Windows Icons Have Fuzzy Edges

And babybear said somebody is eating all my icons.

Do a FF for Goldilocks or Alice or whatever.

A friend of mine also had this fading icons. I don't know how he fixed it but he deleted Bit defender at some stage - He is at the seaside at the moment.

Happy new year to you and your family. Your roof ok now?

Hello Hendrik:

Sounds interesting! I do not have an Alice or Goldilocks in my life unfortunately. Sounds good though!

I really appreciate you replying to my request. I can't delete 'Defender', because I do not have it!

Getting AVG has stabilised my system a lot. I actually downloaded the 'bells and whistles' version but, thought it was stopping me from getting on-line so un-installed it and got the basic anti virus instead. I am trying this, getting used to it. After a while I will upgrade to the bells and whistles one and see how I go.

My machine is working pretty much full speed now. Before I got rid of the Trojan etc it was hobbling along like an old horse.............sort of!

I am not in a state of mind to try any major changes at the moment but, I may go for fire-fox or some later. Or may also get a MAC. I am just really pis--d off with spending half my time loading the 'trebuchet' ready against any invaders!

I am not going anywhere so perhaps you can ask your friend what he did to solve the problem? On some of the icons I only have to hover the mouse over them and they look ok for a few minutes. But on others like the desktop and the envelopes at the start of the subject line in email I can't do that. It just does not work.

Take care and many thanks for getting in touch...............

Just guessing here really, but it sounds to me, based upon what you've said regarding both the disappearing icons and the locking up issue, that it's time for you to wipe your hard drive and reinstall Windows. I'm not absolutely sure why this is but it seems like Windows tends to get corrupted over time. Errors seem to creep in to the OS and after a period of time, usually six months to a year, it simply becomes unusable. I have made it a policy to back up my data and wipe my hard drives at least once a year.

So, simply off-load your data to another machine, DVD/CDs or an external drive, load your Windows disc, reformat your drive, and start clean. Or if you prefer, take it to your friendly neighborhood geek and have him do it for you. If he's not busy he can have it back to you by the next day and probably won't charge you more than about $75. Once it's done though, make sure that you install or have installed good virus protection. I personally like AVG Free.

Hello DrMoose:

Whay you describe is exactly what tyhe real problem is. But for reasons I will not go into on open forum well, I will PM you...............

Some aspirin like universal recipes from lazy doctor :):

(1) Turn off all visual effects and observe what's up then.

(2) Reinstall SP2(3) whatever you use under windows. It won't take a lot of time to compare with full OS reinstalling with huge bunch of progs.

(3) Get a new/fresh windows user's account.

(4)Find out and apply any decent Registry fixing software. Like FixIt or Registry Mechanic.

Be optimistic. Figure out it was just a good sign that means that all your problems in 2009 will fade just like your icons now :).

Hello caramba:

Firstly, can I wish all a great new year!!!!

I am going through a rough patch personally and the memory is not good. Can you tell me if there is a 'one button switch' to turn of all visuals please?

Hello caramba,

I have run disk cleanup, and defrag. Have left visual effects off.

Have not reinstalled sp2 and sp3 yet. Will do over the next few days.

Why do I need to get a new account? And presumably I can open one in the browser window? You do not mean email account?

I will see what reg cleaners are available. I had one but removed it to download AVG. I was not sure if AVG had one in it or not.

Thanks for your help caramba.

Will leave it now and catch up with the rest in a couple of days.

Many thanks you you, wire and

Dr Moose.

I'm sorry. It was too late yesterday in my location and I've dashed off for some sleep .

I meant windows' user account. Sometimes overfeatured(or some way damaged) user profile causes undesired troubles. I suggested you to do this just for checking out what will be next.

SP2 or SP3 just what you have as installed exactly on your PC. Using "My computer" icon right click then "Properties" pop-up menu will inform you about your OS and SP. Sometimes that measure does work sometimes doesn't.

I've been trying to find out links referred to the like problem on Russian sites. In void.

Has you video adapter or/and monitor analog or digital input/output? Have you checked how is good cable contacts?

Plus you could temporary downgrade video card performances (screen resolution, color bits per pixel etc). None for ever - just for appropriate diagnostic.

wish you every good luck,

caramba.

Hello caramba,

I really appreciate your work and all the effort you have put towards a solution.

From the wall socket (BT installed) I go through a router, then UPS, then direct to my computer. I have no TV or video recorder or external CD or Video player. There is no printer or scanner. Just a computer and monitor.

When I had this problem before I did not have the UPS so I do not think that is the cause.

What do you mean with your ref' to Russia? Is it a big problem there?

I had actually thought about un-installing and reinstalling sp2 and sp3. Sp2 was down loaded auto'. And sp3 I downloaded. But I have read that is sp3 was not downloaded in a certain way there could be problems. But, nothing that I have read says what the 'correct' way to do this is.

I have about 12 or so updates from Microsoft which have not downloaded, and when I try to download them myself they will not download.

I have a program called Belark Advisor which is where I got the list of updates that have not downloaded yet. It may be that Belark is giving me the wrong info and I do not have any updates that have not been loaded auto'?

I want to un-install all updates and replace them. Is this possible? I do not have a printer so will write a list of the updates, then tick them off as I replace them.

bwire on another post on this thread gave me a site which may help in a general way. So I will spend time there over the next week to see if and how it can help me. I will also go through Microsoft's KB .......A bit of a trawl to say the least! I have gon there several times but have had no luck in my search with the icon problem.

I will be in touch. Many thanks for your help caramba.

Have a great new year OK?

Hello caramba,

thank you for your reply post, you are very kind.

I am pleased you understood my problem. I mentioned Russia because I thought you said they had the same problem there?

It affects ALL icons on my machine, even icons like yahoo, and google, it also affects all my menu items and file contents, though if I can remember where the file content is, I can click on it and navigate with no problems. It does not affect CR4, or any other web site but, it does fade the icons of the shortcuts to the site.

I have just turned the computer on and I can see the menu icons look fine, but that will not last long! Where there is a 'read' arrow on the envelope which I have read there is now a square of dots and lines above and below some envelopes. Where I 'flag' an email the flag also has red dots around it.

If I move my cursor over the menu items which are fuzzy, they are OK again, for a few minutes. On the OE moving my cursor over the envelopes does not make them any better. Last night I had no envelopes showing. Today I have most.

I am not worried about it. But I wonder why three different anti virus including Norton and AVG have not solved this. A really odd thing happened yesterday, I turned the computer on and there was no google menu bar at the top of the page. I have just looked in my 'add and remove programs' and it is still there, but is no longer at the top of ther page.

I am telling you this, not because I am worried but, to try and tell you all that is wrong because it might be linked, do you see?

I will replace sp2 and sp3 over the next few days. And do some things bwire advised me to do. I am working with I think it is three advisors now. But I cannot get everything do in the same day. I hope you understand that?

Tell me, can I trash all my updates and allow windows to replace them?

Take care and thank you............

Hello bbear,

I'm sure your trouble should be sorted out through register. Something makes your icon's props as hidden. It's could be easy tracked and fixed thorough register. though it would take some time along with finding appropriate antivirus prog.

For a while I'd advice you to download total commander from here. It secures that you always could reach needed files and stored links.

I hope someone more experienced here or there will help you.

regards

caramba out

Hello babybear,

As Drmoose explained yes but may not be well to that extent as yet.

Interim try: start / R clk computer / prop / adv / perf / settings / Adv / reduce virtual mem to minimum

Reduce system restore disc space to 400MB/disc or minimum allowed by the system then run disc clean up.

For those whom don't like dusty furniture use free Regedit features with abandon.

http://webmaster360.org/How-To/Win-XP-Tweaks-using-Regedit.html

After tweaks and twacks defrag.

Hello wire,

Can I also thank Drmoose, caramba and you for the help you are giving me?

I have now reduced restore to 2MB, the minimum.

I have turned off all visual effects as per your and carama's advice.

I rebooted.

It's a bad night for me and I cannot recall how to run system cleanup.

But, what I have done so far has not altered the problem at all.

I have 4 screen captures..........They are all in one folder but, the pictures are too small to see anything so I will have to send them full sized. Can you remind me how to do this please?

Please note, caramba and moose, I would have posted you as well but want to put the details in one post as I am not sure if I can still see anything to navigate my computer soon!

I have rubbed out anything with my name on it and any personal ref'. But that should be obvious on the screen captures, OK?

I have not used a reg cleaner for three days since I had to un-install it to download the AVG. But will download it again as I need to.

Thanks for all not forgetting you wire!

Start / computer / R clk C:

Hello wire,

I did a disk clean up, and defrag. Is that what you meant?

No change yet. still fuzzy icons. And on the disk cleanup screen I could barely read the writing even though it was 1/2" tall!

Cheers. I have not got a new Microsoft account as caramba said. I may feel up to it over the next few days but not at the moment.

Is there a next?

Thank you.............

Have you tried another monitor?

Hello TexasCharley:

I have not tried another monitor. I do not have another to use anyway.

I am half certain this has to do with graphic, somewhere along the line. But, quite where I am not sure. I have done several things Turned off visual effects, defragged, done a disk scan.

Over the next few days I will try un-installing and reinstalling sp2 and sp3. I can still use the computer. It does not stop me in what I can do.

But, no, I have not tried a different monitor. I do not think it likely to be the monitor as some icons on my start panel only need to have the cursor hovered over them to rectify any fuzzyness. Others problems like where the envelopes icons in OE I cannot bring back like this. Sometimes they are visible and sometimes they are not. It makes no sense to me.

Thanks for your suggestion though!

Have a great new year..................

Borrowing the neighbors monitor would take about 30 minutes. This will at least verify that it is not a hardware problem.

I always like to start at the beginning and work backwards.

Just this week 2 friends were replacing a heating/ac unit at a meeting hall we all go to. They spent hours trying to troubleshoot why it would not work properly. Pressure, switches circuits and so forth. As they scratched their heads I asked my friend Allen "Hows the thermostat?" He was not happy with himself.

I'm just sayin...

Hello Tex,

The people here are not exactly friendly, and finding someone 'in' is a real problem. I intend to get another monitor shortly but it will be a couple of weeks.

Have you heard of this fuzzy and disappearing icon problem before?

It is not just that actually, As I turn the computer on it shows some lists of stuff then there is a bland black screen just before the windows screen comes on with its Logo. That blank black screen now has bright blue 1/8" squares spaced at about every inch, over the whole screen.

Thanks for your help, will be in touch as I am on here everyday.

Take care and have a great new year!

While I do not disagree with anything my learned colleagues have said, I do stand by my prescription as a solution. Yes, it is absolutely possible to track down the problem, IF you have lots of time and lots of technical savvy in Windows. However, it is a lot of work, especially if you are having the work done for you. The simplest and most cost effective solution is to back up your data regularly, preferably to CD/DVD (since they are not going to become corrupted once burned), and then wipe the hard drive and reload a fresh copy of Windows once every six to twelve months.

Hello Doc,

have you seen your PM recently?

Have a great new year.............

Salutations DrMoose,

Your approach to maintaining XP is absolutely effective.

Use of external drives separated from the O/S system drive is helpful and a pseudo backup too.

Kind regards

Greetings to All and Happy New Year! Does it seem to anyone else like they just keep going by faster?

BabyBear, yes, I have checked my mailbox and will reply in detail sometime in the next few days.

Allow me to elaborate on why I recommend CD/DVDs as back-up media and in fact recommend against using an external hard drive.

Windows XP introduced something called System Restore, which takes a "snapshot" of the OS and stores this in a protected file, which is supposed to allow the user to recover from a system issue by setting the OS back to an earlier state. The problem with this is that the restore file is resident on the system drive, which means that it can become corrupted by virus, malware or hacker attacks. The same thing can happen to an external drive, in that the files you have loaded onto it can become corrupted by any sort of nastyware (I like that term) which is on the system drive, and said nastyware can also migrate to the external drive.

By using CD/DVDs (or the new Blue Ray discs which hold 6 times as much data as a DVD), you are also taking a snapshot of your drive, or your data, but once burned, it is no longer subject to corruption by any means. Thus, if your OS or data does become corrupted, by whatever means, one can pull up the most recent back-up and reload. And, should that disc have been corrupted when burned, you still have the earlier back-ups.

Now of course if you don't have a Blue Ray drive, you can simply burn your important data files to disc. Then, if you have to reload, you simply reinstall Windows and reload your data.

The important thing here is that in the event of a virus attack, the most you will lose is the most recent data, which is still bad, but a lot better than losing everything.

As I said previously, a high capacity external hard drive is a very nice thing to have and can certainly be used to offload important data when doing a routine wipe and reload of the OS. But, in the event of a virus attack, you absolutely do not want to give the virus any chance to migrate to another drive and re-infect your machine.

Hello Doc,

To start, what I sent to PM is not at all urgent OK?

With ref' to your present post, I can see it would be a good idea and work well, though you would have to copy the system directly after it was installed to be effective?

For me personally, I can see the use of an external drive for the copy or mirror image soon after install as well. As long as that disk is not used for general backups.

I did not know enough when I built my computer to 'take a snapshot' after it was built. I know a little more now, though that knowledge is helpful only sometimes, for me at least. I think I would sooner get a blue-ray or solid-state memory than copy all I want to CD. It is just a chore. Plus I need to know that the copy I am looking at is the very latest and or most complete, depending on whether I want the original install, or my latest saved files since the install etc.

I know I have at least one corrupt file, though which one I can't recall. But, that was from two years ago. My current problem with the icons being eaten has only started at most a couple of months ago. Sorry I cannot recall exactly.

I was using Reg-cure until I had to unload it to download the AVG I have now. There is hundreds of Reg cleaners around, ...........and this is aimed at all the three main people on this site helping me, for which I thank you, which in your opinion is one of the best for ease of use and functions?

Take care and thank you...............

Here is an ace in the hole:

www.avira.com/en/support/antivir_removal_tool.html

Hello wire,

I hope you are OK? And before I forget have a brilliant new year!

I have just got on-line now after trying for 3 or 4 days I think it was.

The nasty buggers eating their way through my software changed all my DNS and IP details. I realised there was something wrong when I could not get back onto CR4 with the same modem/router I have been using for three months.

I went to safe mode and found several 'coms' details had been turned off. I turned them back on and then finished signing in and filling in the forms for the router. I thought I had done it!.

I un-installed two lots of anti this and that because I thought it was stopping me getting any connection through the firewall.

I will have to leave it at that for the moment as I do not have any anti virus and want to download it.

Bye for now.........