My icons don't show but application names do.

If your desktop is showing application names but not the icons, it may be due to issues with the icon cache or the Shell Experience Host. Here are some steps you can take to troubleshoot this issue:

1. Clear the Icon Cache:
   • Open Task Manager (you may need to use Ctrl + Shift + Esc).
   • Find Windows Explorer in the Processes tab, right-click it, and select End task.
   • Go to File > Run new task, type cmd.exe, and create a task with administrative privileges.
   • In the command prompt, type the following commands:

          CD /d %userprofile%\AppData\Local
          DEL IconCache.db /a
     

   • Restart Windows Explorer by going back to Task Manager, selecting File > Run new task, typing explorer.exe, and pressing Enter.
2. Register Shell Experience Host:
   • Open Windows PowerShell as an administrator.
   • Run the following command:

          Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers | Where-Object {$_.InstallLocation -like "*ShellExperienceHost*"} | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml"}
     

   • Restart your system.
3. Check IconHandler in the Registry:
   • Open the Registry Editor by typing regedit in the Start menu.
   • Navigate to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\lnkfile\shellex\IconHandler and check the (Default) value. It should be {00021401-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}.
   • Ensure that the corresponding CLSID values are correct in the registry.

If Task Manager is also not functioning, it may indicate a broader issue with your Windows installation. You might consider running a system file check or restoring your system to a previous state if the problem persists.

References:

• Application shortcuts on the desktop, Start menu, and taskbar show blank icons
• Applications don't start and their names are dimmed