One of our readers wrote telling that in Windows Explorer some files are shown with tick mark in a green box and some with chevron in a blue box regardless of the file type. Here is a screenshot explaining the situation.
I inspected the ShellIconOverlayIdentifiers registry key which is located at:
(Note that the Icon Overlay handlers are registered under the ShellIconOverlayIdentifiers registry key.)
It showed the following GUIDs registered under it.
Subkey : OverlayExcluded
GUID : {4433A54A-1AC8-432F-90FC-85F045CF383C}
Subkey : OverlayPending
GUID : {F17C0B1E-EF8E-4AD4-8E1B-7D7E8CB23225}
Subkey : OverlayProtected
GUID : {476D0EA3-80F9-48B5-B70B-05E677C9C148}
After Googling the GUIDs, it was noted that the entries were added by Norton 360. Norton 360 v2 adds a feature called "Backup Status Indicators" which clearly identifies which files have been backed up, which files are pending backup and which are excluded from backup. This feature is responsible for the Tick mark (green box) and double arrow (blue box) overlay icons.
Quoting PCMag:
A check in a green box means the file’s backup is current, while a chevron (ยป) character in a blue box indicates a file that’s been changed since its last backup. Files excluded from the backup set display a slash in a gray box.
If you don’t need the backup indicators feature you can turn it off by clicking Settings in the Norton 360 main window, disabling the Backup Status Indicators check box and clicking Close.
Norton 360 Main window
No Norton 360, but have MozyHome Backup installed?
MozyHome Backup program adds a green checkmark overlay icon for files which are included in your backup list. To disable the overlay, select the following checkbox in Mozy Options:
Enabling this option hides the icons that displays next to files and folders in Windows Explorer when a file is included in your backup list.
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Who would have thought to look at Norton! Being a technodummy, I was trying to find a solution in Windows! I was SO annoyed when those green/blue boxes started popping up!
Thanks for the information. This has been driving me bugs (pardon the pun) for longer than I’d care to admit.
Thanks so much for helping me get rid of those blessed tick icons. They make
all the files so much harder to view. I knew it was Norton but did not know how to
fix it ! !
THANK YOU! This has been driving me crazy for the past few days. Could not figure out where those were coming from.
AAAAHHHHHHH the angels sing! It works!! Thanks a TON!!!
If you go to settings on the Norton 360, it is the “Backup Status Overlay” causes the blue arrows. I dont know about the check marks…I havent seen any of those. But if you turn off the “Backup Status Overlay” then they will no longer appear. That is the only thing that this option is for. It won’t make your computer vulnerable or anything. The option is just to let you know what has been backed up and what hasnt been.
Yes… this still works! Thank you. Only took me an hour to find this answer, but worth it. That Norton 360….
Awesome! So glad I took the 5 minutes to Google this. Thank!!!!!
Great work! First hit in Google too! Thanks.
4 hours of frustration could have been solved by 15 minutes of googling and reading through the varied pages, this one that fixed it here was on page two of my search for the blue arrow search I did, thank you so much for the peace of mind this sight gave me, and unchecking it in norton did work for me, but then again I have XP still, haven’t migrated to 7 yet. Thanks again for the answer.