Is this in Vista? Something similar happened to me a couple of days ago.
Assuming it's Vista, try this:

Right-click the desktop and choose Personalize.

In the left pane, under Tasks, click Change desktop icons.

Click Restore Default.

This fixed the problem for me in Vista. If you're using Windows XP, I don't
know if there's a comparable control in its Control Pane.


--
Herb Tyson MS MVP
Author of the Word 2007 Bible
Blog: http://word2007bible.herbtyson.com
Web: http://www.herbtyson.com


"hellopookie" <hellopookie@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:5BD3A220-59CF-4F39-A9A8-7F3660114A79@microsoft.com...
> Hello.....for some reason all of my MS applications (Outlook, Office
> Commuicator, Excel, Word) no longer have their icons indicate the program
> type when I view the shortcuts on my desktop or as attachments in my
> email.
> They all look the same generic icon you see when you're not sure with what
> program to open an attachment. They still open normally without issue but
> how can I fix this? Thanks