Windows 11 help please

[LeylandVCDS]

Got a strange issue with my windows 11 laptop - ALL icons, and I mean ALL, are missing from both desktop and explorer. The text boxes under where the icons should be are there, and can be selected to open programs, but not even a shadow box where the icon chould be.
It is the same when opened in safe mode too. No icons, not a thing. Even the icons for Chrome etc , and any open programs in the taskbar are generic and certainly not what should be there

Its only my spare laptop, which I know isn't brilliant spec, but it is a factory win11and fully licenced installation
Acer Aspire 3, Intel Pentium Silver N5030 CPU @ 1.10GHZ, 64 bit, 8GB RAM
Windows 11 Home, 22H2, OS build 22621.2715 with windows experiencfe pack 1000.22677.1000.0
Completely up to date with updates

Can anyone offer any help to get these missing icons back?

Thanks in advance

 

[Tell]

Feels like it hasn't got enough memory. You can always roll back to a recovery point in case something got loaded in and no I haven't seen that before.

 

[LeylandVCDS]

Feels like it hasn't got enough memory. You can always roll back to a recovery point in case something got loaded in and no I haven't seen that before.

Thanks for your reply. It's got 8GB memory, same as my main laptop that hasn't had any issues like this. As it's such a new laptop, sadly no recoveery points are stored. Looks like it's going to be a full reinstall

 

[Yern]

I think you can do a 'system' reinstall and keep existing files...or a 'full' reinstall - Settings/System/Reset This PC (Recovery Options).

 

[Alex667]

Open command prompt and run:

DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth

 

[Tell]

That sounds promising.

 

[Alex667]

Oh, you can try this too: https://www.elevenforum.com/t/rebuild-icon-cache-in-windows-11.2049/

 

[Tell]

I'm currently rejoiced since I upgraded my 11 year old HP office PC to 16gb which HP documentation said couldn't be done but Googling the motherboard showed it could, 2x8gb. Think the HP technical writters got confused about the max being 8gb of memory when they meant the max SIMM was 8. So 2x8gb. Spent 7 years thinking 8gb was the max . Took it with no trouble. Running the Windows Android Subsystem which likes 6gb for the Android apps to run it. Put favourite Android apps on it, if they work with your others Windows stuff.

 

[LeylandVCDS]

Open command prompt and run:

DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth

Tried that, had no effect at all. Ended up with a full reinstallation of windows

 

[LeylandVCDS]

Oh, you can try this too: https://www.elevenforum.com/t/rebuild-icon-cache-in-windows-11.2049/

Yep, found this webpage, nothing on there worked

 

[Tell]

I think you can do a 'system' reinstall and keep existing files...or a 'full' reinstall - Settings/System/Reset This PC (Recovery Options).

I've been doing a lot in place resets on 23h2 to get 24h2 of recent. You can either use a menu option of 23h2 which give you an in place upgrade. Just reinstalls the software or the 23h2 iso.

24h2 is a bit pesky. Installed on my laptop fine no issues with the simple update method. Defeats the parters laptop bought one year latter to mine. Got a celebrated error that quite a few people currently have then does a wind back. These are fully compliant windows 11 machines.

The old tower units now 12 years old upgraded them with the "product server" method (that's a Google, Microsoft left that wrinkle in for non compliant hardware). The iso with a slash product server command on it. Worked a dream on the partners. Mine had to adjust the Bios back to how it was before I put the Windows Android sub system on it. i3 and Windows sub system don't get on together in 24h2. Refused to boot into 24h2 but fine with the Bios set to how it was on delivery. Keep off the virtual machine thing on i3s. SSDs in all of these.

On the first 24h2 cumulative update on my tower unit it did play up which is when I did the inplace upgraded to itself, 24h2 to 24h2. Gets everything back to how it was. Other people had issues with that cumulative upgrade. Did the kp msi trick to get out of that. The early release first tester of the cumulative update to 24h2 which was problematic. The bar set to get updates as soon as possible.

In summary an in place feature upgrade of back to the current version I reckon would have sorted out the missing icons. It's a complete refresh to out of the box but maintains your programs if it was something corrupted. The DISM commands I keep coming across for the partners laptop which is resisting the feature update to 24h2... not that's been officially offered yet. Whilst my laptop is running 24h2 fine and the two older tower units are happily running 24h2. Does work better then 23h2.... saying that there are a list of driver issues where the upgrade is pulled, Microsoft is taking it slowly on the rollout now and a level of moaning on boards about 24h2 being released too early with installation bugs 🫢. We like to be early adopters .