Change Your Start Menu Folder Icons!

[Guest nedge2k]

Those of you who've used the new Cleartype removal app may have noticed that it also changes some of the folder icons in the start menu. Well you too can do this in a few easy steps:

Step 1: Icon Resource File

This file can be either an .exe or a .dll that contains icons. For this example ill be using the RJShortcut plugin which can be downloaded here. It contains a .dll which you can link to in order to use it's icons. You can also create your own file using the Smartphone 2002 SDK. Non programmers may think thats too dificult for them but trust me its not and Dr. Blow has created a very helpfull little guide with his Cobalt homescreen which can be downloaded here.

Step 2: Selecting The Icons

Once you have the resource file, you'll need to know where the icons are within it. With the RJShortcut plugin you get an image file showing all the icons and thier designations within the file. These designations will be something like "-113". You'll need to make a note of these for the next step in the process. If your not using the file in the example you can use a program called "Resource Hacker" (available here) to extract the information from the file. For example, the system icons in Windows XP are stored in "WindowsSystem32Shell32.dll". If you use res hacker to open this file it will list all the icons and their desginations within the file plus if you right-click on the icon folder you have the option to extract the icons from the file so you can see what your trying to use.

Step 3: Linking The Icon To The Folder

Just like the folders on your PC, the folders on your phone need an information file to tell them where their icon is. On the PC you have an .ini file. On the phone you have a .lnk file. You can make this file using any notepad editor and renaming the .txt extention to a .lnk extention. All that you have to write in this file is (without quotes):

"1#StorageProgram FilesRJRJIcons.dll, -113"

Save this file as "icon.lnk" and copy it into the folder of your choice.

That line of text tells the phone that the folder should display icon 113 in the RJIcons .dll. Also, it doesn't clutter up your start menu folders either as you cant see it there :)

There's some pics below of what mine looks like and ive attached the resource file i made and another .zip with just the icons and designations as their names. I had a prob with my file and one icon went in it twice and two didnt go in at all, weird but it all works as you can see.

ENJOY!!

Alex.

My Icons.zip

Icon Resource.zip

[Guest drblow]

Em ... just to clarify ... how do I apply this tweak to several different folder icons? Obviously if I create 2 files called "icon.lnk", one will overwrite the other when copied to the phone.

Could you post a real dummies answer in simple steps as to how to apply this to several different folders? How does the .lnk file identify which folder you are customising?

[Guest nedge2k]

You put the lnk file in each folder. My pics show just folders. Start menu folders and folders in my media folder.

ss002.gif

[Guest npw]

Is this applicable just for 2003 or will it work on 2002 editions as well

[Guest ferret]

Is this applicable just for 2003 or will it work on 2002 editions as well

See Will's answer in this thread

http://www.modaco.com/viewtopic.php?t=98804

I'm confused now :roll: :oops:

So far I think I understand:

(1)

So to change the icon of a shortcut I just open the .lnk file in notepad/context or whatever and change the number at the end :?:

(2)

To change a folder icon, I just place a icon.lnk file within that folder :?:

(3) Resource file. Is this just a useless exe/dll with icons in it that the .lnk files point to, I assume it sits on the phone somewhere :?:

Will read again tonight, but my head hurts at the moment.

[Guest nedge2k]

Your right on all accounts :)

@NPW although i made my resource file in the 2003 sdk i dont see why it shouldnt work. When i get a chance ill test it on my mate's SPV1.

[Guest ferret]

Cheers nedge2k, I think I'm understanding! Will have another attempt tonight :)

[Guest npw]

i havent been able to get this working yet on my SPV classic. i download icon resource.exe.from this thread and put in in my storage card root directory.

the text file (icon.Ink) i created to drop into my accessories folder went like below:

Storage CardIcon Resource.exe, -113

this didnt work so tried

1#Storage CardIcon Resource.exe, -113

still no joy.

how should it be written?

cheers

[Guest ferret]

Just noticed you've written icon.Ink it should be icon.lnk (lowercase L not uppercase I),

might be a reason :?:

[Guest nedge2k]

It should be:

"1#Storage CardIcon Resource.exe, -113"

and:

ICON.LNK

as ferret said :wink:

[Guest npw]

you legends. cheers

it looked like an uppercase I,

i'll check it out when i get home.

Posted from my SmartPhone!

[Guest greenwood]

It works fine for me when using rjicons.dll but with Icon Resource.exe you've posted it doesn't work at all. :?

[Guest npw]

yeah i had the same problem, couldnt get icon resource to work. so i used Resource Hacker to add the icons downloaded in this thread to the xpicons.exe resource supplied with the xphone skin. it worked perfectly!

cheers

[Guest nedge2k]

Hmmm...probably because ive only got the 2003sdk and thats what the exe was made in...sorry.

[Guest drblow]

he he! this is a cool little tweak! good work nedge fella! :0)

has anybody tried bigger icons? i used 16x16. Posted from my SmartPhone!

[Guest drblow]

he he! this is a cool little tweak! good work nedge fella! :0)

has anybody tried bigger icons? i used 16x16. Posted from my SmartPhone!

[Guest nedge2k]

Cheers :)

32x32 work fine for me and look better too :wink:

[Guest moumou]

Cheers :D

32x32 work fine for me and look better too :wink:

hello there

might this also work on WM5?

realy want this modification

tnx ;)