generic icon

[ArlisT]

So, what is the deal with the malwarebytes icon turning generic? I have searched online and it must be a known problem; I've seen people posting about it all the way back to 2005, but I have yet to find a solution that works. I uninstall it and reinstall, I do the right click, properties, change icon thing. It is only my Malwarebytes icon - all my other icons are okay, and it has happened over and over to me, on many different computers, for years now. It's not just the shortcuts on the desktop or the system tray or the start up file either, it is all the way down in the programs folder. Is there a once and for all fix for this. The program still works fine, but howcome after 11 years the creators of this software can't seem to fix this long standing glitch? Is it a known conflict with another program? I mean, really.

[Aura]

Hi Arlis

What do you mean by the "malwarebytes icon turning generic"? Do you mean that it looks like this?

[ArlisT]

Yes. But it's only the Mawarebytes icon. All my other icons are okay. This has been an ongoing problem through many iterations of this software. I know when all your icons go wonky like that there is some involved registry thing you can do or something like that, but I don't want to go through all that for just one icon, especially when it's a given that it will only happen again and again. Like I said, in trying to search for a solution to this problem, I found links to people complaining about it going back at least 10 or 11 years - seems they would have rectified the problem, whatever it is, by now.

[Aura]

Try to rebuilt the icon cache, and see if it works.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/49819-icon-cache-rebuild.html

You can use the .bat script provided on SevenForums.

[ArlisT]

Yeah, i tried that before. Seems rather a hassle for just one icon, and the icon always eventually goes back to generic anyway. Believe me, I wouldn't have posted the question if I hadn't tried all the ordinary solutions posted on dozens of pages addressing this problem with the Malwarebytes icon going generic. I thought perhaps there was some known conflict. Who knows what goes on inside the computer? Maybe all of us complaining about this over the years have some piece of software in there that selectively kills the Malwarebytes icon. I thought, since so many people have noted it over the years, there might be some known solution by now, and if there was, this would be the place to find it. Seems funny to me that it's only that one program, and it happens all the time. I was just preparing an old laptop to give to a friend. After wiping it and reinstalling the system, I was adding a few other useful programs, and Malwarebytes was one of them. Sure enough, shortly after installing it, the icon turned generic. Just that one. But okay. So there's no solution. It's still the best anti-malware out there. With an ugly generic icon. The aestheticist in me rebels violently, but I suppose I can live with it.

[Aura]

What program did you install after installing Malwarebytes?

[KenW]

Sounds like something a utility would do. 11 years ?

[ArlisT]

Yeah, 11 years at least. The oldest reference I found when googling the phrase 'malwarebytes icon turns generic', was from a person posing the question in 2005. You think it's a utility? Because at some point during setting up this laptop for my friend I also installed the free version of Advanced SystemCare, which is a system maintenance suite, or whatever they call such things. Anyway, I know there's a bunch of them out there. Do you think that could be it?

[Aura]

I'm ready to bet ASC is the culprit. Uninstall it, reinstall Malwarebytes and see if the icon stays. Also...

IObit have been accused in the past from using shady techniques in order to promote and enhance their products, one of which was to steal Malwarebytes' definition database to include it in their "Antimalware", IObit Malware Fighter. On top of that, their main product, Advanced SystemCare, goes into the "PC Booster" category of program, which are useless programs since there's no proofs or facts that these actually boost the performance of a system, and are borderline "scamware". In fact, these programs have a tendency to cause a variety of issues under Windows, that can be solved by uninstalling the software, ironic isn't it? Most of their features can be replaced by using other programs, often, utilities that requires no installation or that are already "built-in" inside Windows. Therefore, I strongly suggest you to uninstall every IObit program you have installed on your system before we continue. You are free to reinstall them after I'm done assisting you if you wish to ignore my warning above.

Below are articles that relates the Malwarebytes VS IObit episode and also why IObit failed as a company and within it's products.

• IOBit Steals Malwarebytes' Intellectual Property
• IObit accused of stealing from Malwarebytes
• IOBit's Denial of Theft Unconvincing
• IOBit Theft Conclusion
• IObit: Trusting Your Antivirus Vendor
• Malwarebytes: IObit Stole Our Signatures Database
• IObit accused of stealing from Malwarebytes
• IOBit sucks at ethics
  

[Porthos]

Don't use any utility on Windows.

[ArlisT]

Thanks, both of you. I will remove the ASC from the laptop and try reinstalling Malwarebytes. Any suggestions for a good free antivirus? Do I even need one, or is Windows Defender enough? It's a Win 7 machine.

[Aura]

Windows Defender isn't considered an Antivirus under Windows 7. Only until Windows 8 and later versions. You need to install Microsoft Security Essentials on Windows 7 if you want an Antivirus from Microsoft.

There's no best Antivirus, otherwise there would be no one left in the business.

Here is a List of well-known antivirus products use of any of these will help protect your computer.
 
If you really want to discuss antivirus and other security products in more detail then the Wilders Security Forums is an excellent resource to do so as they support and discuss many products.

[mikehol]

Thanks ArlisT

Like you, I've experienced this same problem over and over again, for at least 3 years, with perhaps 10 or so different computers, and also searched for a solution online, only to be amazed that so many suffer this problem but no-one is forthcoming with what must surely be a simple answer.  I'm convinced that it's nothing connected with a virus, or to any other applications installed either before or after Malwarebytes, and your post gave me relief in finding that someone else shares my frustration.  If you ever get the answer, please post again.

[ArlisT]

Hi Mike.

Someone above suggested a system utility suite might be the cause, and if I had any, try uninstalling it and installing a clean version of Malwarebytes, and see what happens. These so-called 'suites' come under many names ('Clean My PC' is one I see advertised a lot), but in my case it was 'Advanced SystemCare Pro'. I uninstalled it and rebooted, and sure enough, the Malwarebytes icon magically restored itself. I didn't even have to reinstall Malwarebytes. Another answer in this thread had links to several stories about Iobit (the manufacturer of ASC) ripping off Malwarebytes code, and somebody else mentioned that these suites - which promote themselves as able to speed up your PC by 200 0r 300% by cleaning up your registry and such - are useless anyway, and do not perform as advertised.

All I can say is, uninstalling that program did the job, and I haven't noticed any difference in my computer's performance.

I hope that helps.

[KenW]

Glad to hear it was a utility. I have run JV16 power tools for years and only once did I let it "clean" my computer. That was the one and only time. Lesson learned.

Took a long time to get back to normal. I only use it to find a possible problem with uninstalled programs. I use it, regedit and another program to do searches. I haven't had problems with Ccleaner.

Registry cleaners are snake oil to a point. You still have to know what you are doing with the Registry.

 

[Aura]

Glad to see that the issue has been solved Arlis

[ArlisT]

Thanks to all. I knew there had to be a simple solution to this annoyance. I uninstalled all the Iobit stuff I had. Wish I'd read some of your links above before I signed up with this company. Every time I started the ASC program, it pushed their 'Driver Booster' at me. Pretty annoying to be have harassing ads incorporated into software I pay a yearly fee to use, especial when I *know* it's i an unnecessary and useless program they're pushing, and I never ordered it, but finally, they just charged my bank card $30 for it, and sent an email thanking me for my order anyway! I got that charge reversed with no small amount of trouble, but WTF? (Your link ' IObit: Trusting Your Antivirus Vendor ', by the way, took me to a glowing August 2016 review of Iobit Uninstaller. Is that what you intended? Because Iobit Uninstaller screwed my computer royally one time, after which I never used it again.)

[KenW]

Years ago I got a program from them. Was really years until the emails stopped.

[Aura]

Looks like they changed the URL. Thanks Arlis, I'll look into it.