Kids: Program Icons and Groups Disappear from Program Manager (122930)

RESOLUTION

You may be able to clear up the character(s) causing the problem by editing the Progman.ini file. (The following directions assume your Windows folder resides in drive C. If your Windows folder is in a different drive, replace C below with the letter of your drive.)

Before editing ANY system file, always make a backup copy:

1. In File Manager, click the Windows folder.
2. On the File menu, click Copy. The current folder should read C:\Windows.
3. In the From box, type:

   progman.ini

4. In the To box, type the following and click OK:

   progman.old

To repair the Progman.ini file:

1. In the Accessories group in Program Manager, run Notepad.
2. On the File menu in Notepad, click Open. Switch to the Windows folder, and click All Files under List Files Of Type.
3. Click Progman.Ini and then click OK.
4. In the [Groups] section of the Progman.ini file, you will see a listing that looks something like the following:

   Group1=C:\WINDOWS\MAIN.GRP
         Group2=C:\WINDOWS\ACCESSOR.GRP
         Group3=C:\WINDOWS\GAMES.GRP
         Group4=C:\WINDOWS\STARTUP.GRP
         Group5=C:\WINDOWS\APPLICAT.GRP
         Group6=C:\WINDOWS\APPLICA0.GRP
         Group7=C:\WINDOWS\MICROSOF.GRP
   						

   If any line has a character in it that doesn't look like a standard keyboard character, delete that entire line.
   
   You may need to delete all lines that appear after the first corrupt character because each line after it may also be damaged.
   
   Although unlikely, this may cause additional icons to disappear from Program Manager, but you can rebuild them using the procedure outlined below in the "To Rebuild Program Manager Icons" section of this article.
5. On the File menu, click Exit. When prompted, choose Yes to save your changes.
6. Exit and restart Windows.

To rebuild Program Manager icons:

1. Double-click the group icon to open the window in which you want to place the icon.
2. On the File menu, click New.
3. Click Program Item and choose OK.
4. In the Description box, type the label you would like to display for the icon. For example, Creative Writer.
5. In the Command Line box, type the name of the program file, including the path and extension. In most cases, the program has been installed to the Mskids folder. If so, your command line should look like one of the following:

   c:\mskids\writer.exe (for Creative Writer)
   

   -or-

   c:\mskids\artist.exe (for Fine Artist)

   -or-

   c:\mskids\explora\nature.exe (for Explorapedia World of Nature)

   -or-

   c:\mskids\explora\people\people.exe (for Explorapedia World of People)

   -or-

   c:\mskids\msbsolar\msbsolar.exe (for Magic Shool Bus, Explores The Solar System)

   -or-

   c:\mskids\msbhuman\msbhuman.exe (for Magic School Bus, Explores The Human Body)

   You can also use the Browse button to locate the file.
6. Click OK. The Working Directory, Shortcut Key, and Icon use default settings.

After following these steps, your icons should be restored. These same steps can be used to restore icons for any application.