Help: Icons all over screen

The Void

New Member
Messages
3
I upgraded to Windows 8,double clicked the windows.old folder to get files from old computer, now there are ICONS all over the screen and i cant delete some of them or programs wont work.
is there a way to fix it without reinstalling for hours ?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 8
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    self built
    CPU
    AMD 8 core
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte 970Aud3
    Memory
    32gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    HD4700
If you have a restore point from just before the click, you should be good. Just restore using it. Windows.old has hundreds of thousands of files and Explorer can't deal with all that. You might want to go into it with a file manager such as FreeCommander or similar program
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.0 x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Toshiba Satelite C55D-A Laptop
    CPU
    AMD EI 1200
    Memory
    4 gb DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    Raedon 340 MB dedicated Ram
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Built in
    Screen Resolution
    1366 x 768
    Hard Drives
    640 GB (spinner) Sata II
    Keyboard
    Built in
    Mouse
    Touch pad
Welcome to Windows 8 Forums, "The Void" - After the Black Sabbath song, or episode of Star Trek Voyager?

If there is a Windows.Old folder in there, it may have not strictly been an "Upgrade" install, it was maybe a fresh install, and the old User and Program files files were moved to "Old". You get the Choice of what kind of install you are ding, you get "Upgrade" which will keep all of your folders and files and programs, or "Clean Install" - Windows 8 Should have offered you both, but if you had a Disk with Media Center already installed, it would NOT have allowed you to do an Upgrade, you would have been forced to do a Clean Install.

A successful Upgrade may create an OLD folder, but it should be empty. That's the way it was on this very machine, because I upgraded it from 7. EVERYthing that was on my desktop in 7 got moved to 8, and they all worked. And after the next Reboot, the "Old" folder vanished.

He may not have a restore point, unless he ,made one before he moved those desktop items back.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Pro with Media Center/Windows 7
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Asus M2N-MX SE Plus § DualCore AMD Athlon 64 X2, 2300 MHz (11.5 x 200) 4400+ § Corsair Value Select
    CPU
    AMD 4400+/4200+
    Motherboard
    Asus M2N-MX SE Plus/Asus A8M2N-LA (NodusM)
    Memory
    2 GB/3GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    GeForce 8400 GS/GeForce 210
    Sound Card
    nVIDIA GT218 - High Definition Audio Controller
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Hitachi 40" LCD HDTV
    Screen Resolution
    "1842 x 1036"
    Hard Drives
    WDC WD50 00AAKS-007AA SCSI Disk Device
    ST1000DL 002-9TT153 SCSI Disk Device
    WDC WD3200AAJB-00J3A0 ATA Device
    WDC WD32 WD-WCAPZ2942630 USB Device
    WD My Book 1140 USB Device
    PSU
    Works 550w
    Case
    MSI "M-Box"
    Cooling
    Water Cooled
    Keyboard
    Dell Keyboard
    Mouse
    Microsoft Intellimouse
    Internet Speed
    Cable Medium Speed
    Browser
    Chrome/IE 10
    Antivirus
    Eset NOD32 6.x/Win Defend
    Other Info
    Recently lost my Windows 8 on my main PC, had to go back to Windows 7.
Welcome to Windows 8 Forums, "The Void" - After the Black Sabbath song, or episode of Star Trek Voyager?

If there is a Windows.Old folder in there, it may have not strictly been an "Upgrade" install, it was maybe a fresh install, and the old User and Program files files were moved to "Old". You get the Choice of what kind of install you are ding, you get "Upgrade" which will keep all of your folders and files and programs, or "Clean Install" - Windows 8 Should have offered you both, but if you had a Disk with Media Center already installed, it would NOT have allowed you to do an Upgrade, you would have been forced to do a Clean Install.

A successful Upgrade may create an OLD folder, but it should be empty. That's the way it was on this very machine, because I upgraded it from 7. EVERYthing that was on my desktop in 7 got moved to 8, and they all worked. And after the next Reboot, the "Old" folder vanished.

He may not have a restore point, unless he ,made one before he moved those desktop items back.

If you do a Custom Install you get a Windows.old as I described. I did a custom of W7 over Vista and got about 260,000 files and folders in Windoiws.old. (Try copying that over the Lan with Explorer drag and drop!) Old apps did not work as they were moved and a new registry made. Stand-alone exes not under Program Files just needed new shortcuts. But the system needs installs and tweaks almost like a new machine.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.0 x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Toshiba Satelite C55D-A Laptop
    CPU
    AMD EI 1200
    Memory
    4 gb DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    Raedon 340 MB dedicated Ram
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Built in
    Screen Resolution
    1366 x 768
    Hard Drives
    640 GB (spinner) Sata II
    Keyboard
    Built in
    Mouse
    Touch pad
Yah Custom Install vs Upgrade. Custom Install = Fresh or Clean install, meaning it will delete all of your Programs, Files, Pictures etc and shunt them into Old and the other 260,000 files.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Pro with Media Center/Windows 7
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Asus M2N-MX SE Plus § DualCore AMD Athlon 64 X2, 2300 MHz (11.5 x 200) 4400+ § Corsair Value Select
    CPU
    AMD 4400+/4200+
    Motherboard
    Asus M2N-MX SE Plus/Asus A8M2N-LA (NodusM)
    Memory
    2 GB/3GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    GeForce 8400 GS/GeForce 210
    Sound Card
    nVIDIA GT218 - High Definition Audio Controller
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Hitachi 40" LCD HDTV
    Screen Resolution
    "1842 x 1036"
    Hard Drives
    WDC WD50 00AAKS-007AA SCSI Disk Device
    ST1000DL 002-9TT153 SCSI Disk Device
    WDC WD3200AAJB-00J3A0 ATA Device
    WDC WD32 WD-WCAPZ2942630 USB Device
    WD My Book 1140 USB Device
    PSU
    Works 550w
    Case
    MSI "M-Box"
    Cooling
    Water Cooled
    Keyboard
    Dell Keyboard
    Mouse
    Microsoft Intellimouse
    Internet Speed
    Cable Medium Speed
    Browser
    Chrome/IE 10
    Antivirus
    Eset NOD32 6.x/Win Defend
    Other Info
    Recently lost my Windows 8 on my main PC, had to go back to Windows 7.
My understanding of "clean install" is a drive format then install. But none of this helps the OP.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.0 x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Toshiba Satelite C55D-A Laptop
    CPU
    AMD EI 1200
    Memory
    4 gb DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    Raedon 340 MB dedicated Ram
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Built in
    Screen Resolution
    1366 x 768
    Hard Drives
    640 GB (spinner) Sata II
    Keyboard
    Built in
    Mouse
    Touch pad
It don't matter what ya call it, if he did a "Custom" install, it would have deleted his OS and shoved it into Windows.Old. The only way to keep your OS intact is to choose "Upgrade". This applies to a Clean Install, meaning blank Hard Drive, a Fresh Install, meaning basically the same thing but maybe there are things on the disk already, an Upgrade Install and most important, an In-Place Install - WHich has to be preformed by using "Upgrade".

"Custom Install" basically means "Delete the whole OS and save what was there to Windows.Old"

After a true Upgrade Install is finished, there will be a Windows.old folder, but it should be totally empty, and it will delete after rebooting. So I'm waiting for the OP to confirm he did a "Custom Install", because that is the only way for all of his personal items to be moved to "Windows.Old" - And his Icons do not work anymore because the Programs are no longer there.

Oh Yah, any Programs that are incompatible with Windows 8 would have their shortcuts removed, but that don't mean the Program Files folder for that program is not there anymore, it may still be there. The Compatibility Log which is placed on the Desktop as an HTML file will say what programs were affected. A 'Custom Install" will not have that log.

Has anyone tried to move stuff from the Windows Old/Program Files folder back to Program Files? I've never tried it, but some programs can be partially restored by doing that, if they don't have any files that got put into Windows/System32.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Pro with Media Center/Windows 7
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Asus M2N-MX SE Plus § DualCore AMD Athlon 64 X2, 2300 MHz (11.5 x 200) 4400+ § Corsair Value Select
    CPU
    AMD 4400+/4200+
    Motherboard
    Asus M2N-MX SE Plus/Asus A8M2N-LA (NodusM)
    Memory
    2 GB/3GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    GeForce 8400 GS/GeForce 210
    Sound Card
    nVIDIA GT218 - High Definition Audio Controller
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Hitachi 40" LCD HDTV
    Screen Resolution
    "1842 x 1036"
    Hard Drives
    WDC WD50 00AAKS-007AA SCSI Disk Device
    ST1000DL 002-9TT153 SCSI Disk Device
    WDC WD3200AAJB-00J3A0 ATA Device
    WDC WD32 WD-WCAPZ2942630 USB Device
    WD My Book 1140 USB Device
    PSU
    Works 550w
    Case
    MSI "M-Box"
    Cooling
    Water Cooled
    Keyboard
    Dell Keyboard
    Mouse
    Microsoft Intellimouse
    Internet Speed
    Cable Medium Speed
    Browser
    Chrome/IE 10
    Antivirus
    Eset NOD32 6.x/Win Defend
    Other Info
    Recently lost my Windows 8 on my main PC, had to go back to Windows 7.
I upgraded to Windows 8,double clicked the windows.old folder to get files from old computer, now there are ICONS all over the screen and i cant delete some of them or programs wont work.
is there a way to fix it without reinstalling for hours ?

Have you made any progress? Let us know even if you have fixed it as your fix may help someone searching for a solution to a similar problem.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.0 x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Toshiba Satelite C55D-A Laptop
    CPU
    AMD EI 1200
    Memory
    4 gb DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    Raedon 340 MB dedicated Ram
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Built in
    Screen Resolution
    1366 x 768
    Hard Drives
    640 GB (spinner) Sata II
    Keyboard
    Built in
    Mouse
    Touch pad
Exactly, I need to know if he attempted a Windows Upgrade or if he chose "Custom Install" - If you can remember exactly how you did this "upgrade", the steps, please let me know.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Pro with Media Center/Windows 7
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Asus M2N-MX SE Plus § DualCore AMD Athlon 64 X2, 2300 MHz (11.5 x 200) 4400+ § Corsair Value Select
    CPU
    AMD 4400+/4200+
    Motherboard
    Asus M2N-MX SE Plus/Asus A8M2N-LA (NodusM)
    Memory
    2 GB/3GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    GeForce 8400 GS/GeForce 210
    Sound Card
    nVIDIA GT218 - High Definition Audio Controller
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Hitachi 40" LCD HDTV
    Screen Resolution
    "1842 x 1036"
    Hard Drives
    WDC WD50 00AAKS-007AA SCSI Disk Device
    ST1000DL 002-9TT153 SCSI Disk Device
    WDC WD3200AAJB-00J3A0 ATA Device
    WDC WD32 WD-WCAPZ2942630 USB Device
    WD My Book 1140 USB Device
    PSU
    Works 550w
    Case
    MSI "M-Box"
    Cooling
    Water Cooled
    Keyboard
    Dell Keyboard
    Mouse
    Microsoft Intellimouse
    Internet Speed
    Cable Medium Speed
    Browser
    Chrome/IE 10
    Antivirus
    Eset NOD32 6.x/Win Defend
    Other Info
    Recently lost my Windows 8 on my main PC, had to go back to Windows 7.
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