Chances are, you installed a program that modified the association for ico files 
and then did not restore that association properly (or at all) when you removed it.

1. Open the Registry Editor (regedit.exe).
2. Open the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT (HKCR) key.
3. Scroll down to the .ico key. If it exists, skip to step 6.
4. Create an .ico key.
5. Set the default value to "icofile" (without quotes).
6. Scroll down to the key whose name matches the default value in HKCR\.ico.
7. If that key exists, skip to step 11.
8. Create that key (HKCR\icofile).
9. Set the default value to "Icon File" (without quotes).
10. Create a new key under \icofile called "DefaultIcon" (without quotes).
11. Modify the default value under HKCR\icofile\DefaultIcon to "%1" (without quotes).
12. Close regedit.

Structure should look somewhat like this:

HKCR\.ico
      "icofile"
HKCR\icofile
      "Icon File"
HKCR\icofile\DefaultIcon
      "%1"

Note that "icofile" is unimportant as long as both instances match. "Icon File" is 
also unimportant, this is just what is shown for the file's type.

Change takes place immediately. Display may not refresh until reboot, however. TweakUI's 
Rebuild Icons will force an immediate refresh.

"%1" can be used to make the following file types show a built-in icon or a thumbnail 
for an icon:
exe
cpl
dll
bmp (thumbnail)
icl
ico
lnk

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