I would like to know - how can I get all the folders in My Documents to look
like the main one - green and slightly translucent? I know it's kind of
trivial, but I like the symmetry when all the folders look alike and the old
manila folders are ugly. Anybody know how to make them all look the same?
For the creative types you can locate and change any icon and replace
with those of your own making. I haven't had a chance to snoop around
in Vista where particular icons are, maybe somebody else does know
already. For others there are actually quite a few shareware
applications that are suppose to be able do this kind of thing, again
if they work for Vista, probably too early to say for sure. I have a
buddy that did it in XP, forget the name of what application he used.
You can also try the trick I wrote a little article on about a week
back and posted to this newsgroup which changes the look of folders by
adding customer artwork to what appears INSIDE the folder as the
'first page' in effect making whatever artwork you make appear in
Windows Explorer as part of particular folders. Reprinted below:
Yyou can add tags to many kinds of data and image files (right
click-properties-details tab)or if you want to get a little creative
you can add customized artwork to show what's in your folders.
Advanced tip:
1. Open your favorite graphic program. I used Photoshop. Create a new
blank image, I used 140 width by 200 height in pixels. No reason,
just eyeballed it for testing. I'm using fairly high resolution
at 1920x1280 if you're not running that high make the blank
smaller.
2. Next I applied a gradient to add some color and a little varation.
Not necessary, but since graphics is what I do, why not.
3. Then I just typed a label 'Done', aligned vertically and moved this
layer to near the right size of the background.
4. Merge from the Layers menu to combine the background and text.
5. I saved as test.jpg but you may want to save in another format if
you want to make it transparant or something more fancy.
Now go to Windows Explorer and click on a folder you would like to
decorate. I picked my "F" drive folder. Right click on it, then
properties, then click on customize. Under Folder pictures, choose
file then navigate to where you saved the artwork you just made, click
open, apply and finally ok.
Now go back to the Windows Explorer, left pane and see the effect. I
now see a gradiant fill pale tan sheet inside the open folder icon
with the words 'done' in red text. The effect is as if you stuck a
loose page inside a folder with this sheet sticking out a bit. If you
have Aero enabled a rather striking effect since the folder icon and
the art work you just made is displayed in 3D and each cast their own
shadow.
You can continue on and make different inserts for each of your key
folders. ;-) Or you can view this as just a huge waste of time.
