Wrong desktop shortcut icon on Windows 7 (Inno Setup)

22
votes

I have created an installer with Inno Setup. The icon used for the desktop shortcut and start menu is embeded in the application executable.

When the installer was initially created, I didn't have the final product icon from the design team. I used a temporary icon instead as I completed the installer.

Everything worked as it should until I changed the icon for the final one. Now the desktop shortcut and start menu icons always display the old icon even though everywhere else the icon is correct.

This is the Icon declaration section of the script.

[Icons]
Name: {group}\{#MyAppName}; Filename: {app}\{#MyAppExeName}; WorkingDir: {app}
Name: {group}\{cm:UninstallProgram,{#MyAppName}}; Filename: {uninstallexe}; IconFilename: {app}\Icons\stop.ico
Name: {commondesktop}\{#MyAppVersionName}; Filename: {app}\{#MyAppExeName}; Tasks: desktopicon; WorkingDir: {app}

Here's what I've tried: (This is a Windows 7 system)

If I look at the shortcut properties, and choose "change icon" I see the correct icon. Re-selecting it has no effect. I've also tried selecting a dis-related icon and then re-selecting the correct on... still shows the old one.

I've followed suggestions to delete the IconCache.db and restarting the machine but this has no effect either.

Where in the world is the old icon coming from? It's nowhere in the installer.

Ideas anyone?

2
windows-7iconsinno-setupdesktop-shortcut
The way your question is written leads me to believe that this is all occurring on one, single Windows 7 computer. Have you tried rebuilding the Inno Setup file with the new icon and running it on a second computer? Does this still show the old icon? – Cody Gray♦
I've installed this application on both a 'virgin' Windows XP and a Windows 7 machine. Both render the icon correctly. What could possibly be caching the old icon on my machine? It just refuses to die... – swirlywonder
Post the [Icons] section of your installer script, perhaps that will help. Does your executable only contain the icon you want to use (i.e. not the temporary icon you don't want)? – Bernard
Yeah, the problem isn't related to Inno Setup then, if the correct icons are shown after the install on two other machines. It has to be something on your machine, and there's a 96% chance it's related to caching. – Cody Gray♦
No the temporary icon no longer exists anywhere in the application or the installer. I have added the [Icons] declaration to the topic description. – swirlywonder

2 Answers

31
votes

It seems that this indeed was related to the IconCache.db file. I can only guess that something wasn't done in the right order (though I tried differing procedures more than once).

Here's how I performed the reset manually:

  • Click Start button > Hold down Ctrl+Shift & Right Click on empty area in the Start Menu.
  • Select "Exit Explorer".
  • Hold Ctrl+Shift+Esc keys to open Task Manager.
  • Select "File" > "New Task".
  • Type: cmd (and press Enter). This will open the command prompt.
  • Type: cd /d %userprofile%\AppData\Local (and press Enter)
  • Type: attrib –h IconCache.db (and press Enter)
  • Type: del IconCache.db (and press Enter)
  • Type: start explorer (and press Enter)

Now everything renders just as it should.

10
votes

As in swirlywonder's answer, this batch script should automate the process:

rebuild-icon-cache.bat

@echo off
taskkill /IM explorer.exe /F
cd /d %userprofile%\AppData\Local
del IconCache.db /a
start explorer.exe