Desktop user folders. - icons/colour

[Michael Chare]

In Windows Explorer:

Under 'Desktop' I have a user 'Michael'
Under 'Michael' I have various folders

Some folders are coloured green with slightly different icons and some are
yellow.

How to I assign a green icon to a yellow folder?

Also, how do I add to the Favorite Links shown in Windows Explorer?

(The fundemental problem is that Vista wants me to keep all my data in
c:\users\Michael using its classification of Links, Music, Pictures, Videos
etc where as I would like to keep my data on a F: drive using my own
organisation.)

 

[Guest]

Right-click one of the green folders in your user folder, go to Properties
then select the Location tab. This will allow you to change the location to
wherever you want it (Your F: drive). The green folder icon will stay in your
user folder, but it will point to your new chosen location.

To add to the Favourite Links bar in Explorer, just drag the folder you want
to add onto it.

 

[Michael Chare]

Right-click one of the green folders in your user folder, go to Properties
then select the Location tab. This will allow you to change the location
to
wherever you want it (Your F: drive). The green folder icon will stay in
your
user folder, but it will point to your new chosen location.

Thanks for the response, but it does not answer the question - and I accept
that what you say is true.

My problem is that I have created a yellow folder and would like to make it
green!

To add to the Favourite Links bar in Explorer, just drag the folder you
want
to add onto it.

It was trying to do that, that lead to me to the situation I now have, the
folder that I tried to move ended up in the wrong place and when I clicked
on unto the hard disk started working very hard doing something that I did
not want!

 

[Keith Miller MVP]

In Windows Explorer:

Under 'Desktop' I have a user 'Michael'
Under 'Michael' I have various folders

Some folders are coloured green with slightly different icons and some are
yellow.

How to I assign a green icon to a yellow folder?

Right-click the folder icon & select 'Properties'. Click the 'Customize'
tab. Click the 'Change Icon' button. In the 'Change Icon...' dialog, click
the 'Browse...' button & select

"G:\Windows\System32\imageres.dll"

the green folder icons are in that file.

Also, how do I add to the Favorite Links shown in Windows Explorer?

Open the parent folder of the folder you wish to add, then drag & drop the
folder into the 'Favorite Links' pane. Or you can open two windows, one to
the 'Links' folder & the other to the parent of the target. Right-click &
drag the target to the 'Links' folder & select 'Create Shortcut' when you
release the mouse button.

(The fundemental problem is that Vista wants me to keep all my data in
c:\users\Michael using its classification of Links, Music, Pictures,
Videos etc where as I would like to keep my data on a F: drive using my
own organisation.)

You can use the 'Location' tab found in the Properties dialog of the shell
folders to redirect where those folders are stored. If you want shortcuts
in your 'Favorite Links' pane, you need the Links folder. But you can
rename the user folders, change their location, & change the template. So
you should be able to organize it however you wish. The folders will show
under Michael on the Desktop, regardless of their location. If you don't
like that, just hide 'Michael' on the Desktop.

 

[Max]

Right click the folder, Properties, Customize Tab.
Change Icon button, Browse to System32\imageres.dll, and choose the icon you
like--all the 'special' color folder icons are in there.

 

[Adam Albright]

Thanks for the response, but it does not answer the question - and I accept
that what you say is true.

My problem is that I have created a yellow folder and would like to make it
green!

Easier said then done. Images of Folders in Explorer are icons. In
Vista, because of Aero, the icons are much bigger and are saved as
..png files so they don't deteriorate in quality when viewed at large
sizes. In earlier versions of Windows icons were much smaller, now
they're 256x256 size.

While you can make your own custom icons easy enough, if you have the
right software, is it a fairly involved process and for most hardly
worth the bother. Doing it yourself you get best results using a
vector based graphic tool such as Adobe's Illustrator, raster based
images like .jpgs just won't cut it if you want fancy and sharp
looking icons.

A better approach if you just have to have special icons is just buy
somebody else'a already made icon set or like below a tool that helps
you make them. Haven't tried the software, at least the article seems
accurate just skimming it quickly.

http://www.rw-designer.com/vista-icon

Awhile back I did post a article here in this newsgroup on how to add
content (dress up the first item in a folder via image enhancement)
for any folder to make it look special and standout. Forgot the title
of the thread, think it was just a reply to somebody else's question.
If there's interest I'll post a new thread explaining this alternative
which for me works well.

The problem with changing "system" icons is it becomes a take it or
leave it proposition. You can't easily keep the orignal icon and have
the special one too. So normally you can't have one icon in Explorer
in one color on your C drive to respresent open folders then another
icon for open folders in a different color somewhere else. While I
suppose that can be done, you're getting into real programming and for
sure not worth the bother just to color a icon in my opinion.

 

[Michael Chare]

Right-click the folder icon & select 'Properties'. Click the 'Customize'
tab. Click the 'Change Icon' button. In the 'Change Icon...' dialog,
click the 'Browse...' button & select

"G:\Windows\System32\imageres.dll"

the green folder icons are in that file.

Thanks for your reply.

Now here's the funny thing, the directory I am trying to change is
Michael\Download (no s) and its location is F:\Download

F:\Download has many sub directories and I could indeed click on a 'Change
Icon' button on these sub directories properties.

However when I look at the 'Customize' 'Properties' of Michael\Download
there is no 'Change Icon' button!!

The other directories in Michael, such as 'Music' do have a 'Change Icon'
button.

So Where has the 'Change Icon' button in Michael\Download gone? and can I
restore it?

Thanks

--
Michael Chare

Also, how do I add to the Favorite Links shown in Windows Explorer?

Open the parent folder of the folder you wish to add, then drag & drop the
folder into the 'Favorite Links' pane. Or you can open two windows, one
to the 'Links' folder & the other to the parent of the target.
Right-click & drag the target to the 'Links' folder & select 'Create
Shortcut' when you release the mouse button.

(The fundemental problem is that Vista wants me to keep all my data in
c:\users\Michael using its classification of Links, Music, Pictures,
Videos etc where as I would like to keep my data on a F: drive using my
own organisation.)

You can use the 'Location' tab found in the Properties dialog of the shell
folders to redirect where those folders are stored. If you want shortcuts
in your 'Favorite Links' pane, you need the Links folder. But you can
rename the user folders, change their location, & change the template. So
you should be able to organize it however you wish. The folders will show
under Michael on the Desktop, regardless of their location. If you don't
like that, just hide 'Michael' on the Desktop.


--
Good Luck,

Keith
Microsoft MVP [Windows XP Shell/User]

 

[Guest]

Open the hidden file desktop.ini in the folder. Edit it there. Change your
Icon size slighty is Display, change it back (causes explorer to lost all
memory of icons. It remembers every icon it sees and keeps it in memory
while running and on disk while not. It doesn't feel the need to check if
people are doing underhanded things to it (programs get messages when you
use a formal user interface or an API call to change settings so it doesn't
expect them to be edited) so it doesn't reread the icon without a reason
to..

Right-click the folder icon & select 'Properties'. Click the 'Customize'
tab. Click the 'Change Icon' button. In the 'Change Icon...' dialog,
click the 'Browse...' button & select

"G:\Windows\System32\imageres.dll"

the green folder icons are in that file.

Thanks for your reply.

Now here's the funny thing, the directory I am trying to change is
Michael\Download (no s) and its location is F:\Download

F:\Download has many sub directories and I could indeed click on a 'Change
Icon' button on these sub directories properties.

However when I look at the 'Customize' 'Properties' of Michael\Download
there is no 'Change Icon' button!!

The other directories in Michael, such as 'Music' do have a 'Change Icon'
button.

So Where has the 'Change Icon' button in Michael\Download gone? and can
I restore it?

Thanks

--
Michael Chare

Also, how do I add to the Favorite Links shown in Windows Explorer?

Open the parent folder of the folder you wish to add, then drag & drop
the folder into the 'Favorite Links' pane. Or you can open two windows,
one to the 'Links' folder & the other to the parent of the target.
Right-click & drag the target to the 'Links' folder & select 'Create
Shortcut' when you release the mouse button.

(The fundemental problem is that Vista wants me to keep all my data in
c:\users\Michael using its classification of Links, Music, Pictures,
Videos etc where as I would like to keep my data on a F: drive using my
own organisation.)

You can use the 'Location' tab found in the Properties dialog of the
shell folders to redirect where those folders are stored. If you want
shortcuts in your 'Favorite Links' pane, you need the Links folder. But
you can rename the user folders, change their location, & change the
template. So you should be able to organize it however you wish. The
folders will show under Michael on the Desktop, regardless of their
location. If you don't like that, just hide 'Michael' on the Desktop.


--
Good Luck,

Keith
Microsoft MVP [Windows XP Shell/User]

 

[Keith Miller MVP]

Hmm... you're right, Vista doesn't want you changing the icon, but you can.
Here is the default contents of the 'Downloads' folder desktop.ini file:


[.ShellClassInfo]
LocalizedResourceName=@%SystemRoot%\system32\shell32.dll,-21798
IconResource=%SystemRoot%\system32\imageres.dll,-184

that gives it a green folder icon with a blue arrow.

If the file already exists, but the icon is still generic, open a command
prompt window & type:

F:<enter>
attrib +r download<enter>


--
Good Luck,

Keith
Microsoft MVP [Windows XP Shell/User]

Right-click the folder icon & select 'Properties'. Click the 'Customize'
tab. Click the 'Change Icon' button. In the 'Change Icon...' dialog,
click the 'Browse...' button & select

"G:\Windows\System32\imageres.dll"

the green folder icons are in that file.

Thanks for your reply.

Now here's the funny thing, the directory I am trying to change is
Michael\Download (no s) and its location is F:\Download

F:\Download has many sub directories and I could indeed click on a 'Change
Icon' button on these sub directories properties.

However when I look at the 'Customize' 'Properties' of Michael\Download
there is no 'Change Icon' button!!

The other directories in Michael, such as 'Music' do have a 'Change Icon'
button.

So Where has the 'Change Icon' button in Michael\Download gone? and can
I restore it?

Thanks

--
Michael Chare

Also, how do I add to the Favorite Links shown in Windows Explorer?

Open the parent folder of the folder you wish to add, then drag & drop
the folder into the 'Favorite Links' pane. Or you can open two windows,
one to the 'Links' folder & the other to the parent of the target.
Right-click & drag the target to the 'Links' folder & select 'Create
Shortcut' when you release the mouse button.

(The fundemental problem is that Vista wants me to keep all my data in
c:\users\Michael using its classification of Links, Music, Pictures,
Videos etc where as I would like to keep my data on a F: drive using my
own organisation.)

You can use the 'Location' tab found in the Properties dialog of the
shell folders to redirect where those folders are stored. If you want
shortcuts in your 'Favorite Links' pane, you need the Links folder. But
you can rename the user folders, change their location, & change the
template. So you should be able to organize it however you wish. The
folders will show under Michael on the Desktop, regardless of their
location. If you don't like that, just hide 'Michael' on the Desktop.


--
Good Luck,

Keith
Microsoft MVP [Windows XP Shell/User]

 

[Michael Chare]

Hmm... you're right, Vista doesn't want you changing the icon, but you
can. Here is the default contents of the 'Downloads' folder desktop.ini
file:


[.ShellClassInfo]
LocalizedResourceName=@%SystemRoot%\system32\shell32.dll,-21798
IconResource=%SystemRoot%\system32\imageres.dll,-184

that gives it a green folder icon with a blue arrow.

If the file already exists, but the icon is still generic, open a command
prompt window & type:

F:<enter>
attrib +r download<enter>

Thanks for all the replies.

The problem seams to be that I had lost the desktop.ini file for the
Download folder. Creating a desktop.ini file as made the folder Green!

 

[Keith Miller MVP]

You're welcome. Glad to hear it's sorted.


--
Good Luck,

Keith
Microsoft MVP [Windows XP Shell/User]

Hmm... you're right, Vista doesn't want you changing the icon, but you
can. Here is the default contents of the 'Downloads' folder desktop.ini
file:


[.ShellClassInfo]
LocalizedResourceName=@%SystemRoot%\system32\shell32.dll,-21798
IconResource=%SystemRoot%\system32\imageres.dll,-184

that gives it a green folder icon with a blue arrow.

If the file already exists, but the icon is still generic, open a command
prompt window & type:

F:<enter>
attrib +r download<enter>

Thanks for all the replies.

The problem seams to be that I had lost the desktop.ini file for the
Download folder. Creating a desktop.ini file as made the folder Green!