"

This is nice because icons for pictures in Explorer are not helpful. Thumbnails are.

You can also manually change the icons that are associated with certain file type. More info can be found here:

https://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/57455-file-extension-icon-change-default-icon.html

So... Windows Photo Viewer is the most likely reason this has happened?

It doesn't seem like that has any settings you can tweak.

I've been asking some people, some claim their PNGs have the flowers, some claim they have the shapes, I can't find a pattern for it.

 

[jr9]

Well I've done some experimenting with this on a Windows 7 machine. Initially I had 'shapes' for PNG images. I changed the default program from Windows Photo Viewer to Paint and then changed it back to Windows Photo Viewer. My PNG icons are now '2 flowers' as well. I have yet to find a way to change it back aside from deleting my icon cache system file. That might actually work though.

These icons that are associated with Windows Photo Viewer are contained within Photo Viewer.dll which is a system file not like normal icons so it controls which icons are attached to which type of image file. So you can't tweak it without modifying Windows system files. This driver sort of summons these icon files from itself it seems and picks one based on its programing.

My theory is that '2 flowers' is actually the true default image for PNG files and that 'shapes' is a placeholder used if the Photo Viewer.dll cannot identify which icon should be used. I have seen .gif also use the 'shapes' icon as well so it isn't unique to PNG. After changing GIF to Firefox and then back to Photo Viewer, I cannot get shapes to appear for any image type.

 

[hyou0079]

Well I've done some experimenting with this on a Windows 7 machine. Initially I had 'shapes' for PNG images. I changed the default program from Windows Photo Viewer to Paint and then changed it back to Windows Photo Viewer. My PNG icons are now '2 flowers' as well. I have yet to find a way to change it back aside from deleting my icon cache system file. That might actually work though.

These icons that are associated with Windows Photo Viewer are contained within Photo Viewer.dll which is a system file not like normal icons so it controls which icons are attached to which type of image file. So you can't tweak it without modifying Windows system files. This driver sort of summons these icon files from itself it seems and picks one based on its programing.

My theory is that '2 flowers' is actually the true default image for PNG files and that 'shapes' is a placeholder used if the Photo Viewer.dll cannot identify which icon should be used. I have seen .gif also use the 'shapes' icon as well so it isn't unique to PNG. After changing GIF to Firefox and then back to Photo Viewer, I cannot get shapes to appear for any image type.

Tried deleting the icon cache system file, no dice unfortunately... Wonder if it's even possible.