Windows Vista - Control Panel icons missing - Compmgmt.msc not working

When we first came across this issue, restarting the Software Licensing service would bring the icons back or the ability to start the Computer Management console.

However, they would disappear randomly after that.

Microsoft has a Knowledgebase article on it: KB936686 Icons are missing from Control Panel, or you cannot start Control Panel, the Welcome Center, or games in Windows Vista.

This in turn leads us to: KB929637 Icons are missing from Control Panel, or you cannot start Control Panel, the Welcome Center, or games in Windows Vista which requested that we contact PSS via the link:

• Contact Us: Hotfix Request Web Submission From.

This link seems to be the primary method that Microsoft is providing for obtaining hotfixes. There is a secondary link there for phone numbers with the hint of "support costs" associated with it. From the KB article:

Note If additional issues occur or any troubleshooting is required, you might have to create a separate service request. The usual support costs will apply to additional support questions and issues that do not qualify for this specific hotfix. To create a separate service request, visit...

For us, being on the spot at the client, a possible 8 hour wait was not acceptable, so we went to our "Back Door" (previous blog post):

• Link: Windows Server 2003 Online Concierge.

The concierge emailed the hotfix to us within 10 minutes.

There are x86 and x64 flavours to this hotfix, so make sure to obtain both.

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists

*All Mac on SBS posts are posted on our in-house iMac via the Safari Web browser.