I noticed the correct icons hiding after my first post here. Suggests an overlay gone wrong.
Are you using Norton Antivirus?
Are you using something to hide the shortcut arrow? Although if this goes wrong it overlays a (usually) black square.
I see you have a TuneUp Utilities shortcut. Have you customised icons using the (don't know what it's called bit) that?
Have you considered trying a system restore to a restore point prior to the Windows Update, which you seem to suggest coincides with the time the problem first occurred? Not the most elegant of solutions but a possible option.
If system restore is not working for you from within the operating system, then perhaps you might try booting from the Install Media (windows 7 dvd) and invoking the system restore option from within the System Recovery Options. See this link and it's related links at the bottom of the page.
What are the system recovery options in Windows 7?
Norton 360 adds an overlay icon that says whether files are due for backing up/been backed up etc.
See Link Removed - Invalid URL
You need to turn the Norton overlay option off. This may be your cure (fingers crossed!!)
If you take a closer look at the link and expand the information links at the bottom of the page, there are suggested options for alternative methods to get to the System Recovery Options that include the System Restore Utility. Among these are using the F8 key to load the advanced boot options as well as using alternate media including a System Repair Disk which you may or may not have but you can reference this article regarding how to create oneI don't have a dvd to boot from, My laptop was delivered installed and registered with Win7 but I have made recovery discs on delivery, Would these discs enable this function?
Thankyou again
If you take a closer look at the link and expand the information links at the bottom of the page, there are suggested options for alternative methods to get to the System Recovery Options that include the System Restore Utility. Among these are using the F8 key to load the advanced boot options as well as using alternate media including a System Repair Disk which you may or may not have but you can reference this article regarding how to create one
Create a system repair disc
Wow! This looks above my head, I do appreciate your reccomendation and advice, but what confuses me is I have ran happily N360 for 2 years without this problem ever occuring just out of the blue
I will read it and see what I can make of it, Thankyou again
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell Icons]
"29"="C:\\WINDOWS\\BLANK.ICO,0"