Icons - Change Using Resource Hacker

   Information

A few days ago I faced a question http://www.sevenforums.com/customization/72719-how-do-i-change-icons-using-restorator.html . I provided the suggestion there; latter thought if there is a tutorial, it may help many guys asking the question.

   Note

Tools required :
1. Resource Hacker : Now supports 64 bit system and .png files. Download it from : Download New Updated “Resource Hacker 3.5.2 Beta” with 64-bit and PNG File Support - Tweaking with Vishal

2. IcoFX : A free application that can be used to get a ready reference of the system icons. Download it from IcoFX - The Free Icon Editor - Download

Download and install the above mentioned programs.


Now it starts :

Suppose we are changing the default games icon with this one

Though almost all of the system is changeable in this process, it is just an example

1. Go to C:\Windows\System32\imageres.dll and take a copy if it in a secured place (i.e. take a backup of it)

2. Now Take Ownership of the imageres.dll

3. Open IcoFX. Click on Tools > Resource Editor.

4. In the resource editor window , click on the folder icon. The Open Resources window will appear.

5. In the open resources window, give the filename "imageres.dll" and click open.

6. So in the resource editor window, The games icon no is #14

We are to moderate it using Resource Hacker. Now we may close IcoFX.

7. Open Resource Hacker. Click on File > Open . It will automatically open in System 32.

8. In the incoming box, give the file name "imageres.dll" and click "open".

9. Now, Click on the "+" sign in front of "Icon Group"

10. You will look the Icon group tree expands, and an item "*1033" there. Click on "*1033" and see the games icon revealed in the right side pane of the window.

11. Now right click on "*1033" and click on "replace resource"

12. In the upcoming box, click on "Open the file with new icon" and browse for it.

13. Now, first click on "Select new icon" and then click on "replace"

Repeat upto step 13 for the icons you want to change at a time, and when all of your icons are replaced, go to step 14.
14. We are almost done. We successfully modified the imageres.dll file. Now it is to save it. Cilck on File > Save as, give the filename "imageres,dll". Save it on your desktop.

15. Go again to C:\Windows\System32\imageres.dll. Rename it to inageresOLD.dll or something. Now copy the modified imageres.dll in that location. The last thing is to restart ... either you may restart your computer, or you may restart explorer.exe using task manager.

16. After restart, Click on start menu and place your pointer on the games link. you will get it

I agree with you that the process is lengthy and labourous But it is the free of cost way to change all the system icons.

Enjoy yourself. And again,dont forget to backup your original imageres.dll before starting the process

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• How to Change Windows 7 Default Folder Icons using Resource Hacker

 

[Britton30]

Great tutorial! Nice Arc!
I have a question. Will running sfc /scannow replace the modified icon to the default ones?

It did change some of mine back to default. My Pc does screwy things though.

 

[Arc]

12. In the upcoming box, click on "Open the file with new icon" and browse for it.

Browse for what !? .ico file !? when i open .ico with Resource Hacker, it says "out of memory".. i want to replace my app icon with this .ico files..

I apologise for being the newbie who brings up the ancient thread, but I'm receiving the "out of memory" popup, too, and it fails to add the new icon. I've taken ownership, and tried adding it with resource hacker several times, to no avail. Help, please?

Welcome aboard.

If you get the out of memory dialog, ignore it. Save the imageres file on desktop and then replace the system file as drscribed there.

if it is still a problem, let us know.

 

[DancingRain]

I tried again this morning, and it worked. Go figure.

 

[mskll5]

many thanks for a simple step by step how to you the mannnnnnn

 

[Arc]

After changing the icon/icons, where are you saving the final result?

 

[bcannariato]

I am new to this forum and I didn't want to bump it, but its only a few months and perhaps others are having the same issue.


So I have successfully changed a few of the icons I have tried using Resource Hacker.


Here's my problem. I replaced my Firefox icon with something, and now I am attempting to change it again to something else. The first time I changed it, everything works, I pinned it to the taskbar (Windows 7), it opens up with the correct icon, everything. Now when I change it again I get the newer icon working on the shortcut, pin that to the taskbar, but then when I open it it shows the old icon I changed it to. I have tried multiple times to re-change the icon to no avail.

Any help here would be great!

 

[Brink]

Hello bcannariato, and welcome to Seven Forums.

Did you change the icon of the shortcut or the actual .exe file for Firefox?

If you did change the icon for the .exe file, then you might see if rebuilding the icon cache may help.

Hope this helps,
Shawn

 

[Arc]

I am adding a little to Brink's suggestion, for most of the third party icons (those are not having a MSI based installer), the best way to change the icons is http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/180615-taskbar-pinned-icons-change.html.

It takes the effect system wide.

 

[ThrashZone]

I am adding a little to Brink's suggestion, for most of the third party icons (those are not having a MSI based installer), the best way to change the icons is http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/180615-taskbar-pinned-icons-change.html.

It takes the effect system wide.

Hi Archie seems you had me in mind with that link
I was under the impression icons needed to be bmp's ? or is that just start orbs :/
How about sizes ?
@125 dpi screen resolution for an ie10 .exe for taskbar 66x198 for all three states :/
It's a round icon for what it's worth
Cheers.

 

[Arc]

Hi Mike.

Icons, when applied as system icons or any other third party program icons, they must be .ico files.

Size doesn't matter. All good icons are multi-sized.

When icons are applied in docks etc, they needed to be .png.

Some other system resources including the start button are .bmp images. And, a start button image is not a single image but a combination of three images. For 100% DPI the three .bmp images are 6801, 6805 and 6809 in explorer.exe.

 

[ThrashZone]

Thanks Archie,
I made the icons 66x66 but CorelDraw's ico files are not transparent for the round corners but did import the png's to gimp and it's ico options do make them transparent
Still thinking of a start button
What are the file locations for 125dpi on 64bit :/

 

[Arc]

125 dpi start button images are in C:\Windows\explorer.exe. The image resources are Bitmap 6802, 6806 and 6810.

 

[dwsiddall]

I follow this tutorial, but when I get to the appropriate step, I find no "Replace Resource" option on the right-click menu (I find "Replace Icon" instead). I tried using "Replace Icon", but it only allows the loading of one icon file at a time, and the resource I am trying to change has many icons within it.

Do I need an older version of Resource Hacker? Are there different steps for the latest version of Resource Hacker?

Thanks for any help.

 

[ahirzamani]

I'll be in charge of Windows 7 Welcome to the screen of which the .dll was editing the wallpaper