Short Question:
If after trying Tweak UI, Tune Up Utilities 2007, Icon Phile, a registry tweak and manualy deleting then creating a file association, and still no icon fix, is there anything else that can be done to get back default icons?

Long Question:
About a week ago, I had installed Nero, but forgot to check off Nero showtime and all the other software that comes with Nero that I don't need. Nero Showtime then associates all my media files with it, and changes the icons to reflect it. So I go and I uninstall Showtime, and all my icons go to the default Window with 3 small icons in it (you know, when there is no icon associated with it). I associate Winamp with .mp3 files and WMP 11 with .avi and .wma files. No change in the icons.
I download Tweak UI and use the icon rebuilder. No change. I find a registry tweak for .avi files, which once again gives me the preview of them for my icons. Great! Wonderfull! Still no .mp3 or .wma icons. Try Tweak UI again. Nope. Try Tuneup Utilities 2007. No. Icon Phile -> nope. So I get the brilliant idea to manually delete the .mp3 and .wma file associations in Tools->Folder Options->File Types. I reboot, double click .mp3 and .wma and select to open them up in Winamp and WMP11 respectivly. Still nothing. Re-install Winamp. Nothing.
Basicly, I am at witts end here. It's not that functionality has changed at all, it is just annoying to not see the icons. I really do not want to have to format and re-install Windows, but if I have to I supose I must. Anyone else have any ideas I could try?

ps. Also tried running System File Checker and checkdisk with no problems.

Sounds like you're getting really carried away, and all you ever needed to do was to re associate the file types with the application of your choice.

That can be accomplished either by individual programs' options or else use Windows Explorer, right-click, 'open with' context menu for the extensions in question

I'm not one of those who think Bill Gates is the devil. I simply suspect that if Microsoft ever met up with the devil, it wouldn't need an interpreter.

Report Offensive Follow Up For Removal

I've noticed over the years that some [rarely] programs can hijack an already assigned icon even when that icon shows up in the Folder Options and refuses to change. And also if the program is unistalled the icon can hang around to annoy you.

One place in the Registry to look at is the extension subkey to see if it has a DefaultIcon subkey. I not talking about the filetype\DefaultIcon subkey but a new key.

Here is an example of what I mean:

Hkey_Classes_Root
.+ .abc

Hkey_Classes_Root
.+ .abcfile
.. + DefaultIcon = 'path to icon'

That is normal [above] but sometimes you get this [below] which over-rides the original default icon:

Hkey_Classes_Root [extension]
.+ .abc
..+ DefaultIcon ='path to icon'

Hkey_Classes_Root [file type]
.+ .abcfile
.. + DefaultIcon = 'path to icon'

If this seems to be your problem then you can safely delete the intruder from the extension subkey. If not perhaps a search for the new icon path in the Registry might find it.

Note this as well, sometimes when you delete a file type from the Folder Options the extension subkey might not go with it, sometimes, so if you re-associate you get the same problem if the hijack icon is still there in the Registry.

I too get annoyed when an icon won't change !