How To Permanently Change Recycle Bin Icons
PROBLEM: If the icons aren’t in the “imageres.dll” file, you have to hit F5 on a clean spot on the desktop to refresh the icons or try a registry hack to get them to automatically change.
SOLUTION:
1. Take ownership (here's how to do that -
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/1911-take-ownership-shortcut.html ) of "imageres.dll" in Windows\system32.
2. If you haven't got already, download
ResHacker (NOTE: Reshacker doesn´t work with x64-files. You need Restorator or Anolis Resourcer (Freeware)
Anolis - Home > The remainder will refer to ResHacker, please make the adjustment mentally for x64)
3. Make a folder - "change-recycle" for example - and put into it a copy of “imageres.dll” from windows\system32.
4. Also in the folder put a copy of “reshacker.exe”. (I just unzipped reshacker into the working folder.)
5. Move copies of the new icons for full and empty into the folder.
Now you're ready to make the changes.
6. Run reshacker and open imageres.dll by clicking on "File | Open". With imageres.dll in the same folder, it will appear as an option.
7. Open the folder “Icon Group”
8. Go to folder number 54 – that is the “full” recycle bin set of icons. When you open it, you get an error that you are out of system resources. Ignore it, click OK.
9. Go to “Actions” and click on “replace icon”.
10. Click "browse" to see the icons in the folder you're in, and select the one for a full recycle bin.
11. Repeat for number 55, the empty recycle bin entries.
12. Save the file (I use “save as” and named it “imageres-2.dll”).
13. Exit reshacker.
14. Open windows\system32 and re-name “imageres.dll” to “imageres-old.dll”.
15. Move in the new “imageres.dll” (rename it if you did a “save as” with a different name).
At this point you’re set.
16. Right click on the desktop and select “personalize”.
17. Select “change desktop icons” on the upper left side and click on the one for the full recycle bin.
18. You should be in windows\system32\imageres.dll, if not, browse to there (This will only be necessary if you have previously changed the icon to something else, and the changed icon is in another file)
19. Scroll to the new icon and click OK. Repeat, doing the selection for the empty icon.
Now you’re done. The recycle bin will change automatically.
NOTE: If you want to change other icons, you can install the free program
Icon Viewer to add a
Icons tab to the
Properties pages of files that contain icons in them. For example, with the imageres.dll file. It will let you easily see the number to use for the icon.