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Making a green folder icon in (windows)
explorer
source: yours truly (with a little help)
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What this page is about:
Show open
folders in a different color, like green: This is beneficial
if you use Windows Explorer to manage your files:
Here's what it looks like (left).
This "tweak" is pretty handy in that it lets you determine at
a glace what folder you're working with in the right pane.
The standard warning:
Back up your data and be careful with the registry
(and system files like shell32.dll) - One wrong move and your weekend
plans now involve reinstalling windows and swearing profusely - So be
careful.
That said, as long as your careful, you won't get into any trouble...
Before you begin:
Prepare your replacement icon:
Download my:
 greenfolder.ico
(icon file).
or
You can also create your own icon with one of the utilities
below
or
download icons from the web. They're everywhere, go to a search engine...
How to proceed:
Method 1.  Icon
and shell editing software from the web
Method 2. Modify the Shell Icons registry key (easy)
Method 3a. Modify SHELL32.DLL
(the easy way) - great method from Patrick C.
Method 3b. Modify SHELL32.DLL (the hard way) - yeah
thanks Steve
*NOTE: For Windows2000 users (and WinNT users?):
If you have Windows Explorer set to "open in a separate process,"
this particular tweak won't work properly.
Simply go to the following key:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced
and check that the key:
SeparateProcess [DWORD] is set to 0.
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Method 1. Icon
and shell editing software
*Note: the shell editors I found really concentrate on changing
icons. There is a much wider variety of shell editors available
out there...
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All of the utilities here really do make modifying system icons (including
folder icons) easy.
Icon editors:
AxIcons (Axialis)
The icon editor I personally use. It has many useful features.
There's a 'customize windows' button that lets you take care of this business
in a snap.
MicroAngelo
(Impact software)
Also a top-rated icon editing package. I haven't had the chance to try
it yet.
Shell editors: (as they relate to icons)
Activ-Icons (CursorArts)
lots of capabilities, but kinda messed up my icons in Win2k
E-Icons (Easy Icons)
Simple and effective - I recommend this program
I-phile (Scrows Icons)
Didn't work too well for me
Icon Packager
(stardock.com)
Another good program. I recommend this as well, probably above E-Icons.
btw - The "shell" is a fancy word for the (graphical) user interface
(GUI) or the "look" of your computer.
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Mehod 2. Do it yourself modify Shell Icons
key
"Key" is just a fancy word for registry entry or folder
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1. Open 
RegEdit (Start > Run > type "regedit")
Go to the following key (add the "Shell Icons"
key if it isn't present):
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell
Icons
2. The open folder is icon #4
If the entry for "4" isn't present, just right
click (or go to edit) > New >
String Value:
Name it "4"
Right-click (or go to edit) select Modify
>
enter the filepath to your icon file, followed by a comma ",",
followed by a "0".
(see image below)
If you're using a single icon, use ",0". If you're using a dll
or icon library, use the number of the icon within the dll you want to
use. An icon editor will be able to show you all icons
inside a dll... etc.
3. Delete the shelliconcache file.
It's usually in
C:\WINNT\ (in Win2k/NT4 boxes)
and
C:\Windows\ (in Win9x boxes)
In NT4, I just logged off and logged back on and viola.
4. Restart
I've heard rumors that you need to turn off your computer for at least
30 seconds, but I think that might be urban legend.
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Method 3a. Modify SHELL32.DLL in safe-mode
(the easy way)
This one is straight from Patrick C. - Thanks!
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However from an earlier fix I was successful in changing the shell32.dll
without crashing win2k. The fact of the matter is simple. turn off the
SFC. here is the key.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon
Value is SFCDisable
REG_DWORD
Change it from 0 (enable)
to the 4294967197 (decimal) which is
0xffffff9d (hex) (duh -Ed)
- Then you need to go into Safemode with command
prompt
- At the prompt type CD winnt\system32
then type copy shell32.dll newshell32.dll
- Then boot back into normal windows
- Modify the icons in the newshell32.dll
file you made using an editor that can deal with the dlls
- Save it and once more switch to Safemode
- At the prompt type CD winnt\system32
- then type ren shell32.dll
oldshell32.dll (ren is the DOS rename utility)
- teh type ren newshell32.dll
shell32.dll
- Then boot back into normal windows
- Then you can turn the SFCDisable back on and your
done
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Method 3b. Do it yourself - modifying shell32.dll
(the hard way)
I wouldn't be hard-headed if I didn't pull crap like
this once in a while
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Let me just say first off: You can end up with
a non-functional OS very easily messing with system files. You've been
warned.
The open folder and other icons are contained in the SHELL32.DLL file
located in:
C:\WINNT\SYSTEM32 (In Win2k/NT4 boxes)
and
C:\Windows\SYSTEM\ (In Win9x boxes)
By opening this file in an icon editor (such as AxIcons),
one can modify these icons directly.
The one problem is that SHELL32.DLL is a vital system file and should
not be tampered with. The answer to this is to simply:
1. boot into DOS (see the boot disk page)
2. In DOS make a copy of SHELL32.DLLl (I would make another backup copy
just to be safe)
3. Boot back into Windows, modify the icons in the copy
I would take this opportunity
to delete the shelliconcache file.
4. Boot back into DOS, swap the modified SHELL32.DLL file back for the
original
5. Boot back into Windows and hope and pray you didn't fuX0r it up.
NOTE: The steps above only work for Win 9x but not 2000/NT4 unless you're
running FAT or FAT32. If you're running NTFS, you're SOL.
What I've done is simply connect your drive to another functional NT4
box. While you're using that box, your SHELL32.DLL file to be modified
isn't being used by the os, so you can modify it to your heart's content.
Another note: You use this method on a 9x box as well, just remember NT4
doesn't read FAT32.
If you use the Registry editor frequently, you might think it would
be nice to see what HKEY you have open at any given time.
Unfortunately the above tweak doesn't work with regedit, but changing
the icons in RegEdit is still pretty simple.
*NOTE: You might want to save a backup of regedit before
you begin.
Just use any Icon editor (see above)
to open the RegEdit executable (c:\windows\Regedit.exe or c:\winnt\regedit32.exe).
Inside you'll see a few icons. Just change the icon for the open folder.
Save and exit.
Related
links
This guy's text
file got me going in NT4
skinz.org
For the LINUX community, but we can mooch
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