Can't customize Folder Icons in Favorites Hierarchy

  • Thread starter Thread starter JDJ
  • Start date Start date
J

JDJ

I had this problem solved by creating a new user account & now it is
back again. Arrgghh.

Can't customize Folder Icons in Favorites Hierarchy

I love to customize the icon representing my folders instead of
sticking with the plain manila folder icon that Windows XP (Media
Center Edition 2004) defaults to.

This new feature of Windows XP can really make your PC user friendly,
HOWEVER, unlike my other XP boxes my Windows XP Media Center Edition
2004 HP ZD7000 used to stubbornly prevent me from customizing the icon
for folders in the Favorites hierarchy. I could do it anyplace else,
but not in the folder hierarchy:

C:\Documents and Settings\JJ\Favorites...

No error message or anything like that. I'd right click on the folder
/ Properties / Customize / Change Icon and assign an icon file, back
out, and the folder icon would appear to change for a second and then
revert back to the plain manila folder.

I finally solved this problem by creating a new user account, and
going through the tedium of moving everything over to the new user
account.

Well, like Jack Nicholson in the Shining, or Arnold Schwartzenhager in
the Terminator, the problem IS BACK

for no particular reason at all.

Does anyone using a ZD7000 (especially if your Media Center Edition
2004) have this problem when you try and customize the icon of a
folder in your Favorites Hierarchy?

Anyone know what could be causing it?

I did just change from Simple File Sharing to Classic File Sharing but
that was about a week ago, and I didn't notice all my Favorites folder
icons looking like manila folders till today.
 
New folders or existing folders. See if the folders you are having a
problem with all contain a wlf.ini file.
 
New folders or existing folders. See if the folders you are having a
problem with all contain a wlf.ini file.
Click to expand...

Thanks for responding (I was traveling & have not had Internet
Access).

I have never seen a wlf.ini file and don't have them in my
C:\Documents and Settings\JJ\Favorites hierarchy.

Of course I have Desktop.ini in each of the Favorites sub folders and
these refer to the icon file which I had assigned to each sub folder.

e.g. in the sub folder "Personal" desktop.ini contains:

[.ShellClassInfo]
IconFile=%SystemDrive%\Icons\Extracted\Face2Happy.ICO
IconIndex=0

My existing folders had been successfully customized for months now
and newly created folders could also be customized but when this
problem reoccurred my existing folders changed back tot he plain
manila folder despite the existence of the desktop.ini's which appear
unchanged. New created folders are manila and no amount of reassigning
a custom icon will get them to stick.

The Desktop.ini in the folder C:\Documents and Settings\JJ\Favorites
reads

[.ShellClassInfo]
IconFile=%SystemRoot%\system32\SHELL32.dll
IconIndex=-173
[email protected],-12693

I renamed it to back and Windows recreated that desktop.ini to
contain:

[.ShellClassInfo]
[.ShellClassInfo.A]
[.ShellClassInfo.W]
IconFile=+BIIABcqw-Z+ABQ-

Of course I have not sub folders under

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Favorites

but I created a test folder & I can customize the icon of that test
folder no problem.
 
My problem of not being able to customize the icon of the folders in
Favorites on one of my PC's is because neither the READ attribute nor
SYSTEM attribute of these folders is set and therefore the Desktop.ini
file in that folder is not being processed.

I have proved this from the DOS Prompt with the ATTRIB command. See
Below - - - - line.

On my other PC the READ Attribute IS set (not the System Attribute)
for the Favorites Folder and for subfolders in the Favorites
Hierarchy.

Apparently setting EITHER attribute processes desktop.ini files and
therefore allows folder icon customization.

My problem now boils down to:

1) Every time I save a new file in one of the folders in my favorite's
hierarchy the Read Attribute becomes UnSet.

2) If I set the System Attribute instead of the Read Attribute, the S
attribute is NOT unset every time I create a new file in one of these
folders.

3) While a lot of work from the DOS prompt, setting the System
Attribute for all my Favorites Folders might be my solution EXCEPT
every time I create a new FOLDER inside the Favorites hierarchy I will
have to go back to the DOS prompt again to set the System Attribute
for that new folder.

I tried setting the System Attribute for the Favorites Folder Itself
thinking new subfolders might inherit that attribute but they do not.


- - - - - - -

From the DOS Prompt

C:\DOCUMEN~1\JJ\FAVORI~1>ATTRIB COMPUT~1
C:\DOCUMEN~1\JJ\FAVORI~1\Computer Software

This is not what I see on my other PC.


From the DOS Prompt I can set the read attribute, e.g.

C:\DOCUMEN~1\JJ\FAVORI~1>ATTRIB +R COMPUT~1

I now see

C:\DOCUMEN~1\JJ\FAVORI~1>ATTRIB COMPUT~1
R C:\DOCUMEN~1\JJ\FAVORI~1\Computer Software

which is what I see on my other PC

Also the folder immediately assumes the icon described in the included
Desktop.ini

But as soon as I save a new file inside this folder, e.g. test.txt the
Read Attribute is UN SET again and my custom icon disappears.

I can repeat this process setting the System attribute and the change
will hold / stick and not be affected by the addition of new files
inside the folder. Custom Icons work.

e.g.

C:\DOCUMEN~1\JJ\FAVORI~1>ATTRIB +S COMPUT~1
 
JDJ said:
My problem of not being able to customize the icon of the folders in
Favorites on one of my PC's is because neither the READ attribute nor
SYSTEM attribute of these folders is set and therefore the Desktop.ini
file in that folder is not being processed.

I have proved this from the DOS Prompt with the ATTRIB command. See
Below - - - - line.

On my other PC the READ Attribute IS set (not the System Attribute)
for the Favorites Folder and for subfolders in the Favorites
Hierarchy.

Apparently setting EITHER attribute processes desktop.ini files and
therefore allows folder icon customization.

My problem now boils down to:

1) Every time I save a new file in one of the folders in my favorite's
hierarchy the Read Attribute becomes UnSet.

2) If I set the System Attribute instead of the Read Attribute, the S
attribute is NOT unset every time I create a new file in one of these
folders.

3) While a lot of work from the DOS prompt, setting the System
Attribute for all my Favorites Folders might be my solution EXCEPT
every time I create a new FOLDER inside the Favorites hierarchy I will
have to go back to the DOS prompt again to set the System Attribute
for that new folder.

I tried setting the System Attribute for the Favorites Folder Itself
thinking new subfolders might inherit that attribute but they do not.


- - - - - - -

From the DOS Prompt

C:\DOCUMEN~1\JJ\FAVORI~1>ATTRIB COMPUT~1
C:\DOCUMEN~1\JJ\FAVORI~1\Computer Software

This is not what I see on my other PC.


From the DOS Prompt I can set the read attribute, e.g.

C:\DOCUMEN~1\JJ\FAVORI~1>ATTRIB +R COMPUT~1

I now see

C:\DOCUMEN~1\JJ\FAVORI~1>ATTRIB COMPUT~1
R C:\DOCUMEN~1\JJ\FAVORI~1\Computer Software

which is what I see on my other PC

Also the folder immediately assumes the icon described in the included
Desktop.ini

But as soon as I save a new file inside this folder, e.g. test.txt the
Read Attribute is UN SET again and my custom icon disappears.

I can repeat this process setting the System attribute and the change
will hold / stick and not be affected by the addition of new files
inside the folder. Custom Icons work.

e.g.

C:\DOCUMEN~1\JJ\FAVORI~1>ATTRIB +S COMPUT~1
Click to expand...
 
JDJ: I am having the same problem, Dell tech support couldn't figure it out.
I would like to follow this thread and see if there is a fix (that I can
understand!) KDM
 
Back
Top