Windows 7: Changing Icons with Imageres.dll, Major Problems...

Hello everyone,

I have been having some major problems customizing the icons for Windows 7 (Ultimate x64).

I edited imageres.dll with Resource Hacker and changed a number of the icons, then I saved the file.

I looked through the process of replacing the default imageres.dll file in System32 folder on multiple threads and several websites.

However, it seems that no matter what I do, I somehow mess up my whole system and I have to restore from a system image.

I am able to replace the file just fine. I take ownership of imageres.dll in system32 and rename it, and then copy the modified file and make sure it says "imageres.dll".

The copy process works out fine.



However, when I reboot, I cannot log into Windows. It goes to the screen where you would normally select the user and type the password to get into windows.

However, there are no user accounts to choose from. I can only reboot or shutdown at that stage. No user accounts are accessable. I see the login screen wallpaper and the buttons at the bottom, but no user images or accounts that I can log in with.

This happens if I try to boot into safe mode as well.


What is causing this? I haven't heard this described in any threads I have read. In fact, there was one time that I was able to replace the imageres.dll file and have it work and update some icons, but I cannot remember exactly which method I used. Shortly after that, I screwed something up (unrelated to that problem) and had to restore from a system image, which was created before I modified the imageres file.


Can someone here please help me? I spent a long time modifying icons in imageres.dll and I really want to use them. It is really getting tedious to have to do a full system restore from an image every time I try to modify this file.

I really need some help.

I just found something out.

If I try and open up the modified imageres.dll file in Resource Hacker, when I go to look at the icons in "Icon Group", I see this error message,

"This file has a non-standard resource layout... it has probably been compressed with an "EXE compressor"."

What does this mean? Is that why my computer "breaks" every time I try to copy this file to the system32 folder?

Can I repair the imageres.dll file somehow? I am pretty sure I changed all the icons correctly in the Resource Hacker program.

I could open the file while I was working with it. Then I copied the file to another drive, restored windows from an image, and now I cannot look at the icons in Resource Hacker anymore.

Can someone please offer some advice and help for this?

I just want to see the modified icons I took so long to put together in the dll file.

Thanks.

hello.

the error message in resource hacker is for the absence of all icon resolutions, and nothing serious.

at work now. returning, i will have another look, if i can help you somehow

If you put you imageres file in a zip folder and upload it I will have a look for you whilst we wait for archie to get back.
Also at this point I would run this - SFC /SCANNOW Command - System File Checker just to put all the origional files back in place so we have somewhere to start from.

Danny

Edit - One other thing I see you are using 64bit windows, did you also modify the SystemWOW64 imageres.dll aswell, as there are 2 files to alter in a 64bit system.

Initially I didn't modify the SystemWOW64 file as well. I did try that and the same thing happened.

However, are the imageres.dll files entirely different in System32 vs SystemWOW64?

I heavily modified the dll I found in the System32 folder. Can I simply copy that file to SystemWOW64 as well as System32 or do I have to start from scratch and modify the WOW64 file separately?

Here is the imageres file:

imageres.zip


Thanks for the help.

Hate to be the bearer of bad news here but

DO NOT JUST COPY THE FILES OVER.

Although the files are very similar you cannot just copy them over. You must follow the same procedure on the SystemWOW64 imageres as you did with the System32 one, also some also appear in the Shell32.dll aswell depending on the ones you are changing, I will have a look at your file now. Hang Tight

Danny

I get the same error as you when opening with resource hacker and also icon viewer says there are no icons at all in the file Your file is also about 9-10meg bigger than normal, have you added any new ones or just replaced some originals.

What was your exact process for replacing the icons and also a sample of the icons used would be helpful at this point.

I've not come across that error before and Archie is the expert in this but I would say the file is no good (sorry) Either the icons you used or the process to replace them is not right.

I can't even extract any icons with IcoFx.

Hello jrodefeld .

If you upload the icons in a zip for us, any of us may try to do it for you. And what Danny told is right, you are to modify both the files in a 64 bit system. Files are identical, but locations are different

I am getting an error when trying to look at or extract the icons with Restorator 2007 also must be some bad images or something.

Just as a side note all the icons in the imagere.dll in both C:\Windows\System32 and C:\Windows\SysWOW64 are the same (even the same number) that is one reason why I use Restorator 2007 after editing the first .dll then you can click and drag and drop the whole icon folder to your desktop then you can load up the second .dll and click and drag and drop the whole folder back in the second one.
As Archie said above give us the icons and someone will do it for you.
Jerry

Thanks for all the help.

I figured the file was corrupt, so I went ahead and redit both the system32 imageres.dll file and the syswow64 file.

Now they are working when I replace the files.



However, I do have one problem. I changed the default folder icon, but some of my folders are not changing. The vast majority have changed, but (under C not "Users", "Intel", "Media Server" and a handful of others throughout my system.

I am nearly positive that I changed every folder icon in imageres.dll.

I did clear the icon cache. I even also changed the default folder through the registry as well.


What do you think could be the problem?


Also, is there any reason to modify the shell32.dll file as well? Maybe I need to change the folder icons in that file?

Thanks for the help.