Grey x's on all desktop icons Windows 8.1

Anonymous
2014-06-18T14:52:09+00:00

Recently a client discover that all of their desktop icons (files and shortcuts) have large Grey X's in the corner on their Windows 8.1 home PC. The files are still accessible upon click through to them. They do not have a tape drive (one possible cause I have seen) and the shortcuts point to various locations on the primary C: drive (documents folder etc). Repairing the icon cache temporarily resolved but it seems to just come back again. They are running Carbonite as a backup, however a brief search of "Carbonite with Grey X's on icons" has not yet yielded anything either. Any help would be welcomed.

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Files, folders, and storage

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Anonymous
2015-03-19T17:30:16+00:00

I experienced the problem for the first time ever this morning in one of my laptops After tracking what I did this morning that might had caused it, I finally remembered to have installed an update for Boxcryptor. After uninstalling the Boxcryptor app, the grey X's disappeared from all those folder its was on. Bingo! Hope it helps!

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  1. Anonymous
    2016-03-07T14:59:31+00:00

    OK, Thank you! This provides yet another lead. Maybe you've provided the final answer (fingers crossed).

    I am running Carbonite (v5.8.5 build5808), and I have a Dropbox account (shows up as a System Folder). Maybe they are fighting with each other in the background. Unfortunately, I have neither the time nor expertise to sort any of this out.

    Mostly, I just Die a little every time the "Grey-Xs" show up, waiting for the pending Destruction of my Operating System, along with my livelihood (I am an Architect and Sole Practitioner). I've got to learn how to accept defeat, I guess.

    As you can readily tell, most of us are well beyond being tired of this kind of ****.

    P.S.:  Some of my Icons change to "little people" (see below @ Radio Lab & HP 11C). This would be funny in any other context, but I'm at wit's end regarding this issue.

    .

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  2. Anonymous
    2016-04-25T21:16:34+00:00

    I think the X's indicate that item were not backed up, regardless of the back-up utility you're using.

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  3. Anonymous
    2016-05-25T23:13:13+00:00

    I GET THE SAME GREY X'S ON MY DESKTOP AND I HAVE NEVER USED NORTON.

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  4. @CmdrKeene 90,631 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2016-05-26T13:13:02+00:00

    Hi Redheimerman, that's fine.  That just means that you have one of the other programs that does this.  Read through this conversation to learn how to identify what it is and then kill it.

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