Solved Folder Icons ?

[Robert11]

Hello,

I would like to change the look of some of my Folders, and have it display what I guess is called an Icon.

From the Properties/Customize Menu, I can select any one of a bunch that they give you.
No problem.

But I see that there are many sites that offer free Icons also.

Can't figure out how to use them, though.

Do I just Download them to my desktop ?

Or, is there a special Folder on W7 where they should all be placed ?
If so, how do I then use them in changing my various Folders looks.

Any detailed how-too's would be most appreciated.

Thanks,
Bob

 

[Mike Connor]

You can find a tutorial on how to change some icons here;

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/53402-shortcut-change-icon.html

Folder Icon Change - Vista Forums

Regards....Mike Connor

 

[Robert11]

From OP:

Hi,

Thanks for info. and link.
A good helpful read, especially for folks like me.

But, when I find free icon offering on a web site, how do I work with those ?

Regards and thanks,
Bob

 

[Arc]

Hi Robert

You can change any folder icon, anytime using the Properties> Customize context menu . You can also do it with a downloaded icon (a single .ico file), just place the downloaded icon in a real location where you will not delete it (otherwise if deleted, it will be converted to a generic icon) .

You can put different icons to every folder in this way, but to do it properly, you are to disable your thumbnail cache, otherwise it will look creepy (http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/11738-thumbnail-previews-enable-disable.html).

When thumbnail preview is enabled, windows 7 icons are per class, that means you cannot change an individual icon at a time . You are to change the class . Actually, a windows 7 folder icon is not a single icon, but a combination of five different ico files , namely imageres#3.ico, imageres#4.ico. imageres#5.ico, imageres#6.ico and imageres#162.ico . You are to change all of those, and obviously with the appropriate icons . (http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/144807-folder-icon-change-default-icon.html).

There are a few paid programs that can do it nicely , like Stardock Iconpackager .
This free app Library Icon Changer also supposed to do it, but I have not managed it to work for me .

Hope it makes the situation a bit clear

EDIT : For changing the look of "some of " the folders, Wolfgang's contribution to http://www.sevenforums.com/1242686-post2.html will help you a lot .

 

[DragonPoet]

There is them guy called Mr. Grim. He created some icons and (I think a third party created) installers for them. If you want I can attach them on here for you. You can also google "Mr. Grim Icon Pack with Installers".

 

[Arc]

Mr. Grim/ Mark is one of the most respected members of the forums ! Here is his creations : Virtual Customs • Home • Customize Your Virtual World!

 

[Robert11]

From OP:

Hi,

Much thanks for all the info.

Just what I was looking for.

Regards,
Bob

 

[Mike Connor]

Hi,

Thanks for info. and link.
A good helpful read, especially for folks like me.

But, when I find free icon offering on a web site, how do I work with those ?

Regards and thanks,
Bob

My pleasure. You can use any icons you like for most things, although it is more difficult to change some system icons.

You might like to try these;

Rainbow Folders download and reviews from SnapFiles

This allows you to colour folders so that they stand out, are easy to find, important, etc;





IconViewer

This allows you to view/save icons contained in various files;




IcoFX - The Free Icon Editor

This allows you to edit icons, or make your own:



Icons are merely small graphics which may be associated with a program. Avoid downloading "Icon packs as executable files" you are not sure about, as they often do other things you might not want. Just download the icons you want.

For a large selection of free icons;

Icon Archive - Search 252,702 free icons, desktop icons, download icons, social icons, xp icons, vista icons

Free Icons Web - Free Icons, Stock Icons, Desktop Icons, PNG Icons, Windows Icons

You can also search Google images for icons;

http://www.google.de/search?q=icons...&source=og&sa=N&hl=de&tab=wi&biw=1405&bih=827

there are many icon collections on the web. You can also make your own, or change the ones you have, using the editor I linked to above.

You can download a single icon, or a collection. For icons I want to use, I have a folder called "Icons" on my system drive. This ensures that I keep the associations I am using if I run a backup image etc.

Regards....Mike Connor