Desktop Icons refresh when starting TC

English support forum

Moderators: white, Hacker, petermad, Stefan2

jdop
Junior Member
Junior Member
Posts: 5
Joined: 2018-03-23, 00:12 UTC

Desktop Icons refresh when starting TC

Post by *jdop »

Windows 7 X64.

TC is not the only program causing this, but since I run it frequently , I see this often. Every time it's launched , all my desktop Icons refresh.

Tried to rebuild the icon cache by usual methods, but that had no impact.


What could be causing the load of TC (or any other program) to force the desktop to refresh?
jdop
Junior Member
Junior Member
Posts: 5
Joined: 2018-03-23, 00:12 UTC

Post by *jdop »

This is not happening on a clean windows profile, so something got hosed up on my main, quite elderly install thats forcing this refresh on certain program loads only.


Looked at ProcMon to see what was going on , but thats not really my forte.

Thought someone might have a clue as to what to do.

Did the Google search thing already.
User avatar
ghisler(Author)
Site Admin
Site Admin
Posts: 48021
Joined: 2003-02-04, 09:46 UTC
Location: Switzerland
Contact:

Post by *ghisler(Author) »

I'm seing this too, even on Windows 10, but unfortunately I have no idea what could be causing it. If anyone knows how to avoid it, please let me know.
Author of Total Commander
https://www.ghisler.com
jdop
Junior Member
Junior Member
Posts: 5
Joined: 2018-03-23, 00:12 UTC

Post by *jdop »

Thanks for the feedback. Thought it was something corrupted on my side.

Try it on a fresh profile. As I said, I do not see the issue there.

If you're mystified, what shot do the rest of us have ;-)

What conditions trigger a refresh like that? Windows obviously thinks something has changed and the icons need to be reloaded.
User avatar
petermad
Power Member
Power Member
Posts: 14739
Joined: 2003-02-05, 20:24 UTC
Location: Denmark
Contact:

Post by *petermad »

It might help to delete Windows icon cache.

So you have to delete the hidden file IconCache.db in the your Local Appdata directory. Thereafter kill the Explorer process and restart Explorer (or log in and out).

Here is a button for the buttonbar that does it all:

Code: Select all

TOTALCMD#BAR#DATA
%COMSPEC% /C
(del /AH "%%LOCALAPPDATA%%\IconCache.db") && (taskkill /im explorer.exe /f) && (%%WINDIR%%\explorer.exe)
%COMMANDER_EXE%,2
Delete Icon Cache and Restart Explorer

1
-1
To make the button:
1. Mark the green text above (including TOTALCMD#BAR#DATA in the first line and -1 in the last line).
2. Copy it to the ClipBoard (Ctri+C).
3. Right click on TC's buttonbar and choose "Paste".
License #524 (1994)
Danish Total Commander Translator
TC 11.03 32+64bit on Win XP 32bit & Win 7, 8.1 & 10 (22H2) 64bit, 'Everything' 1.5.0.1371a
TC 3.50b4 on Android 6 & 13
Try: TC Extended Menus | TC Languagebar | TC Dark Help | PHSM-Calendar
jdop
Junior Member
Junior Member
Posts: 5
Joined: 2018-03-23, 00:12 UTC

Post by *jdop »

As I said in the original post, I did all that with the icon cache.

Something is triggering the refresh. I'd think someone who knows the innards of Windows well , could trace the flow and see what it is.
User avatar
ghisler(Author)
Site Admin
Site Admin
Posts: 48021
Joined: 2003-02-04, 09:46 UTC
Location: Switzerland
Contact:

Post by *ghisler(Author) »

I have checked it in the debugger now: It only happens when overlay icons are enabled.

The calls to:
IShellIconOverlay::GetOverlayIconIndex(childidlist,nOverlay)
or
IShellIconOverlay::GetOverlayIndex(childidlist,nOverlay)

cause this flickering when they are called for the first time. So far no workaround. :(
Last edited by ghisler(Author) on 2018-05-14, 09:32 UTC, edited 1 time in total.
Author of Total Commander
https://www.ghisler.com
jdop
Junior Member
Junior Member
Posts: 5
Joined: 2018-03-23, 00:12 UTC

Post by *jdop »

I actually have that overlay icon switch disabled, and still see the problem

Must be some other issue . Every time TC is opened or if already open , the TC icon is reclicked, the desktop icons refresh.

Not thinking its TC only, as I see this issue with a few other apps. Loading a video in MPC player, same issue.

Maybe one of the recent Windows updates caused a problem. Very hard to track this.
albermon
New Member
New Member
Posts: 1
Joined: 2018-05-12, 11:42 UTC

Post by *albermon »

it seems that it is a general incidence ... (I can't upload URL, but you can found more detail googling : "413776-all-desktop-icons-refresh-when-starting-some-programs")

... the opera guys have already fixed it : "Just upgraded from .64 to .99 and still working OK from icon on taskbar. No flickering." (I can't upload URL, but you can found more detail googling : "desktop-icons-flickering-when-loading-opera")

Can you make a fix for TC ?
it is very annoying (and slow) to see how all the desktop icons are refreshed before starting the TC ..
Thanks!
User avatar
ghisler(Author)
Site Admin
Site Admin
Posts: 48021
Joined: 2003-02-04, 09:46 UTC
Location: Switzerland
Contact:

Post by *ghisler(Author) »

Unfortunately I could not find any instructions on how to fix it.

Here it doesn't occur when I disable overlay icons. When I run my code in the debbuger (step by step), the desktop refresh occurs exactly when calling one of these overlay functions for the first time.

Maybe it is also triggered by some other icon functions in your case.
Author of Total Commander
https://www.ghisler.com
User avatar
petermad
Power Member
Power Member
Posts: 14739
Joined: 2003-02-05, 20:24 UTC
Location: Denmark
Contact:

Post by *petermad »

Here it happens no matter whether Ovelay icons are disable or not - It also happens with a blank ini-file.

I have tried disabeling buttonbars (both), Icons in menus and icons in file panels, but to no avail. And I tried deleting the .manifest file.

It is nothing new - it also affects TC 8.52a

On my Windows 10 PC, which is pretty slow, I can see that the flickering occurs AFTER TC's UI is fully loaded. On my fast Windows 7 PC it is the opposite - first flickering, then TC appears on the screen.
License #524 (1994)
Danish Total Commander Translator
TC 11.03 32+64bit on Win XP 32bit & Win 7, 8.1 & 10 (22H2) 64bit, 'Everything' 1.5.0.1371a
TC 3.50b4 on Android 6 & 13
Try: TC Extended Menus | TC Languagebar | TC Dark Help | PHSM-Calendar
polle452
Junior Member
Junior Member
Posts: 32
Joined: 2013-10-09, 20:40 UTC

Post by *polle452 »

Win10Pro 1804, TC9.20B2 both w. 32bit and 64bit:

-diabling OverLay Icon = no refresh

-enablingOverLay Icon = refresh

In both cases starting a 2.nd instance of TC (or 32bit + 64bit)
the refresh consistently follows the above behavior for the second TC as well.
User avatar
petermad
Power Member
Power Member
Posts: 14739
Joined: 2003-02-05, 20:24 UTC
Location: Denmark
Contact:

Post by *petermad »

-diabling OverLay Icon = no refresh
I didn't test disabeling the overlay setting under Windows 10 - Testet again - I see the same as you under Windows 10 but still NOT under Windows 7 (flickering also with overlay icons disabled).

Under Windows 8.1 I see NO refresh at all, overlay icons enabled or not.

I now also testet on a slow Windows 7 PC - here the flickering is still before TC turns up on the screen, so the difference in when the flickering occour (after TC turns up under Windows 10), is probably not related to PC speed.

Under WIndow XP I see no flickering. My windows XP is on the same PC as a Windows 7, under which I do see flickering - so it is not a hardware problem - but could be a driver problem.

On my other Windows 7 PC I have two screens connected to two different display cards - I see flickering on both screens,

It is not all icons that flicker. The generic icons for Computer, Network,ControlPanel and Recycle bin, does not flicker. I also have a lot of .URL files on my desktop showing the same icon of my default Browser (not IE) - only a few of them flickers. Icons for Folders on the Desktop does not flicker, unless they have a customized icon from using desktop.ini. Icons for all .lnk files flicker and so do icons for .exe files placed directly on the Desktop.

A last thing - If I run TC as administrator (you might temporarily disable UAC to see it) - there i NO flickering.
License #524 (1994)
Danish Total Commander Translator
TC 11.03 32+64bit on Win XP 32bit & Win 7, 8.1 & 10 (22H2) 64bit, 'Everything' 1.5.0.1371a
TC 3.50b4 on Android 6 & 13
Try: TC Extended Menus | TC Languagebar | TC Dark Help | PHSM-Calendar
polle452
Junior Member
Junior Member
Posts: 32
Joined: 2013-10-09, 20:40 UTC

Post by *polle452 »

TC 8.50 with XP and Win7, no refresh regardless of the Overlay setting.
Tested on 2 identical Laptops (old P2), XP on the one and Win7 on the other.
User avatar
ghisler(Author)
Site Admin
Site Admin
Posts: 48021
Joined: 2003-02-04, 09:46 UTC
Location: Switzerland
Contact:

Post by *ghisler(Author) »

Just tried TC 8.50 on Windows 10, and I get the same desktop icon flickering when overlay icons are enabled.
Author of Total Commander
https://www.ghisler.com
Post Reply