Sometime in the last couple of days, my desktop/taskbar(left-side only) icons have stopped appearing the correct way. Instead, they are black fuzzy boxes. (best way I can describe them) I have run my updated AVG and Bazooka on my comp (no viruses found w/either), I've run my updated Registry Mechanic and repaired all errors found in my system, I've checked the Properties of my desktop---noting that it is selected at High16-bit color and that the scheme is Windows Standard on the Appearance. I have put the comp in Safe Mode Command Prompt and have updated to a recent registry under the ScanReg/restore. I've also restarted my comp several times, including after each thing I did listed above.
In addition to this info, FYI-- I have pulled up the CloseProgram window w/cntrl/alt/del and found only this current window running, along w/only Explorer, Rnaapp,Pxui and Pxclient(these are ProxyConn), Systray,Avgemc and Avgcc (these are my AVG Virus Program), so I don't seem to have anything running that shouldn't be.
Please help? Any suggestions as to what to do next? BTW, when I click on the fuzzy black icons now, even tho I can read their descriptions below them just fine, the comp then freezes and I have to restart.
Thanks for your prompt replies.

Whats your Video Card maker? Sounds like Drivers or video memory

And how do I go about finding out what Video Card maker I have? If it means anything, I just put "video" in find, found a "videotest" for my RealPlayer 10.5. I ran the videotest and it runs fine. Does that mean anything to you? Is there something else I should check? Just not sure what you mean about a video card maker. ????

BTW, here's two interesting things to note: My icons on the right-side of my taskbar show appropriately....only the icons on the left show up as fuzzy black boxes. Another thing, I updated my Registry Mechanic today to try to fix this problem. The icon for this new desktop icon, though, shows up clearly. Only the other icons are still black fuzzy boxes. Now, isn't that strange??

just some browsing finds:

Often this happens in win98 when you change screen resolutions. Are you running
any application that changes the resolution temporarily?

If your desktop icons become distorted, fuzzy,
or even turn black, it's time to reset Windows
98's icon cache. There are actually two ways
to reset the icon cache. The first method
involves restarting Windows 98 in MS-DOS
mode, changing to the Windows folder, and
deleting the SHELLICONCACHE file. The
second method involves accessing the Display
Properties sheet, selecting the Appearance
tab, and then selecting Icon in the Item
dropdown list. Now, adjust the icon size up or
down one notch and click Apply. Then, change the icon back to the
original size
and click OK.

Thanks to you both,did a repair IE from add/remove
programs and this seemed to cure it.
Don't know how it worked,but it did?

Why do I have distorted / fuzzy icons?
Windows displays icons at 32 or 48 pixels. If the icon size is not 32 or 48, Windows synthesizes the icon of the requested size by stretching or compressing the icon to the nearest size.

1. START > SETTINGS > CONTROL PANEL > DISPLAY > APPEARANCE
2. In the Item box, select Icon.
3. In the Size box, select 32 or 48.
4. Click OK.

How to fix invalid / disappearing icons?

1. Press the F5 key to refresh the icons in the current folder.
--or--
2. Close and then reopen the window that contains incorrect icons.
--or--
3. Restart your computer.
--or--
4. Delete the ShellIconCache file from the Windows folder. The file is re-created automatically when you restart Windows. To delete this file, use the following steps:
Restart Windows in Safe mode:
Restart your computer, press and hold down the CTRL key after your computer completes the Power On Self Test (POST), and then choose Safe Mode from the Startup menu.
Use Windows Explorer to delete the ShellIconCache file from the Windows folder.
NOTE: You need to be able to view hidden files to see the ShellIconCache file. To view hidden files in Windows 98, click Folder Options on the View menu in Windows Explorer, click the View tab, click Show All Files, and then click OK.
Restart your computer
Using Registry Editor [REGEDIT], add the "Max Cached Icons" (without quotation marks) string value with a value data of "500" (without quotation marks) to the following registry key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\
CurrentVersion\Explorer
[as one line]
and then restart your computer.

If the icons are still incorrect, delete the ShellIconCache file. The Max Cached Icons value data range is between 100 and 2000. The default value is 500.

To find out about your video card you would need to right click on your My Computer Icon. When that menu comes up click on Properties. When you are in your system properties click on the tab labled Hardware. There will be a list of hardware that is installed on your system there. Click on the plus next to the Display Adapter. This will show you what type of adapter and manufacture it is.