ANSWERED White Control Panel and FTX Central Icons

[FleetingThought]

So: recently, when I've added a new airport, or reinstalled an airport, or updated ORBXLIBS to latest, I've had this weird phenomenon: the icon art shows up properly if the icon is left on the desktop, but if I want to unclutter and put the icon where I've been putting it for a couple of years now, in my ORBX folder on my desktop..... it goes white.

 

I've looked up white icons in Win8.1 (same issue as Win7), and have deleted the iconcache.db in the Users/Local hidden folder, restarted, but that doesn't seem to solve this particular problem.

 

Here are the currently slightly laborious steps, though, I have gone through to solve the problem:

 

1. Rename the Control Panel or FTX Central shortcut icon on desktop to OLD-whatever-it's-name-is.

2. r-click and select Go To File Location.

3. See File Location. See Shortcut to .exe, be it FTXCentral.exe or ORBX Control Panel.exe.

4. r-click and copy icon in ORBX folder to desktop.

5. If an airport control panel, r-click on ORBX Control Panel shortcut and rename it to, say, "ORBX NZMF Control Panel (FSX)", for example.

6. r-click on OLD-etc. in step 1. (in this case, whited-out "OLD ORBX NZMF Control Panel (FSX)," select Properties, go to Target box, and select all the text that is in that box (the script for what the shortcut should do).

7. r-click on new, generic shortcut, now renamed "ORBX NZMF Control Panel (FSX)" -- without quotes, see step 5 -- select Properties, and Paste the text copied from the diseased, whited-out icon into this new one.

8. Click Apply.

9. Check to make sure new shortcut icon works.

10. Drag it into the ORBX folder on my desktop; it is now no longer suffering from White Blank Icon Disease.

11. Delete the diseased version on the desktop.

 

I have NO idea why this is happening, but it's a bit laborious to go through.  Sometimes if I wait a few days, some mysterious process no doubt remote-controlled by a MicroSlave somewhere in Indonesia runs itself at 3am and fixes everything (maybe part of Win8.1 Maintenance thing).  Sometimes not.

 

Oh, step 12 when I have to keep twiddling with these niggles instead of flying: turn off computer, go read a novel.

 

Thanks for listening; if there's anything ORBX can do short of Fixing Microsoft, much appreciated.

[Wolter van der Spoel]

not sure, just a thought, overzealous AV program ?

 

some UAC stuff that keeps resetting things to a certain state ?

 

not knowing or using W8 makes it just a guess, did you try and Google for it ?

[FleetingThought]

Hi Wolter,

 

Yep... it's been mystifying me for awhile now.  Doesn't seem to be AV; I do fear UAC or some sort of permissions/inheritances thing, but not going to fool with that. <G>

 

Google leads nowhere; the only advice is mainly to delete iconcache.db.

 

It seems to "heal itself" sometimes -- just did, this afternoon.

 

Thanks for popping in; if it doesn't ring any bells with anyone there, won't bother further, of course.  Just mentioning it in case it's some sort of weird programming/install design thing.

[Wolter van der Spoel]

very weird, although M$ also works in mysterious ways

[Jethro VH-JET]

Hi FleetingThought,

 

I have a similar folder on my desktop where I place all the Shortcuts that we accumulate from each install and update otherwise they can crowd the DT quite a bit.

It is a folder located on my OS drive C:\User\Documents\... , it contains all the Orbx CPL shortcuts and PDF Document shortcuts, for each install located on my Separate FSX drive. They all go in there directly as they can all be found and accessed via FTXCentral. Sometimes I see that one of the PDF shortcuts has lost its pictorial representation but never a Orbx CPL Icon shortcut. When they turn white it does not necessarily mean they are broken it is only a generic representation of the icon when it has lost its association.

What you can do to restore the Shortcut Icon picture or any icon picture for that matter, is to right click the white shortcut icon > select Properties > click Shortcut Tab > click Change Icon Button > there should be an Orbx Icon in the selection Pane > Highlight it > click OK  > click Apply on Properties Dialog > Icon should change to the one chosen  >  on exit the Icon should now be back to Displaying Orbx Logo.

 

If that does not work I'm stumped as I also don't run Win8, I use W764 this method usually brings back the icon.

[FleetingThought]

Hi Jeff, yes, I've done that, too, and despite seeing the icon available, clicking on it, or clicking on it and then the white space around it, and then clicking Apply..... doesn't change it back. It is just odd. Oh well!