Change Icons for My Pictures, My Music, etc.

[dOinK]

Windows XP provides a convenient way of customizing the icons for "My
Computer", "My Documents", "My Network Places" and the Recycle Bin, from the
Desktop Properties applet. But how is the icon for other _system_ folders
changed? (as opposed to_normal_ forlders, which are customized from the
Properties applet).

Thanks!
dOinK

 

[Kelly]

Hi,

Run the script on line 119 (right hand side)
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm

 

[dOinK]

Thanks, but:

1. I do not think you answered my question: I want to change the icon for
_special_ system folders, like My Music, etc.

2. Adding the reg. keys
"HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell
Icons\3" and "...4" and giving them names to icon files on my HD did
apparently nothing (same ol' yellow look).

Any better?

dOinK

 

[+-J]

| Thanks, but:
|
| 1. I do not think you answered my question: I want to change the icon for
| _special_ system folders, like My Music, etc.
|
| 2. Adding the reg. keys
| "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell
| Icons\3" and "...4" and giving them names to icon files on my HD did
| apparently nothing (same ol' yellow look).
|
| Any better?

dOinK,

After changing the icons,...

First download the file "iconfix.reg" from
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm
Line 4. (Repairs the Icon View)

In TweakUI (for XP) - navigate to...
- Repair
- Repair Icons
- [Repair Now]

Then double-click the file "iconfix.reg", and follow the prompts.
---
If TweakUI is not installed on your system, then download it from
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/downloads/powertoys.asp

Note: V2.10.0.0 needs Windows XP SP 1

If you do not have SP1, the earlier version of TweakUI can be found at
http://download.microsoft.com/download/whistler/Install/2/WXP/EN-US/TweakUiPowertoySetup.exe


Another way might be via David Candy's procedure -

| To refresh the icons in the system,
| Control Panel | Display | /Appearance\ [Advanced],
| change the size of icons
| click [Apply]
| then change the size back.

 

[dOinK]

Okay, rebuilding the icons from TweakUI made changing the default folder
icons work (I guess a reboot doesn't necessarily rebuild the icons). I did
not have to run the reg-file "on line 4" - it wold actually have made a
little harm, as I use a different icon size than what is specified there(!).

However:

What I actually wanted to know was how to change the SPECIAL system folders'
icons (like My Music, My Pictures), that can not be customized in their
Properties dialogs, nor in the Display Properties\Desktop\Customize
Desktop... dialog. From the folder icon tweak, mentioned above, icon number
3 and 4 seem to be the codes for the normal folder icons (closed and open,
resp.). Are there other numbers for other, special folders, and what are
they?

Anyone?

dOinK

 

[Keith Miller]

Other numbers found here:

http://www.google.com/groups?hl=en&[email protected]&rnum=7

But for the folders you want to customize, you need to edit their desktop.ini files. If you look at
the desktop.ini for "My Music", you'll see something similar to the following:
-----------------------------------------------------
[.ShellClassInfo]
[email protected],-12689
IconFile=%SystemRoot%\system32\SHELL32.dll
IconIndex=-237
-----------------------------------------------------

The IconFile & IconIndex values are the ones you can alter to customize the folder's icon. The
easiest way to obtain the values for the icon you desire is to customize the icon for a user-created
folder & examine the contents of its desktop.ini file.

Keith

 

[dOinK]

Excellent! Thanks!

 

[Keith Miller]

You're welcome!

 

[dOinK]

I've changed my standard folder icons, and they appear when I browse from
[win]+E or My Documents. But if I open or explore a shortcut to a folder on
my HD, the default icons show up. Same thing if I e.g. right-click the start
menu and click open or explore - standard icons.

So how come windows seems to use to different sets of folder icons? I want
one set; my nicely customized one

dOinK

Other numbers found here:

http://www.google.com/groups?hl=en&[email protected]&rnum=7

But for the folders you want to customize, you need to edit their

desktop.ini files. If you look at

the desktop.ini for "My Music", you'll see something similar to the following:
-----------------------------------------------------
[.ShellClassInfo]
[email protected],-12689
IconFile=%SystemRoot%\system32\SHELL32.dll
IconIndex=-237
-----------------------------------------------------

The IconFile & IconIndex values are the ones you can alter to customize the folder's icon. The
easiest way to obtain the values for the icon you desire is to customize the icon for a user-created
folder & examine the contents of its desktop.ini file.

Keith

Okay, rebuilding the icons from TweakUI made changing the default folder
icons work (I guess a reboot doesn't necessarily rebuild the icons). I did
not have to run the reg-file "on line 4" - it wold actually have made a
little harm, as I use a different icon size than what is specified there(!).

However:

What I actually wanted to know was how to change the SPECIAL system folders'
icons (like My Music, My Pictures), that can not be customized in their
Properties dialogs, nor in the Display Properties\Desktop\Customize
Desktop... dialog. From the folder icon tweak, mentioned above, icon number
3 and 4 seem to be the codes for the normal folder icons (closed and open,
resp.). Are there other numbers for other, special folders, and what are
they?

Anyone?

dOinK

 

[dOinK]

Also (just noticed): When I open My Documents from the Start menu, the sub
folders are shown with Windows standard icons, whereas when I open the same
folder from the special My Documents desktop icon, the sub folders have my
customized look.

I'm confused about this, any clues out there?

dOinK
on a Dell Inspiron 5150
with extra monitor connected to analog port

I've changed my standard folder icons, and they appear when I browse from
[win]+E or My Documents. But if I open or explore a shortcut to a folder on
my HD, the default icons show up. Same thing if I e.g. right-click the start
menu and click open or explore - standard icons.

So how come windows seems to use to different sets of folder icons? I want
one set; my nicely customized one

dOinK

Other numbers found here:

http://www.google.com/groups?hl=en&[email protected]&rnum=7

But for the folders you want to customize, you need to edit their

desktop.ini files. If you look at

the desktop.ini for "My Music", you'll see something similar to the following:
-----------------------------------------------------
[.ShellClassInfo]
[email protected],-12689
IconFile=%SystemRoot%\system32\SHELL32.dll
IconIndex=-237
-----------------------------------------------------

The IconFile & IconIndex values are the ones you can alter to customize the folder's icon. The
easiest way to obtain the values for the icon you desire is to customize the icon for a user-created
folder & examine the contents of its desktop.ini file.

Keith

Okay, rebuilding the icons from TweakUI made changing the default folder
icons work (I guess a reboot doesn't necessarily rebuild the icons). I did
not have to run the reg-file "on line 4" - it wold actually have made a
little harm, as I use a different icon size than what is specified there(!).

However:

What I actually wanted to know was how to change the SPECIAL system folders'
icons (like My Music, My Pictures), that can not be customized in their
Properties dialogs, nor in the Display Properties\Desktop\Customize
Desktop... dialog. From the folder icon tweak, mentioned above, icon number
3 and 4 seem to be the codes for the normal folder icons (closed and open,
resp.). Are there other numbers for other, special folders, and what are
they?

Anyone?

dOinK

 

[Keith Miller]

I'm a little confused at this point. Which folders are you referring to? System folders like my
music? Regular folders? How did you end up customizing the icons of the folders in question?

Keith

Also (just noticed): When I open My Documents from the Start menu, the sub
folders are shown with Windows standard icons, whereas when I open the same
folder from the special My Documents desktop icon, the sub folders have my
customized look.

I'm confused about this, any clues out there?

dOinK
on a Dell Inspiron 5150
with extra monitor connected to analog port

I've changed my standard folder icons, and they appear when I browse from
[win]+E or My Documents. But if I open or explore a shortcut to a folder on
my HD, the default icons show up. Same thing if I e.g. right-click the start
menu and click open or explore - standard icons.

So how come windows seems to use to different sets of folder icons? I want
one set; my nicely customized one

dOinK

Other numbers found here:

http://www.google.com/groups?hl=en&[email protected]&rnum=7

But for the folders you want to customize, you need to edit their

desktop.ini files. If you look at

the desktop.ini for "My Music", you'll see something similar to the following:
-----------------------------------------------------
[.ShellClassInfo]
[email protected],-12689
IconFile=%SystemRoot%\system32\SHELL32.dll
IconIndex=-237
-----------------------------------------------------

The IconFile & IconIndex values are the ones you can alter to customize the folder's icon. The
easiest way to obtain the values for the icon you desire is to customize the icon for a user-created
folder & examine the contents of its desktop.ini file.

Keith

Okay, rebuilding the icons from TweakUI made changing the default folder
icons work (I guess a reboot doesn't necessarily rebuild the icons). I did
not have to run the reg-file "on line 4" - it wold actually have made a
little harm, as I use a different icon size than what is specified there(!).

However:

What I actually wanted to know was how to change the SPECIAL system folders'
icons (like My Music, My Pictures), that can not be customized in their
Properties dialogs, nor in the Display Properties\Desktop\Customize
Desktop... dialog. From the folder icon tweak, mentioned above, icon number
3 and 4 seem to be the codes for the normal folder icons (closed and open,
resp.). Are there other numbers for other, special folders, and what are
they?

Anyone?

dOinK

 

[dOinK]

This time I am referring to the "regular folders", that I customized as
follows:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell
Icons]
"3"="C:\\[path]\\Closed Folder.ico"
"4"="C:\\[path]\\Open Folder.ico"

They appear as specified when I open explorer.exe from the [win]+E
combination, or e.g. when double-clicking the system "My Documents" icon on
the desktop. However, when opening the "My Documents" folder from the XP
Start Menu, the sub folders (in below "My Documents") have the noncustomized
look. Is this strange or what??

dOinK
---------------------

I'm a little confused at this point. Which folders are you referring to? System folders like my
music? Regular folders? How did you end up customizing the icons of the folders in question?

Keith

Also (just noticed): When I open My Documents from the Start menu, the sub
folders are shown with Windows standard icons, whereas when I open the same
folder from the special My Documents desktop icon, the sub folders have my
customized look.

I'm confused about this, any clues out there?

dOinK
on a Dell Inspiron 5150
with extra monitor connected to analog port

I've changed my standard folder icons, and they appear when I browse from
[win]+E or My Documents. But if I open or explore a shortcut to a

folder
on

my HD, the default icons show up. Same thing if I e.g. right-click the start
menu and click open or explore - standard icons.

So how come windows seems to use to different sets of folder icons? I want
one set; my nicely customized one

dOinK

Other numbers found here:

http://www.google.com/groups?hl=en&[email protected]&rnum=7

But for the folders you want to customize, you need to edit their
desktop.ini files. If you look at
the desktop.ini for "My Music", you'll see something similar to the
following:
-----------------------------------------------------
[.ShellClassInfo]
[email protected],-12689
IconFile=%SystemRoot%\system32\SHELL32.dll
IconIndex=-237
-----------------------------------------------------

The IconFile & IconIndex values are the ones you can alter to customize
the folder's icon. The
easiest way to obtain the values for the icon you desire is to customize
the icon for a user-created
folder & examine the contents of its desktop.ini file.

Keith

Okay, rebuilding the icons from TweakUI made changing the default folder
icons work (I guess a reboot doesn't necessarily rebuild the icons). I
did
not have to run the reg-file "on line 4" - it wold actually have

made
a

little harm, as I use a different icon size than what is specified
there(!).

However:

What I actually wanted to know was how to change the SPECIAL system
folders'
icons (like My Music, My Pictures), that can not be customized in their
Properties dialogs, nor in the Display Properties\Desktop\Customize
Desktop... dialog. From the folder icon tweak, mentioned above, icon
number
3 and 4 seem to be the codes for the normal folder icons (closed and
open,
resp.). Are there other numbers for other, special folders, and

what
are

they?

Anyone?

dOinK

 

[Keith Miller]

Ok...haven't done that on my system. Will play later tonite & see what happens.

Stay tuned,
Keith

This time I am referring to the "regular folders", that I customized as
follows:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell
Icons]
"3"="C:\\[path]\\Closed Folder.ico"
"4"="C:\\[path]\\Open Folder.ico"

They appear as specified when I open explorer.exe from the [win]+E
combination, or e.g. when double-clicking the system "My Documents" icon on
the desktop. However, when opening the "My Documents" folder from the XP
Start Menu, the sub folders (in below "My Documents") have the noncustomized
look. Is this strange or what??

dOinK
---------------------

I'm a little confused at this point. Which folders are you referring to? System folders like my
music? Regular folders? How did you end up customizing the icons of the folders in question?

Keith

Also (just noticed): When I open My Documents from the Start menu, the sub
folders are shown with Windows standard icons, whereas when I open the same
folder from the special My Documents desktop icon, the sub folders have my
customized look.

I'm confused about this, any clues out there?

dOinK
on a Dell Inspiron 5150
with extra monitor connected to analog port

I've changed my standard folder icons, and they appear when I browse from
[win]+E or My Documents. But if I open or explore a shortcut to a folder
on
my HD, the default icons show up. Same thing if I e.g. right-click the
start
menu and click open or explore - standard icons.

So how come windows seems to use to different sets of folder icons? I want
one set; my nicely customized one

dOinK

Other numbers found here:

http://www.google.com/groups?hl=en&[email protected]&rnum=7

But for the folders you want to customize, you need to edit their
desktop.ini files. If you look at
the desktop.ini for "My Music", you'll see something similar to the
following:
-----------------------------------------------------
[.ShellClassInfo]
[email protected],-12689
IconFile=%SystemRoot%\system32\SHELL32.dll
IconIndex=-237
-----------------------------------------------------

The IconFile & IconIndex values are the ones you can alter to customize
the folder's icon. The
easiest way to obtain the values for the icon you desire is to customize
the icon for a user-created
folder & examine the contents of its desktop.ini file.

Keith

Okay, rebuilding the icons from TweakUI made changing the default
folder
icons work (I guess a reboot doesn't necessarily rebuild the icons). I
did
not have to run the reg-file "on line 4" - it wold actually have made
a
little harm, as I use a different icon size than what is specified
there(!).

However:

What I actually wanted to know was how to change the SPECIAL system
folders'
icons (like My Music, My Pictures), that can not be customized in
their
Properties dialogs, nor in the Display Properties\Desktop\Customize
Desktop... dialog. From the folder icon tweak, mentioned above, icon
number
3 and 4 seem to be the codes for the normal folder icons (closed and
open,
resp.). Are there other numbers for other, special folders, and what
are
they?

Anyone?

dOinK

 

[Keith Miller]

OK. I applied the edit, rebooted, and....no change

All my icons were the same. However, I then thought to try rebuilding the icon cache. I did that
thru TweakUI. Then the change took everywhere.

For further testing, I edited the registry keys again & rebuilt the icon cache without rebooting or
logging off. That was enough to change the icons system-wide. For the second time rebuilding the
cache, In Display Properties -> 'Appearance' tab -> 'Advanced,' I changed the Icon size by 1 pixel,
applied the change, & then changed back. That was sufficient to change to icons.

So, if you haven't already done so, rebuild your icon cache.

Keith

This time I am referring to the "regular folders", that I customized as
follows:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell
Icons]
"3"="C:\\[path]\\Closed Folder.ico"
"4"="C:\\[path]\\Open Folder.ico"

They appear as specified when I open explorer.exe from the [win]+E
combination, or e.g. when double-clicking the system "My Documents" icon on
the desktop. However, when opening the "My Documents" folder from the XP
Start Menu, the sub folders (in below "My Documents") have the noncustomized
look. Is this strange or what??

dOinK
---------------------

I'm a little confused at this point. Which folders are you referring to? System folders like my
music? Regular folders? How did you end up customizing the icons of the folders in question?

Keith

Also (just noticed): When I open My Documents from the Start menu, the sub
folders are shown with Windows standard icons, whereas when I open the same
folder from the special My Documents desktop icon, the sub folders have my
customized look.

I'm confused about this, any clues out there?

dOinK
on a Dell Inspiron 5150
with extra monitor connected to analog port

I've changed my standard folder icons, and they appear when I browse from
[win]+E or My Documents. But if I open or explore a shortcut to a folder
on
my HD, the default icons show up. Same thing if I e.g. right-click the
start
menu and click open or explore - standard icons.

So how come windows seems to use to different sets of folder icons? I want
one set; my nicely customized one

dOinK

Other numbers found here:

http://www.google.com/groups?hl=en&[email protected]&rnum=7

But for the folders you want to customize, you need to edit their
desktop.ini files. If you look at
the desktop.ini for "My Music", you'll see something similar to the
following:
-----------------------------------------------------
[.ShellClassInfo]
[email protected],-12689
IconFile=%SystemRoot%\system32\SHELL32.dll
IconIndex=-237
-----------------------------------------------------

The IconFile & IconIndex values are the ones you can alter to customize
the folder's icon. The
easiest way to obtain the values for the icon you desire is to customize
the icon for a user-created
folder & examine the contents of its desktop.ini file.

Keith

Okay, rebuilding the icons from TweakUI made changing the default
folder
icons work (I guess a reboot doesn't necessarily rebuild the icons). I
did
not have to run the reg-file "on line 4" - it wold actually have made
a
little harm, as I use a different icon size than what is specified
there(!).

However:

What I actually wanted to know was how to change the SPECIAL system
folders'
icons (like My Music, My Pictures), that can not be customized in
their
Properties dialogs, nor in the Display Properties\Desktop\Customize
Desktop... dialog. From the folder icon tweak, mentioned above, icon
number
3 and 4 seem to be the codes for the normal folder icons (closed and
open,
resp.). Are there other numbers for other, special folders, and what
are
they?

Anyone?

dOinK

 

[dOinK]

Thanks, but if it was only that simple (I've tried that, and to be sure:
tried it again just now). I even tried moving the .ico files to a folder
that is accessible to all users (C:\Documents and Settings\All
Users\Documents\Shell Icons), instead of storing them under "...My
Pictures\Icons", updated the registry and rebuilt the icons.

No change: When opening an explorer window from a shortcut (such as one
pointing to "C:\Folder with Subfolders"), the subfolders (and the little
icon in the upper left of the window and the one on the task bar) appear
with default Windows yellow icons. And when I browse to the same folder,
using the explorer window opened by pressing [win]+e or double-clicking "My
Documents" on the Desktop (but not the one in the Start menu), the
subfolders are displayed with customized icons.

I have a feeling there is something very unique about my Inspiron 5150 (and
not in a positive sense).

Any clue?

OK. I applied the edit, rebooted, and....no change

All my icons were the same. However, I then thought to try rebuilding the icon cache. I did that
thru TweakUI. Then the change took everywhere.

For further testing, I edited the registry keys again & rebuilt the icon cache without rebooting or
logging off. That was enough to change the icons system-wide. For the second time rebuilding the
cache, In Display Properties -> 'Appearance' tab -> 'Advanced,' I changed the Icon size by 1 pixel,
applied the change, & then changed back. That was sufficient to change to icons.

So, if you haven't already done so, rebuild your icon cache.

Keith

This time I am referring to the "regular folders", that I customized as
follows:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell
Icons]
"3"="C:\\[path]\\Closed Folder.ico"
"4"="C:\\[path]\\Open Folder.ico"

They appear as specified when I open explorer.exe from the [win]+E
combination, or e.g. when double-clicking the system "My Documents" icon on
the desktop. However, when opening the "My Documents" folder from the XP
Start Menu, the sub folders (in below "My Documents") have the noncustomized
look. Is this strange or what??

dOinK
---------------------

I'm a little confused at this point. Which folders are you referring

to?
System folders like my

music? Regular folders? How did you end up customizing the icons of

the
folders in question?

Keith

Also (just noticed): When I open My Documents from the Start menu,

the
sub

folders are shown with Windows standard icons, whereas when I open

the
same

folder from the special My Documents desktop icon, the sub folders

have
my

customized look.

I'm confused about this, any clues out there?

dOinK
on a Dell Inspiron 5150
with extra monitor connected to analog port

I've changed my standard folder icons, and they appear when I

browse
from

[win]+E or My Documents. But if I open or explore a shortcut to a folder
on
my HD, the default icons show up. Same thing if I e.g. right-click the
start
menu and click open or explore - standard icons.

So how come windows seems to use to different sets of folder

icons? I
want

one set; my nicely customized one

dOinK

Other numbers found here:

http://www.google.com/groups?hl=en&[email protected]&rnum=7

But for the folders you want to customize, you need to edit their
desktop.ini files. If you look at
the desktop.ini for "My Music", you'll see something similar to the
following:
-----------------------------------------------------
[.ShellClassInfo]
[email protected],-12689
IconFile=%SystemRoot%\system32\SHELL32.dll
IconIndex=-237
-----------------------------------------------------

The IconFile & IconIndex values are the ones you can alter to customize
the folder's icon. The
easiest way to obtain the values for the icon you desire is to customize
the icon for a user-created
folder & examine the contents of its desktop.ini file.

Keith

Okay, rebuilding the icons from TweakUI made changing the default
folder
icons work (I guess a reboot doesn't necessarily rebuild the icons). I
did
not have to run the reg-file "on line 4" - it wold actually

have
made

a
little harm, as I use a different icon size than what is specified
there(!).

However:

What I actually wanted to know was how to change the SPECIAL system
folders'
icons (like My Music, My Pictures), that can not be customized in
their
Properties dialogs, nor in the Display Properties\Desktop\Customize
Desktop... dialog. From the folder icon tweak, mentioned

above,
icon

number
3 and 4 seem to be the codes for the normal folder icons

(closed
and

open,
resp.). Are there other numbers for other, special folders,

and
what

are
they?

Anyone?

dOinK

 

[Keith Miller]

Figured it wouldn't be that easy....

I'm basically stumped at this point. Have you used any 3rd-party customization programs? Have you
created any new shortcuts since applying the edit to see how they behave?

It might be time to start a new thread which explains just this issue to catch the eyes of others
who might have some ideas.

I do see that if I have multiple explorer windows open and the individual windows have different
icons (i.e. My Computer, My Music and a normal folder) and the taskbar buttons group, the grouped
button uses the yellow folder. Also, if I turn on the folder pane for the explorer window, the icon
in the upper left changes to the folder with the magnifying glass.

However, as I said before, the changes seem to apply system-wide for me, regardless of how I access
folders.


Keith

Thanks, but if it was only that simple (I've tried that, and to be sure:
tried it again just now). I even tried moving the .ico files to a folder
that is accessible to all users (C:\Documents and Settings\All
Users\Documents\Shell Icons), instead of storing them under "...My
Pictures\Icons", updated the registry and rebuilt the icons.

No change: When opening an explorer window from a shortcut (such as one
pointing to "C:\Folder with Subfolders"), the subfolders (and the little
icon in the upper left of the window and the one on the task bar) appear
with default Windows yellow icons. And when I browse to the same folder,
using the explorer window opened by pressing [win]+e or double-clicking "My
Documents" on the Desktop (but not the one in the Start menu), the
subfolders are displayed with customized icons.

I have a feeling there is something very unique about my Inspiron 5150 (and
not in a positive sense).

Any clue?

OK. I applied the edit, rebooted, and....no change

All my icons were the same. However, I then thought to try rebuilding the icon cache. I did that
thru TweakUI. Then the change took everywhere.

For further testing, I edited the registry keys again & rebuilt the icon cache without rebooting or
logging off. That was enough to change the icons system-wide. For the second time rebuilding the
cache, In Display Properties -> 'Appearance' tab -> 'Advanced,' I changed the Icon size by 1 pixel,
applied the change, & then changed back. That was sufficient to change to icons.

So, if you haven't already done so, rebuild your icon cache.

Keith

This time I am referring to the "regular folders", that I customized as
follows:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell
Icons]
"3"="C:\\[path]\\Closed Folder.ico"
"4"="C:\\[path]\\Open Folder.ico"

They appear as specified when I open explorer.exe from the [win]+E
combination, or e.g. when double-clicking the system "My Documents" icon on
the desktop. However, when opening the "My Documents" folder from the XP
Start Menu, the sub folders (in below "My Documents") have the noncustomized
look. Is this strange or what??

dOinK
---------------------
I'm a little confused at this point. Which folders are you referring to?
System folders like my
music? Regular folders? How did you end up customizing the icons of the
folders in question?

Keith

Also (just noticed): When I open My Documents from the Start menu, the
sub
folders are shown with Windows standard icons, whereas when I open the
same
folder from the special My Documents desktop icon, the sub folders have
my
customized look.

I'm confused about this, any clues out there?

dOinK
on a Dell Inspiron 5150
with extra monitor connected to analog port

I've changed my standard folder icons, and they appear when I browse
from
[win]+E or My Documents. But if I open or explore a shortcut to a
folder
on
my HD, the default icons show up. Same thing if I e.g. right-click the
start
menu and click open or explore - standard icons.

So how come windows seems to use to different sets of folder icons? I
want
one set; my nicely customized one

dOinK

Other numbers found here:

http://www.google.com/groups?hl=en&[email protected]&rnum=7

But for the folders you want to customize, you need to edit their
desktop.ini files. If you look at
the desktop.ini for "My Music", you'll see something similar to the
following:
-----------------------------------------------------
[.ShellClassInfo]
[email protected],-12689
IconFile=%SystemRoot%\system32\SHELL32.dll
IconIndex=-237
-----------------------------------------------------

The IconFile & IconIndex values are the ones you can alter to
customize
the folder's icon. The
easiest way to obtain the values for the icon you desire is to
customize
the icon for a user-created
folder & examine the contents of its desktop.ini file.

Keith

Okay, rebuilding the icons from TweakUI made changing the default
folder
icons work (I guess a reboot doesn't necessarily rebuild the
icons). I
did
not have to run the reg-file "on line 4" - it wold actually have
made
a
little harm, as I use a different icon size than what is specified
there(!).

However:

What I actually wanted to know was how to change the SPECIAL
system
folders'
icons (like My Music, My Pictures), that can not be customized in
their
Properties dialogs, nor in the Display
Properties\Desktop\Customize
Desktop... dialog. From the folder icon tweak, mentioned above,
icon
number
3 and 4 seem to be the codes for the normal folder icons (closed
and
open,
resp.). Are there other numbers for other, special folders, and
what
are
they?

Anyone?

dOinK

 

[dOinK]

Thanks anyway, for the effort!

I've used no customization programs, just added the two registry entries
using regedit. And I've verified that the same happens to folders created
after the customization - they behave the same way (example): If I create a
new folder from an explorer window opened from a folder shortcut (or My
Documents on the start menu), the new folder becomes yellow. But it appears
customized if I browse to it from the [win]+e window, or if I create it from
this window in the first place.

I think I'll take your suggestion and start a new thread, before I give up
and accept this as a local (or Dell Inspiron) "flaw".

Figured it wouldn't be that easy....

I'm basically stumped at this point. Have you used any 3rd-party

customization programs? Have you

created any new shortcuts since applying the edit to see how they behave?

It might be time to start a new thread which explains just this issue to catch the eyes of others
who might have some ideas.

I do see that if I have multiple explorer windows open and the individual windows have different
icons (i.e. My Computer, My Music and a normal folder) and the taskbar buttons group, the grouped
button uses the yellow folder. Also, if I turn on the folder pane for the explorer window, the icon
in the upper left changes to the folder with the magnifying glass.

However, as I said before, the changes seem to apply system-wide for me, regardless of how I access
folders.


Keith

Thanks, but if it was only that simple (I've tried that, and to be sure:
tried it again just now). I even tried moving the .ico files to a folder
that is accessible to all users (C:\Documents and Settings\All
Users\Documents\Shell Icons), instead of storing them under "...My
Pictures\Icons", updated the registry and rebuilt the icons.

No change: When opening an explorer window from a shortcut (such as one
pointing to "C:\Folder with Subfolders"), the subfolders (and the little
icon in the upper left of the window and the one on the task bar) appear
with default Windows yellow icons. And when I browse to the same folder,
using the explorer window opened by pressing [win]+e or double-clicking "My
Documents" on the Desktop (but not the one in the Start menu), the
subfolders are displayed with customized icons.

I have a feeling there is something very unique about my Inspiron 5150 (and
not in a positive sense).

Any clue?

OK. I applied the edit, rebooted, and....no change

All my icons were the same. However, I then thought to try

rebuilding
the icon cache. I did that

thru TweakUI. Then the change took everywhere.

For further testing, I edited the registry keys again & rebuilt the

icon
cache without rebooting or

logging off. That was enough to change the icons system-wide. For

the
second time rebuilding the

cache, In Display Properties -> 'Appearance' tab -> 'Advanced,' I

changed
the Icon size by 1 pixel,

applied the change, & then changed back. That was sufficient to

change to
icons.

So, if you haven't already done so, rebuild your icon cache.

Keith

This time I am referring to the "regular folders", that I customized as
follows:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell

Icons]
"3"="C:\\[path]\\Closed Folder.ico"
"4"="C:\\[path]\\Open Folder.ico"

They appear as specified when I open explorer.exe from the [win]+E
combination, or e.g. when double-clicking the system "My Documents"

icon
on

the desktop. However, when opening the "My Documents" folder from the XP
Start Menu, the sub folders (in below "My Documents") have the noncustomized
look. Is this strange or what??

dOinK

referring
to?

System folders like my
music? Regular folders? How did you end up customizing the icons

of
the

folders in question?

Keith

Also (just noticed): When I open My Documents from the Start

menu,
the

sub
folders are shown with Windows standard icons, whereas when I

open
the

same
folder from the special My Documents desktop icon, the sub

folders
have

my
customized look.

I'm confused about this, any clues out there?

dOinK
on a Dell Inspiron 5150
with extra monitor connected to analog port

I've changed my standard folder icons, and they appear when I browse
from
[win]+E or My Documents. But if I open or explore a shortcut to a
folder
on
my HD, the default icons show up. Same thing if I e.g.

right-click
the

start
menu and click open or explore - standard icons.

So how come windows seems to use to different sets of folder icons? I
want
one set; my nicely customized one

dOinK

Other numbers found here:

http://www.google.com/groups?hl=en&[email protected]&rnum=7

But for the folders you want to customize, you need to edit their
desktop.ini files. If you look at
the desktop.ini for "My Music", you'll see something similar

to
the

following:
-----------------------------------------------------
[.ShellClassInfo]
[email protected],-12689
IconFile=%SystemRoot%\system32\SHELL32.dll
IconIndex=-237
-----------------------------------------------------

The IconFile & IconIndex values are the ones you can alter to
customize
the folder's icon. The
easiest way to obtain the values for the icon you desire is to
customize
the icon for a user-created
folder & examine the contents of its desktop.ini file.

Keith

Okay, rebuilding the icons from TweakUI made changing the default
folder
icons work (I guess a reboot doesn't necessarily rebuild the
icons). I
did
not have to run the reg-file "on line 4" - it wold

actually
have

made
a
little harm, as I use a different icon size than what is specified
there(!).

However:

What I actually wanted to know was how to change the SPECIAL
system
folders'
icons (like My Music, My Pictures), that can not be

customized
in

their
Properties dialogs, nor in the Display
Properties\Desktop\Customize
Desktop... dialog. From the folder icon tweak, mentioned above,
icon
number
3 and 4 seem to be the codes for the normal folder icons (closed
and
open,
resp.). Are there other numbers for other, special

folders,
and

what
are
they?

Anyone?

dOinK

 

[Steve Sweet]

Hi there "dOinK"

I have a feeling there is something very unique about my Inspiron 5150

(and not in a positive sense).

I know exactly what you are referring to, I've spent 10's of hours trawling
through the registry finding system Icons to customise and fully agree with
your findings and not on an Inspiron machine either.

All my custom Icons show up with My Computer as a start point however
navigating via desktop shortcuts give default system icons.

 

[dOinK]

As you may know, this schizophrenic behaviour only took place in one of the
accounts. Transferring files and settings to a new account eliminated the
problem.

dOinK

Thanks anyway, for the effort!

I've used no customization programs, just added the two registry entries
using regedit. And I've verified that the same happens to folders created
after the customization - they behave the same way (example): If I create a
new folder from an explorer window opened from a folder shortcut (or My
Documents on the start menu), the new folder becomes yellow. But it appears
customized if I browse to it from the [win]+e window, or if I create it from
this window in the first place.

I think I'll take your suggestion and start a new thread, before I give up
and accept this as a local (or Dell Inspiron) "flaw".

Figured it wouldn't be that easy....

I'm basically stumped at this point. Have you used any 3rd-party

customization programs? Have you

created any new shortcuts since applying the edit to see how they behave?

It might be time to start a new thread which explains just this issue to catch the eyes of others
who might have some ideas.

I do see that if I have multiple explorer windows open and the

individual
windows have different

icons (i.e. My Computer, My Music and a normal folder) and the taskbar buttons group, the grouped
button uses the yellow folder. Also, if I turn on the folder pane for

the
explorer window, the icon

in the upper left changes to the folder with the magnifying glass.

However, as I said before, the changes seem to apply system-wide for me, regardless of how I access
folders.


Keith

Thanks, but if it was only that simple (I've tried that, and to be sure:
tried it again just now). I even tried moving the .ico files to a folder
that is accessible to all users (C:\Documents and Settings\All
Users\Documents\Shell Icons), instead of storing them under "...My
Pictures\Icons", updated the registry and rebuilt the icons.

No change: When opening an explorer window from a shortcut (such as one
pointing to "C:\Folder with Subfolders"), the subfolders (and the little
icon in the upper left of the window and the one on the task bar) appear
with default Windows yellow icons. And when I browse to the same folder,
using the explorer window opened by pressing [win]+e or

double-clicking

"My

customized

as

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell

Icons]
"3"="C:\\[path]\\Closed Folder.ico"
"4"="C:\\[path]\\Open Folder.ico"

They appear as specified when I open explorer.exe from the [win]+E
combination, or e.g. when double-clicking the system "My

Documents"

icon

icons

of

the
folders in question?

Keith

Also (just noticed): When I open My Documents from the Start menu,
the
sub
folders are shown with Windows standard icons, whereas when I open
the
same
folder from the special My Documents desktop icon, the sub folders
have
my
customized look.

I'm confused about this, any clues out there?

dOinK
on a Dell Inspiron 5150
with extra monitor connected to analog port

I've changed my standard folder icons, and they appear when I
browse
from
[win]+E or My Documents. But if I open or explore a shortcut to a
folder
on
my HD, the default icons show up. Same thing if I e.g. right-click
the
start
menu and click open or explore - standard icons.

So how come windows seems to use to different sets of folder
icons? I
want
one set; my nicely customized one

dOinK

Other numbers found here:

http://www.google.com/groups?hl=en&[email protected]&rnum=7 similar

to

the
following:
-----------------------------------------------------
[.ShellClassInfo]
[email protected],-12689
IconFile=%SystemRoot%\system32\SHELL32.dll
IconIndex=-237
-----------------------------------------------------

The IconFile & IconIndex values are the ones you can alter to
customize
the folder's icon. The
easiest way to obtain the values for the icon you desire

is

to