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

Related Tutorials

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

 

[Britton30]

But after I surf the Web automatically for 30 minutes, the icon comes to a blank icon or the Opera icon.

You also need to leave the icon you choose in the same folder/location or it will revert to a generic icon if you move it after changing. I keep all of mine in a folder called "Icons" in My Documents.

 

[Faceofjoe421]

It didn't work, I changed every one and corrupted Opera, had to reinstall it.

Yes, I have learnt that over past experience , can this be on an external drive?

 

[Arc]

Changing icons dont make a program corrupted ... you must have done something wrong there.

BTW, it works for all of us what Britton30 stated above, and flawlessly. At the same time, It shouldn't be in an external drive.

 

[Faceofjoe421]

Yeh, I think I changed EVERY icon in 1033 folder as when I changed the one you said it did nothing

 

[Britton30]

If you apply a new icon via the customize option from program properties dialog, you could have the icon on an external drive. This would require the drive to be connected constantly. If you were to disconnect it, the generic icons would again take over and you'll have to reapply the custom one(s).

Before you change the imageres.dll, for example, did you http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/1911-take-ownership-shortcut.html?ltr=T and rename the original to imageres.dll.OLD? Then reboot to apply your modded .dll file.

 

[Faceofjoe421]

I took ownership but didn't rename to old and save the icon in the new imageres, I just saved the modified Opera in the original imageres.

 

[Britton30]

OK, I used imageres.dll as an example. To change the Opera icons, you need to open Opera.exe with reshack to change them, following the same take ownership, renaming the original, etc.

What I have done is this:
1.Take ownership of the original.
2.Make a copy of it on the desktop
3.Rename the original (for backup use)
4.Use reshack to mod the copy and compile
5.Move the modded one back to original location
6.Reboot or log off/on

Make sure the one you have just changed has the exact name of the original .dll file.

 

[HoMysterious]

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..

 

[Arc]

Not out of memory, but out of system resources.



Dont worry, press OK and proceed.

 

[ICIT2LOL]

Thanks Archie have ben toying with this idea and also making up my own private tuts for the folks I fix for - it really has given me some insight and ideas to toss around.

 

[Arc]

Thanks Archie have ben toying with this idea and also making up my own private tuts for the folks I fix for - it really has given me some insight and ideas to toss around.

Nice to know Toss around

 

[suvroadrage]

Conflicting icon numbering

This thread has been pretty quiet for a while but I just did a clean install of 7 and wanted to customize a bit and this site has been great.

I started using the tutorial and I have noticed that the number of the icon shown in IcoFx does not match the number in Resource hacker.

For example in IcoFx the Games icon is showing as 11 but in Hacker it is 14.

Did I miss something?

Thanks.

 

[Arc]

I am not sure, see the first post, step 6, it is 14 for me, in both the tools

 

[suvroadrage]

Totally "my bad". I was just opening imageres.dll in IcoFx directly from the tool bar "open folder". Brain lapse on the whole Tools/Icon Resource Editor/imageres.dll.

I got a little ahead of myself in the process.

BTW when I replace an icon should all the sizes appear at once or is that only after I rebuild the cache?

 

[Arc]

You should not replace an icon directly. Change how many do you want, Save the result as imageres.dll in the in the desktop, and replace the imageres file then. Do the same for both System32 and SysWOW64 folders.

Now rebuild icon cache, it should be there.

But before changing/replacing the system files, dont forget to take the backups as suggested.

 

[suvroadrage]

Thanks for your replies. Good to know you are still watching your OP.

I did a test run changing the Games icon, step by step, and everything worked out. However I just tried changing one other (zip folder) and all I got was one image size (256x256), none of the others. Could this be an issue with the .ico I created in Photoshop with the ico plug-in? (The games one which worked I got off Google @ 256x256 icon.)

Thanks again.

 

[Arc]

I have never worked with photoshop's icon plug-in. Icofx does it much better, and with all the possible resolutons, in a single click.

As you have icofx, why dont you try it?

 

[JonathanV]

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

 

[Arc]

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

Thanks

No, sfc will not change those to system default, cause after replacing icons this way, the default icons will no more be there in the system.

 

[DancingRain]

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?