Finding the Control Panel Applets With Change Icon Dialogue Box

[Chad Harris]

I wanted to get a scanner icon from the control panel applet, and now the
issue is for me whether I can find a folder with control panel applets to
use for icons. I can find a scanner icon one in Scan Sof't's folder ,and
on in the C:\WINDOWS\system32\stimon.exe folder in the system 32 folder to
do this with the Change Icon Dialogue box (reached by right clicking the
shortcut, but I couldn't find the Control Panel folder with the dialogue
box. I could probably find an HP Scanner Icon. What I want to do is reach
Control Panel Applets for Icons if this is possible.


The Control Panel folder is listed in My Computer as an "Other System
Folder" when you Use the Explorer view "Show in Groups."

Does anyone know how to reach the Control Panel's folder from the Change
Icon Dialogue Box if this can be done (right clicking a desktop shortcut and
going through Properties?

TIA,

Chad Harris

 

[David Candy]

There is no control panel folder. It is contrructed from namespaces defined in the registry or cpl files in system32 directory.

 

[Chad Harris]

That answers my question then. And going to copl files in system 32 is
not going to give you anything to apply as an icon substitute. There is no
way quick and direct way then to use those applets for icons. It would
have to be done by using an icon app, and imaging them and using the bit
maps.

Thanks David.

Chad

There is no control panel folder. It is contrructed from namespaces defined
in the registry or cpl files in system32 directory.

 

[David Candy]

No. cpl are dll files. Browse to the respective cpl and choose the icon in that. Else it's a NSE and most are backed by a dll file, Same story.

 

[Chad Harris]

David--

I need some guidance and thanks--you made it easy to find ______cpl.dlls.
Here's what I did, and I have a couple questions and would like to know if
you go after icons that aren't favicons in Windows (and from 3rd party
downloads and apps) how you do it and how you'd do this.

1) I have long been collecting icons by adding .ico onto urls, then changing
dragging to the desktop and changing their name and storing them in a
favicon folder (or dragging them out of TIFs before they disappear on a TIF
clear or a reboot.
2) I haven't used the many 3rd party icon extractors with the system 32,
zip, downloaded programs and many other folders where icon staches (native
Windows and 3rd party) are availalbe but just hit or miss as with the system
32 folder.
3) With your tip I showed all hidden folders/protected Windows and file
extensions and was able to get a list of 6 cpl.dlls. If you use XP's Search
on System 32 it turns up 4 interestingly, and if you directly look there are
6. I don't know why search misses 2 of them, but that's not surprising. I
see it miss folders all the time that I find directly even when you give it
every possible chance to search.
4) What do you mean when you say "or else it's a NSE and most are backed by
a dll file. Same story." I don't know what NSE stands for. Can you help me
with this. Is NSE a source of .dlls with icons where I can harvest them?

Thanks a lot for the help.

Chad
_______________________________________
No. cpl are dll files. Browse to the respective cpl and choose the icon in
that. Else it's a NSE and most are backed by a dll file, Same story.

 

[David Candy]

Can yopu rephrase 1, 2, and 3. I don't see a question in them.

4. Take Control Panel. It is a Namespace Extension (NSE) like My Computer, the Desktop (not the desktop folders), Fonts, Schedule Tasks, & Network Neighbourhood. Folder Options (and the desktop IE icon) is a seperate type of NSE and not called that. It is defined by registry entries. But there needs to be some file with code in it to give it behaviour.

Control Panel, and most of the ones I mention, are in Shell32.dll. These are virtual folders.

EG. There is no My Computer Folder but their is code in shell32 that looks for drives and other things and makes it appear as a folder. With Fonts (I think it also is shell32) the things it shows are also in the folder but what you see is a program listing fonts not the contents of the folder, even though they are closely linked. It is a NSE for the special font vieing commands and so dragging a file in causes it to actually install the font - the font's don't HAVE to be in the fonts folder to be displayed - it just has to be installed. With My Docs it is identical to a file view it is a program showing it (It's a NSE so you can have a custom property sheet for it, else it wouldn't need to be one).

If you search the registry for ShellFolder you'll find all the ones on your machine. There is also code in shdocvw that can allow anyone to make their own simple NSE just by registry entries (called a Shell Instance Object). It's simple because it has 2 behaviours (and sone sub options) only to choose from.

The Start Menu is another which is why dragging files to it cause a shortcut not a move/copy.

The shell namespace is different to the file namespace.

In shell talk it is
Desktop\My Computer\C Drive\boot.ini

in file talk
C:\boot.ini

Programs tend to use file paths not shell paths. Explorer ISN'T a file manager but a namespace browser (as is IE).

 

[Chad Harris]

David--

There was no question in 1-3. I appreciate a lot your trying to make this
understandable to me, and will work with the info later on today. You
didn't say how you go after icons within XP if you want to change them; I
was looking for any ways to improve that over the hit and miss method I use
and the 3rd party apps i know about. I don't know if many others share my
frustration that Windows XP's "Search" is markedly erratic, but I suspect
some do since there are a number of web sites devoted to that topic. You
simply cannot rely on it to find all folders even when you have enabled it
maximally. I only hope MSFT's enthusiasm for improving the mediocre search
on its site announced yesterday by Mr. Gates will impact the search in its
next OS reloaded XP or Longhorn:

http://news.com.com/Microsoft+prepares+for+search+assault/2100-1038_3-5249975.html?tag=nefd.top

Thanks,

Chad Harris



_____________________________________
Can yopu rephrase 1, 2, and 3. I don't see a question in them.

4. Take Control Panel. It is a Namespace Extension (NSE) like My Computer,
the Desktop (not the desktop folders), Fonts, Schedule Tasks, & Network
Neighbourhood. Folder Options (and the desktop IE icon) is a seperate type
of NSE and not called that. It is defined by registry entries. But there
needs to be some file with code in it to give it behaviour.

Control Panel, and most of the ones I mention, are in Shell32.dll. These are
virtual folders.

EG. There is no My Computer Folder but their is code in shell32 that looks
for drives and other things and makes it appear as a folder. With Fonts (I
think it also is shell32) the things it shows are also in the folder but
what you see is a program listing fonts not the contents of the folder, even
though they are closely linked. It is a NSE for the special font vieing
commands and so dragging a file in causes it to actually install the font -
the font's don't HAVE to be in the fonts folder to be displayed - it just
has to be installed. With My Docs it is identical to a file view it is a
program showing it (It's a NSE so you can have a custom property sheet for
it, else it wouldn't need to be one).

If you search the registry for ShellFolder you'll find all the ones on your
machine. There is also code in shdocvw that can allow anyone to make their
own simple NSE just by registry entries (called a Shell Instance Object).
It's simple because it has 2 behaviours (and sone sub options) only to
choose from.

The Start Menu is another which is why dragging files to it cause a shortcut
not a move/copy.

The shell namespace is different to the file namespace.

In shell talk it is
Desktop\My Computer\C Drive\boot.ini

in file talk
C:\boot.ini

Programs tend to use file paths not shell paths. Explorer ISN'T a file
manager but a namespace browser (as is IE).

 

[David Candy]

XP incorporates many of the concepts coming up. XP's search is about finding relevent content. EG It only searches web pages for things you would see viewing the page and not for things that IE uses to render the page (web pages are text files). It's not meant for hackers but for users who are searching for Aunt Mary's photo or a sales manager searching for an old tender document. This is really smart searching. The web sites are by morons who lack the ability to understand how MS improved search. They want it to work in the old stupid searching way. They also don't realise that the old way didm't do what they think it did. It pisses me of too but I realise that the things we do aren't normal things to do with computers. Montoya may compain about his mum's car engine but it is designed to drive to the shop not race at Monte Carlo. His mum would be pissed if she had to replace the engine every week and every time she starts going she does donuts.

Have a look at the icons page here
http://www.mvps.org/serenitymacros/

To change My Computer icon get it clsid and look it up

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\CLSID
These are the desktop ones only and override the system defaults if present

All of them are here
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
EG My Comp
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}\DefaultIcon

NSE all have the string ShellFolder under there key. Search on it. But some get theirs from a desktop.ini. See my 98 web page.