Subject: Changed icons for Desktop & Explorer files

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.help_and_support (More info?)

I operate Windows XP w/ SP2 Home edition on my Dell computer; Pentium 4, 1.6
GHz, 640 MB RAM.
When I've performed a program install lately (Palm One OS for my new PDA and
ACT! 6.0), the icons for MS Word and Excel on my desktop and in my Windows
Explorer files change to a generic one. I've executed a system restore a
couple of times and they re-appear but as soon as I install a program again
the same thing happens.
After some time passes and I access files in Windows Explorer, MS Front
Page, Publisher, PowerPoint, Quicken, Canon Digital Camera applications and
Word Perfect follow suit. The programs still work but it makes it more
difficult for me to quickly find files when I'm searching since I have to
look at file extensions to find what I'm looking for.
I strongly suspect there's something happening in the registry to cause
this. I've tried to re-install XP to see if there's a repair function to
replace possibly damaged or missing files but I can't get it to even start
because it says there's a newer version resident on the computer and won't
boot at all.
Hope someone can give me some direction here....
Thanks in advance,