Tech Support > Microsoft Windows > Help and Support > Empty icon in control panel
Empty icon in control panel
Posted by Dr. Dos on November 23rd, 2005


XP SP2...
I have an "empty" icon the control panel. There is no description for it
and double clicking starts nothing, as far as I can tell. The icon is
the first icon in the shell32.dll collection, just a file folder with
colored little markings. The icon has no properties to see, no tip tool.
I have searched files and registry for a *.cpl with no name but have
found none. Since it has no name, it is the first in the details list,
or the top or first in thumbnails or icons.
I want to delete it from the control panel, but that is not an option.
Suggestions or cures?

Posted by Wesley Vogel on November 24th, 2005


How to remove an invalid icon in the Control Panel
http://windowsxp.mvps.org/cpicon.htm

Compare the *.cpl files you found to these.

You may not have all of these and you may have some not listed here. This
is a list from my machine.

Control Panel cpl's:

access.cpl = Accessibility Options
appwiz.cpl = Add or Remove Programs
desk.cpl = Desktop Control Panel = Display Properties
hdwwiz.cpl = Add Hardware Control Panel Applet
inetcpl.cpl = Internet Control Panel = Internet Properties
intl.cpl = Regional and Language Options
irprops.cpl = Wireless Link Control Panel Applet
joy.cpl = Game Controllers
jpicpl32.cpl = JavaPlugin
main.cpl = Mouse Properties
mmsys.cpl = Sounds and Audio Device Properties
ncpa.cpl = Network Connections Control-Panel Stub
nusrmgr.cpl = Windows User Manager = Users Accounts
nvtuicpl.cpl = NVIDIA nView Control Panel, Version 52.16
nwc.cpl = Client Service for NetWare Applet
odbccp32.cpl = Microsoft Data Access - ODBC Control Panel
plotman.cpl = Autodesk Hardcopy Plotter Manager
powercfg.cpl = Power Management Configuration Control Panel Applet or Power
Options Properties
SanCpl.cpl = SiSoftware Sandra™ English Control Panel Extension (Win32
x86)(NT)(ANSI)
sapi.cpl = SAPI 5 = Speech Properties
styleman.cpl = Autodesk Hardcopy Plot Style Manager
sysdm.cpl = System Properties
telephon.cpl = Telephony Control Panel
timedate.cpl = Time Date Control Panel Applet
wscui.cpl = SP2 Windows Security Center (SP2)
wuaucpl.cpl = Automatic Updates Control Panel (Added by SP2)

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In news:%23fe%23jHJ8FHA.2304@TK2MSFTNGP10.phx.gbl,
Dr. Dos <DrDos@nospam.no> hunted and pecked:
> XP SP2...
> I have an "empty" icon the control panel. There is no description for it
> and double clicking starts nothing, as far as I can tell. The icon is
> the first icon in the shell32.dll collection, just a file folder with
> colored little markings. The icon has no properties to see, no tip tool.
> I have searched files and registry for a *.cpl with no name but have
> found none. Since it has no name, it is the first in the details list,
> or the top or first in thumbnails or icons.
> I want to delete it from the control panel, but that is not an option.
> Suggestions or cures?


Posted by Dr. Dos on November 24th, 2005


Wesley Vogel wrote:
> How to remove an invalid icon in the Control Panel
> http://windowsxp.mvps.org/cpicon.htm
>
> Compare the *.cpl files you found to these.
>
> You may not have all of these and you may have some not listed here. This
> is a list from my machine.
>
> Control Panel cpl's:
>
> access.cpl = Accessibility Options
> appwiz.cpl = Add or Remove Programs
> desk.cpl = Desktop Control Panel = Display Properties
> hdwwiz.cpl = Add Hardware Control Panel Applet
> inetcpl.cpl = Internet Control Panel = Internet Properties
> intl.cpl = Regional and Language Options
> irprops.cpl = Wireless Link Control Panel Applet
> joy.cpl = Game Controllers
> jpicpl32.cpl = JavaPlugin
> main.cpl = Mouse Properties
> mmsys.cpl = Sounds and Audio Device Properties
> ncpa.cpl = Network Connections Control-Panel Stub
> nusrmgr.cpl = Windows User Manager = Users Accounts
> nvtuicpl.cpl = NVIDIA nView Control Panel, Version 52.16
> nwc.cpl = Client Service for NetWare Applet
> odbccp32.cpl = Microsoft Data Access - ODBC Control Panel
> plotman.cpl = Autodesk Hardcopy Plotter Manager
> powercfg.cpl = Power Management Configuration Control Panel Applet or Power
> Options Properties
> SanCpl.cpl = SiSoftware Sandra™ English Control Panel Extension (Win32
> x86)(NT)(ANSI)
> sapi.cpl = SAPI 5 = Speech Properties
> styleman.cpl = Autodesk Hardcopy Plot Style Manager
> sysdm.cpl = System Properties
> telephon.cpl = Telephony Control Panel
> timedate.cpl = Time Date Control Panel Applet
> wscui.cpl = SP2 Windows Security Center (SP2)
> wuaucpl.cpl = Automatic Updates Control Panel (Added by SP2)
>

Thank you for the help.
The shellobject editor did not have an "expert mode" in the version I
downloaded, so that did not help.
Registry listings were not illuminating.
Looking at the properties of the various .cpl files was not informative
because they all looked legit.
I solved this problem by making a copy of all the .cpl files in system32
and placing them in system32. This created double listings in the
control panel. I then deleted each of the copies until one twin of the
errant icon disappeared. Not sure what to do with the original, for the
time being I renamed the extension. The "mystery" icon is now gone.

Posted by Wesley Vogel on November 24th, 2005


What was the file's name? What.cpl?

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In news:eOx45zQ8FHA.1864@TK2MSFTNGP12.phx.gbl,
Dr. Dos <DrDos@nospam.no> hunted and pecked:
> Wesley Vogel wrote:
>> How to remove an invalid icon in the Control Panel
>> http://windowsxp.mvps.org/cpicon.htm
>>
>> Compare the *.cpl files you found to these.
>>
>> You may not have all of these and you may have some not listed here.
>> This is a list from my machine.
>>
>> Control Panel cpl's:
>>
>> access.cpl = Accessibility Options
>> appwiz.cpl = Add or Remove Programs
>> desk.cpl = Desktop Control Panel = Display Properties
>> hdwwiz.cpl = Add Hardware Control Panel Applet
>> inetcpl.cpl = Internet Control Panel = Internet Properties
>> intl.cpl = Regional and Language Options
>> irprops.cpl = Wireless Link Control Panel Applet
>> joy.cpl = Game Controllers
>> jpicpl32.cpl = JavaPlugin
>> main.cpl = Mouse Properties
>> mmsys.cpl = Sounds and Audio Device Properties
>> ncpa.cpl = Network Connections Control-Panel Stub
>> nusrmgr.cpl = Windows User Manager = Users Accounts
>> nvtuicpl.cpl = NVIDIA nView Control Panel, Version 52.16
>> nwc.cpl = Client Service for NetWare Applet
>> odbccp32.cpl = Microsoft Data Access - ODBC Control Panel
>> plotman.cpl = Autodesk Hardcopy Plotter Manager
>> powercfg.cpl = Power Management Configuration Control Panel Applet or
>> Power Options Properties
>> SanCpl.cpl = SiSoftware Sandra™ English Control Panel Extension (Win32
>> x86)(NT)(ANSI)
>> sapi.cpl = SAPI 5 = Speech Properties
>> styleman.cpl = Autodesk Hardcopy Plot Style Manager
>> sysdm.cpl = System Properties
>> telephon.cpl = Telephony Control Panel
>> timedate.cpl = Time Date Control Panel Applet
>> wscui.cpl = SP2 Windows Security Center (SP2)
>> wuaucpl.cpl = Automatic Updates Control Panel (Added by SP2)
>>

> Thank you for the help.
> The shellobject editor did not have an "expert mode" in the version I
> downloaded, so that did not help.
> Registry listings were not illuminating.
> Looking at the properties of the various .cpl files was not informative
> because they all looked legit.
> I solved this problem by making a copy of all the .cpl files in system32
> and placing them in system32. This created double listings in the
> control panel. I then deleted each of the copies until one twin of the
> errant icon disappeared. Not sure what to do with the original, for the
> time being I renamed the extension. The "mystery" icon is now gone.


Posted by Dr. Dos on November 24th, 2005


Wesley Vogel wrote:
> What was the file's name? What.cpl?
>

btcpl
"Bluetooth Control Panel"
published by Broadcom Corporation, version 3.0.1.912, dated 10-01-2004.

I think it belongs to a Bluetooth dongle I installed several months ago
but have never used.

Posted by deebs on November 24th, 2005


Dr. Dos wrote:
> Wesley Vogel wrote:
>
>> What was the file's name? What.cpl?
>>

> btcpl
> "Bluetooth Control Panel"
> published by Broadcom Corporation, version 3.0.1.912, dated 10-01-2004.
>
> I think it belongs to a Bluetooth dongle I installed several months ago
> but have never used.

If my experience is anything to go on (and I am not claiming it is)
there are different ways depending upon which side of SP2 the computer
original install lies.

Pre-SP2 the installation software may be handy, post-SP2 the same
software may be a liability

Posted by Dr. Dos on November 25th, 2005


deebs wrote:

> Dr. Dos wrote:
>
>> Wesley Vogel wrote:
>>
>>> What was the file's name? What.cpl?
>>>

>> btcpl
>> "Bluetooth Control Panel"
>> published by Broadcom Corporation, version 3.0.1.912, dated 10-01-2004.
>>
>> I think it belongs to a Bluetooth dongle I installed several months
>> ago but have never used.

>
> If my experience is anything to go on (and I am not claiming it is)
> there are different ways depending upon which side of SP2 the computer
> original install lies.
>
> Pre-SP2 the installation software may be handy, post-SP2 the same
> software may be a liability

Handy...liability??? What does that mean?


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