Customizing Icons

  • Thread starter Thread starter MR
  • Start date Start date
M

MR

Hello,

As I don't like the yellow folders and generic files and drive icons since
the beginning, I use some icons I've designed myself and grouped in an *.icl
library inside the Win directory. I'm able to use it and set it and all
appears ok, on the desktop and within the windows explorer... but it don't
works in dialog boxes (save, open,...) nor in Internet Explorer... Original
MS icons still appears here. This behavior (bug ? Looks like the dialog boxe
call directly icons from the shell32.dll file instead of using registry
settings) begins since Win2K sp2, and still here with XP. All other Windows
versions (95,98,NT,2K pre-sp2) used the icons as defined with "MicroAngelo",
"More properties", and by hand in the registry.

So, I found a woraround that is to customize the shell32.dll and so on, but
that's annoying : by exemple service pack regularly upgrade some of these
DLL and I must redo my "job" again with the new version... The same when I
upgrade my own design work, and I must be carefull with Windows File
Protection...

Did anybody know a smarter way ?

Thanks in advance.
 
try this: http://www.stardock.com/products/iconpackager/

--

Hope this helps. Let us know.
_____________
Kenny S
www.computerboom.net
FREE programs and MORE!

---

MR said:
Hello,

As I don't like the yellow folders and generic files and drive icons since
the beginning, I use some icons I've designed myself and grouped in an *.icl
library inside the Win directory. I'm able to use it and set it and all
appears ok, on the desktop and within the windows explorer... but it don't
works in dialog boxes (save, open,...) nor in Internet Explorer... Original
MS icons still appears here. This behavior (bug ? Looks like the dialog boxe
call directly icons from the shell32.dll file instead of using registry
settings) begins since Win2K sp2, and still here with XP. All other Windows
versions (95,98,NT,2K pre-sp2) used the icons as defined with "MicroAngelo",
"More properties", and by hand in the registry.

So, I found a woraround that is to customize the shell32.dll and so on, but
that's annoying : by exemple service pack regularly upgrade some of these
DLL and I must redo my "job" again with the new version... The same when I
upgrade my own design work, and I must be carefull with Windows File
Protection...

Did anybody know a smarter way ?

Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
try this: http://www.stardock.com/products/iconpackager/

--

Hope this helps. Let us know.
_____________
Kenny S
www.computerboom.net
FREE programs and MORE!

---
 
Kenny S écrivait ceci :
try this: http://www.stardock.com/products/iconpackager/
Click to expand...
Hope this helps. Let us know.
_____________
Kenny S
www.computerboom.net
FREE programs and MORE!
Click to expand...

Nice links on your site, regarding Windows skinning ;-)

Not icon related but I found YZShadow is a nice add-on. Not found one
problem yet, nor a visual default.
I previously tried some utility achieving same shadow effects but all were
"buggy" in a way or an other : Flash or Illustrator or other software not
very aware of Win GUI guidelines didn't like them.

Thanks for your advice, I will try IconPackager. Don't know if it allows to
customize toolbars in Explorer and dialogs... (looks like : some skins at
stardock have customised toolbars). Since I designed too my own skin with
StyleXP/StyleBuilder... don't know how it can interfere with stardock apps.
So I must do a backup, first. Such a shame MS didn't *first* hired skilled
designers for XP :-( Such vulgarity... too much silly bright colors
everywhere, enormous menus bars and awfull start button... Hard to focuse on
your job, even if implement a "skin" concept is great.

I will tell you if it's really what I'm looking for.
 
MR écrivait ceci :
Kenny S écrivait ceci :
Click to expand...
I will tell you if it's really what I'm looking for.
Click to expand...

So... It don't work. Dialogs use defaults Win icons. Looks like IconPackager
is not very optimised for XP.

Overwhere it informs me that having Explorer set to browse in different
memory instance can (and effectively does) "force" Explorer to use default
Win icons. Thats's the case by exemple when you browse by a shortcut or in
IE window.

Guess i will have to continue to "hack" my shell32.dll file :-(
I will try a different method (at this time I used MicroAngelo plus
eXescope) : Resbuild (from the authors of StyleXP) breaks the DLL in files
inside a folder : I just have to replace ico files here (but it must have
the same format than the original, size and colors) and recompile. Once my
set will be done, it should be easy to backup and reuse it with next update
of Shell32.dll. One doubt is about the stability : Shell32.dll is easy to
corrupt...
 
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