Member Avatar for kosmoe

I clicked on "close all tabs" in IE7 as that is all it would do. Now my IE7 Desktop Icon is gone. How do i get it back? I can do a search and click on the shortcut file but still no Desktop Icon. I reinstalled IE7 but still no icon.

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by goldeagle2005

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Thread followup: reports the icon was restored after the suggestions from , and ’s manual-shortcut idea is a valid fallback. For anyone who still sees a missing Internet Explorer (or any) desktop icon after trying those fixes, the items below cover the common causes that aren’t mentioned in the replies and give durable troubleshooting steps.

First checks to make (paths and conditions): confirm whether the shortcut actually exists in your profile or the shared desktop folders (XP: C:\Documents and Settings\<user>\Desktop and C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Desktop; Vista/7+: C:\Users\<user>\Desktop and C:\Users\Public\Desktop). If the .lnk is present but the icon is blank or wrong, the icon cache is often corrupt. If the .lnk is missing entirely, also check Start Menu program folders and whether the desktop folder has been redirected, hidden, or had its permissions changed.

Rebuild the icon cache (safe, non-destructive): terminate Explorer, delete the per-user IconCache file, restart Explorer or reboot. Typical locations are shown below — adapt for your OS and back up first if unsure.

Stop explorer.exe (Task Manager)
Delete:
  XP:   %userprofile%\Local Settings\Application Data\IconCache.db
  Vista+: %userprofile%\AppData\Local\IconCache.db
Restart explorer.exe or reboot

Other troubleshooting notes: check the desktop folder’s attributes and NTFS permissions (a non-writable profile can prevent shortcuts from appearing). Verify no desktop-management utilities or group policies are hiding icons. If the problem started after a recent change, a System Restore to a point before the change can help. Finally, remember IE7 is long out of support; for security and compatibility consider a modern browser or the supported "IE mode" in current Microsoft Edge for legacy sites.

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Member Avatar for EsoxLucius

Why don't you just create a new shortcut from the Program Files/IE folder??

Member Avatar for goldeagle2005

Right click on the desktop and then click Properties. In the Display properties window, click the "Desktop" tab and then click the "Customize Desktop" button. In the new window that pops up, select "Internet Explorer" and OK your way out of Display Properties.

Member Avatar for kosmoe

Thanks, that's what i did. The other suggestion should work too.

Member Avatar for goldeagle2005

Okay, since the issue has been taken care of, I'm marking this thread as solved.

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