I've already posted the solution that worked for me on another thread,
but since this problem seems quite common, I will repost the solution
here.

BTW, this does not seem to be related to ATI versus Intel as I've had
the problem with both graphics programs and drivers. However, it
almost always has happened after a graphics driver update. This time,
however, I couldn't find an update with which to associate it.

Here is what worked for me:

I don't know which of the following actually solved the problem. I
suspect it was actions 8 - 11.

Actions:
1. Opened Display Properties. (Go to desktop; right-click; select
properties)
2. Selected "Appearance" Tab.
3. Selected "Advanced" option.
4. Wrote down default values for a number of choices (button size,
various icon sizes, etc.); then changed them to lower values.
5. Rebooted. [definitely no improvement yet]
6. Returned all values to original default values.
7. Rebooted. [Nothing yet.]
8. Opened Display Properties.
9. Selected "Appearance" Tab.
10. Changed "Windows and Buttons" option from "Windows XP" to "Windows
Classic"; selected Apply and Okay.
11. Returned to same window and changed "Windows and Buttons" option
back from "Windows Classic" to "Windows XP"; selected Apply and Okay.
Then rebooted.

And that did the trick.

Please, anyone, let me know if any of this works for you.


Saavedro Wrote:
> Did you check to see if it was something as simple as the monitor
> resolution
> or color depth?
>
> Click Start Control Panel Appearance and Themes Display
> Next click the 'Settings' Tab.
> Drag the 'Screen Resolution' slider one click to the right and click
> 'apply'. Change the color quality to a higher setting.
> Preferable 32 bit (or whatever the highest is).
>
> "Brian Bischof" Brian@NoSpamBischofSystems.com wrote in message
> news:OkG4ix5EFHA.464@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...-
> Hi Ramesh,
>
> You seem to be a wealth of information. However, my system still
> eludes
> you.
> Running the TweakUI makes the icons blink on and off (obviously
> resetting
> them) but the resolution is still bad. Delete the IconCache didn't
> have
> any
> effect. In fact, with the litte Norton AV icon when the system boots
> up it
> draws a red X over it until its fully loaded. That little red X is
> just a
> bunch of tiny boxes connected by their corners. It looks like a line
> drawn
> by a computer back in the 80s when you had really bad monitors. Plus,
> when
> I
> open some programs that use icons I see that their resolution is the
> same.
> However, the desktop icons are very clean with smooth rounding.
> Anyway, I
> think I'll have to put on my schedule next month to do a rebuild of
> the
> system. It seems like such a trivial problem, but now that I see it
> effecting the icons in the software I use then it's time to bite the
> bullet
> and wipe the drive.
>
> Thanks for your worthy efforts.
>
> Brian
>
>
>
> "Ramesh, MS-MVP" ramesh@online.mvps.org wrote in message
> news:OMrNsfyEFHA.2232@TK2MSFTNGP14.phx.gbl...-
> Brian,
>
> Use the "Repair icons" feature in Tweak UI.
>
> TweakUI v2.00 for Windows XP/XP MCE [564 KB].
> -
> http://tinyurl.com/7zk-
>
> TweakUI v2.10 for Windows XP SP1/XP MCE/2003 [147 KB].
> -
> http://tinyurl.com/h8zs-
>
> Sometimes, Tweak UI corrupts the icons by assigning incorrect value
> to-
> Shell-
> Icon BPP. If that happens, see:
>
> Icons get corrupted after using Tweak UI "Rebuild Icons" function:
> http://windowsxp.mvps.org/repairicons.htm
>
> Another option is to delete the iconcache.db file present in this
> folder:
>
> %Userprofile%\Local Settings\Application Data
>
> --
> Ramesh, Microsoft MVP
> Windows XP Shell/User
> http://windowsxp.mvps.org
>
>
> "Brian Bischof" Brian@NoSpamBischofSystems.com wrote in message
> news:ucLyTprEFHA.2176@TK2MSFTNGP15.phx.gbl...-
> Yes, I did that too! Nothing seems to work. How frustrating...
>
>
> "Colin Barnhorst" colinbarharst(nojunk)@msn.com wrote in message
> news:uHFNVZrEFHA.624@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...
> Did you set both to 32?
>
> --
> Colin Barnhorst [MVP Windows - Virtual Machine]
> (Reply to the group only unless otherwise requested)
> "Brian Bischof" Brian@NoSpamBischofSystems.com wrote in message
> news:e4aYrcnEFHA.2600@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...
> I looked up that reg key and it was already at 16. However, the one
> right
> below it, Shell Icon Size, was at 32 so I changed it to 16. After
> rebooting
> my toolbar icons had not changes, but my desktop icons were now
> half
> their
> size! Bummer. So I changed it back to 32. Thanks anyway.
>
> Brian
>
>
> "Ramesh, MS-MVP" ramesh@online.mvps.org wrote in message
> news:ejGCLhXEFHA.1564@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...
> Brian,
>
> Open Registry Editor and navigate to the following key:
> [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop\WindowMetrics]
> In the right-pane, double-click Shell Icon BPP and set it's value
> to
> 16
> Close Registry Editor.
>
> --
> Ramesh, Microsoft MVP
> Windows XP Shell/User
> http://windowsxp.mvps.org
>
>
> "Brian Bischof" Brian@NoSpamBischofSystems.com wrote in message
> news:uZug%230UEFHA.392@TK2MSFTNGP14.phx.gbl...
> Well, that was definitely a worthy effort. I had not tried that
> idea.
> Unfortunately it didn't work. The thing is that the Desktop icons
> are
> still
> very smooth and clean looking. It's just the toolbar icons have--
> low--
> resolution. Very strange how its just this one aspect of the
> graphics
> that
> aren't working. I would be that there is a registry setting that
> differentiates the toolbar icons from the desktop icons. Don't--
> know.--
> Still
> hoping someone comes across an answer for this one.
>
> Brian
>
>
> "Bill Martin -- (Remove NOSPAM from address)"
> wylie@earthNOSPAMlink.net
> wrote in message news:%23EO4MLSEFHA.3992@tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl...
> Brian Bischof wrote:
> The icons in the toolbar lost their resolution. They are very
> blocky
> now.
> Don't know how it happened! I googled this and all I could
> find
> were
> people
> telling you how to make your icons smaller. This isn't my--
> problem--
> b/c
> they
> didn't change size at all. I went ahead and tried these ideas
> anyway
> (choosing Small Icons as well as going to Advanced Settings
> for
> the
> desktop). Nothing works. The weird thing is that some programs
> have
> icons in
> their dropdown menus and I just noticed that the resolution on
> these
> are
> bad
> also. Somehow there must be some type of setting which--
> determines--
> the
> icon
> resolution. Again, this is not a size problem - strictly
> resolution.
> Its
> like what happens when you look at a low resolution picture on
> zoom.
> The
> edges go from being smooth to being blocky.
>
> Any ideas?
>
> Thanks.
> ------------------------------
>
> I had a similar problem after installing an update once -- or--
> maybe--
> it
> was new software? Anyhow, my problem turned out to be simply--
> that--
> the
> installation had lowered the bits of color resolution on the
> display.
> That made some of the icons look very squirrelly similar to what
> you're
> describing.
>
> Right click on an empty spot on your desk top then select
> PropertiesSettings and make sure your screen resolution *and*
> color
> quality are set to what they should be. I was surprised at the
> difference it made on my machine when the color quality was--
> reduced--
> from
> 32 bits to 16.
>
> Good luck...
>
> Bill
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> -
> -
>
> -


--
mijcar