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Display icon associated with an executableTag(s): Swing


First technique 
import java.io.*;
import javax.swing.*;

public class IconExtract1 {
  public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception {
    String s = "c:/windows/regedit.exe";
    File file = new File(s);

    // Get metadata and create an icon
    sun.awt.shell.ShellFolder sf =
            sun.awt.shell.ShellFolder.getShellFolder(file);
    Icon icon = new ImageIcon(sf.getIcon(true));
    System.out.println("type = " + sf.getFolderType());

    // show the icon
    JLabel ficon = new JLabel(s, icon, SwingConstants.LEFT);
    JFrame frame = new JFrame();
    frame.getContentPane().add(ficon);
    frame.pack();
    frame.setVisible(true);
  }
}
output :

Second technique 

import java.io.*;
import javax.swing.*;
import java.awt.*;
import javax.swing.filechooser.FileSystemView;

public class IconExtract2 {
  public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception {
    String s = "c:/windows/regedit.exe";
    File file = new File(s);

    // Get metadata and create an icon
    Icon icon = FileSystemView.getFileSystemView().getSystemIcon(file);

    // show the icon
    JLabel ficon = new JLabel(s, icon, SwingConstants.LEFT);

    JFrame frame = new JFrame();
    frame.getContentPane().add(ficon);
    frame.pack();
    frame.setVisible(true);
  }
}
output:

If you need more generic image, you use a JFileChooser and extract the image for a file or directory. 

import java.io.*;
import javax.swing.*;
import java.awt.*;
import javax.swing.filechooser.*;

public class IconExtract3 {
  public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception {

    String s = "c:/windows/regedit.exe";
    JFileChooser chooser = new JFileChooser();

    File file = new File(s);
    Icon icon = chooser.getIcon(file);

    // show the icon
    JLabel ficon = new JLabel(s, icon, SwingConstants.LEFT);

    JFrame frame = new JFrame();
    frame.getContentPane().add(ficon);
    frame.pack();
    frame.setVisible(true);
  }
}
output for a directory :

output for a file :