Folder Icons and Other Folder Settings (Windows XP SP1)

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G’day All

The other day I started playing with changing the folder Icon for some of my folders in MyDocs with task specific icons I can more easily recognise and go to more quickly. This works a treat as long as I don’t over do it and just change those I regularly use.

I did this on my desktop. However I copy my Mydocs folder across to my laptop quite regularly so I have all my stuff available at work. But the settings for the folders are not copying across. Any idea where these settings are kept so I can copy them accross without having to re-build them on the laptop?

Regards Ken

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Replies

Ken–

These may help:

My Documents Folder in Windows XP
How To Move Shell Folders and Contents

SMBP

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Interesting …

What I’m looking for is slightly different.

You can open up my documents, right click on a folder in there and choose properties – customise – change icon. You can then change the icon for that folder.

When I then copy all the contents of d:my documents accross to //notebook/my documents – the folder settigns for custom icons are not copied.

Anyone know where they’re stored?

Ken

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If I’m reading this correctly, you’ll have to go through the icon changing process on your laptop, just like you did it on your desktop to make the icon change on the laptop. I’m pretty sure that icon changes are system specific. Where they are stored I couldn’t say. Never really seemed to matter. Like most of the settings in Windows, they are permenent………… until they’re not. Then you have to reset them.

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@#$!%. Thanks. @#$!%.

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Ken,
Didn’t mean to upset. Only to inform.

I like the little guy in your anigram. Thought you might like to see him a bit more clearly. Hope you don’t mind my taking the liberty.

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G’day Doc
FIrstly – my apologies to you and other readers if my terse reply the other day came accross grumpy. I was updating at work and was short on time. I certainly did not mean to offend.
Secondly – In any case you were right – it’s the customisations I want to copy, not the folder location as it’s stored in the registry.
Thirldy – Thanks for my picture! I’ve updated it now – it looks great! I alternate between Asterix and TinTin (with the occaisional Leunig) but you’ve done a great job on my Asterix!
Regards Ken

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Ken,

No apologies needed. My take on your reaction was the same as SMBP’s. That you would have to manually change these settings and it would be, shall we say, less than fun. Nothing more than a friendly outburst of frustration. We are talking about computers after all. Not world peace.

I did some poking around on my system and found a folder in C:Windows callled, of all things, “Installed System Icons”. Now, I use Microangelo to manage my icons and that folder may have been created by the program for it’s own icon management system. I’m pretty sure that I didn’t create it, but I may have. Either way, it might be worth a look. It also brings up an idea to address your issue. Although it may not be a complete solution. Create your own folder for your icons on your laptop and then copy the ones you use over to that folder. Then you will always know where to find them. The desktop icons you are changing are just shortcuts, and as such should remain unchanged when you delete the My Documents folder on your laptop. The folders inside the My Documents folder are a different story. If you delete the folder in which they live, then you will have to recreate them each time for each folder. I’ll look around some more and see if I can turn something up on this subject.

Glad you like the picture. This guy is named Asterix ??? Looks more like a Leunig to me !!

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Asterix is from the “Asterix and Obelix” cartoon series by Goscinny and Uderzo, about some people from a small Gaulish village in the time of the Roman Empire. Wildly funny.

See Ast

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Thanks Hans. I was referring more to the little guy’s physical appearance than anything else. I always thought an asterix looked like this *

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That symbol is an Asterisk

StuartR

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Sorry Stuart. Just a little play on words.

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Oh! and I thought you were punning him!

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Oh! and I thought you were punning him!

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Sorry Stuart. Just a little play on words.

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That symbol is an Asterisk

StuartR

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Thanks Hans. I was referring more to the little guy’s physical appearance than anything else. I always thought an asterix looked like this *

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Asterix is from the “Asterix and Obelix” cartoon series by Goscinny and Uderzo, about some people from a small Gaulish village in the time of the Roman Empire. Wildly funny.

See Ast

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Ken,

No apologies needed. My take on your reaction was the same as SMBP’s. That you would have to manually change these settings and it would be, shall we say, less than fun. Nothing more than a friendly outburst of frustration. We are talking about computers after all. Not world peace.

I did some poking around on my system and found a folder in C:Windows callled, of all things, “Installed System Icons”. Now, I use Microangelo to manage my icons and that folder may have been created by the program for it’s own icon management system. I’m pretty sure that I didn’t create it, but I may have. Either way, it might be worth a look. It also brings up an idea to address your issue. Although it may not be a complete solution. Create your own folder for your icons on your laptop and then copy the ones you use over to that folder. Then you will always know where to find them. The desktop icons you are changing are just shortcuts, and as such should remain unchanged when you delete the My Documents folder on your laptop. The folders inside the My Documents folder are a different story. If you delete the folder in which they live, then you will have to recreate them each time for each folder. I’ll look around some more and see if I can turn something up on this subject.

Glad you like the picture. This guy is named Asterix ??? Looks more like a Leunig to me !!

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G’day Doc
FIrstly – my apologies to you and other readers if my terse reply the other day came accross grumpy. I was updating at work and was short on time. I certainly did not mean to offend.
Secondly – In any case you were right – it’s the customisations I want to copy, not the folder location as it’s stored in the registry.
Thirldy – Thanks for my picture! I’ve updated it now – it looks great! I alternate between Asterix and TinTin (with the occaisional Leunig) but you’ve done a great job on my Asterix!
Regards Ken

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Ken,
Didn’t mean to upset. Only to inform.

I like the little guy in your anigram. Thought you might like to see him a bit more clearly. Hope you don’t mind my taking the liberty.

Reply | Quote

@#$!%. Thanks. @#$!%.

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G’day Doc

Further to our last post – there is a file inside each folder I modify, called desktop.ini. It’s hidden and a system file – you can only see it by tools, folder options, display hidden files and display protected operating system files. Sample contents:

[.ShellClassInfo]
IconFile=D:My DocumentsMy PicturesIconsEKSELL-I.ICO
IconIndex=0

This seems perfectly straight forward to me. Any folder with this in will have cusomised icons (other options appear in here as well).

Problem is – my laptop is ignoring this file when copied across from the desktop, while it will perfectly willing use the one it creates when I mod the folder Icon locally. I’ve looked through the registry to no avail.

A comment futher down regarding the liklihood of user-specific logon settings intrigues me. Although there is no user name inside this file, I’ll have a hunt through c:documents and settings to see what’s there.

Regards Ken

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More …

MS has a link at (http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/shellcc/platform/Shell/programmersguide/shell_basics/shell_basics_extending/custom.asp) which gives more detail. Still doesn’t explain why it won’t work on my laptop though …

Ken

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Mornin’ Ken,

I did a Google and came up with these bits of info here.

when a directory contains a specially formatted and hidden file named desktop.ini, it instructs Windows Explorer not to show you the directory’s contents. Instead, desktop.ini identifies another program which formats the display any way it likes.

If you edit one of the desktop.ini files and then re-name the associated directory, you can make the directory contents appear and/or disable the new icon. Refreshing Windows Explorer has no effect – you must re-name the directory to see the difference!

There is also a reference to the MS site that you refer to, but says that it is misleading. (Microsoft, misleading )

HTH, but I’m a bit confused myself about this one. Have you looked for the folder that is referenced in the desktop.ini file to see what’s in it ???

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G’day Doc

Yeah I saw that reference.

The mystery deepens. Further back I mentioned that I use filesync from http://www.fileware.com to do my folder comparisons across my network. Turns out filesync is the culprit. It is copying accross the desktop.ini file but somehow the fact that the file is there is not enough for windows – it ignores it. On the other hand if I copy and past a folder from one computer to another – the desktop.ini file inside the folder is active.

So I’ve sort of solved my problem but would still like to know what filesync is not doing. I’ll e-mail fileware support and see where that gets me.

Regards Ken

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G’day Doc

Yeah I saw that reference.

The mystery deepens. Further back I mentioned that I use filesync from http://www.fileware.com to do my folder comparisons across my network. Turns out filesync is the culprit. It is copying accross the desktop.ini file but somehow the fact that the file is there is not enough for windows – it ignores it. On the other hand if I copy and past a folder from one computer to another – the desktop.ini file inside the folder is active.

So I’ve sort of solved my problem but would still like to know what filesync is not doing. I’ll e-mail fileware support and see where that gets me.

Regards Ken

Reply | Quote

Mornin’ Ken,

I did a Google and came up with these bits of info here.

when a directory contains a specially formatted and hidden file named desktop.ini, it instructs Windows Explorer not to show you the directory’s contents. Instead, desktop.ini identifies another program which formats the display any way it likes.

If you edit one of the desktop.ini files and then re-name the associated directory, you can make the directory contents appear and/or disable the new icon. Refreshing Windows Explorer has no effect – you must re-name the directory to see the difference!

There is also a reference to the MS site that you refer to, but says that it is misleading. (Microsoft, misleading )

HTH, but I’m a bit confused myself about this one. Have you looked for the folder that is referenced in the desktop.ini file to see what’s in it ???

Reply | Quote

More …

MS has a link at (http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/shellcc/platform/Shell/programmersguide/shell_basics/shell_basics_extending/custom.asp) which gives more detail. Still doesn’t explain why it won’t work on my laptop though …

Ken

Reply | Quote

G’day Doc

Further to our last post – there is a file inside each folder I modify, called desktop.ini. It’s hidden and a system file – you can only see it by tools, folder options, display hidden files and display protected operating system files. Sample contents:

[.ShellClassInfo]
IconFile=D:My DocumentsMy PicturesIconsEKSELL-I.ICO
IconIndex=0

This seems perfectly straight forward to me. Any folder with this in will have cusomised icons (other options appear in here as well).

Problem is – my laptop is ignoring this file when copied across from the desktop, while it will perfectly willing use the one it creates when I mod the folder Icon locally. I’ve looked through the registry to no avail.

A comment futher down regarding the liklihood of user-specific logon settings intrigues me. Although there is no user name inside this file, I’ll have a hunt through c:documents and settings to see what’s there.

Regards Ken

Reply | Quote

If I’m reading this correctly, you’ll have to go through the icon changing process on your laptop, just like you did it on your desktop to make the icon change on the laptop. I’m pretty sure that icon changes are system specific. Where they are stored I couldn’t say. Never really seemed to matter. Like most of the settings in Windows, they are permenent………… until they’re not. Then you have to reset them.

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Ken–

1) As it says in the top of the links I gave you above, By default, the target or actual location of the My Documents folder is C :Documents and Settings user name My Documents, where C is the drive in which Windows is installed, and user name is the currently logged-on user.[/i] Other useful information including good information on permissions is in these links–take a look.

2) 3310147: How to Change the Default Location of the My Documents Folder may help.

3) 236621: Cannot Move or Rename the Documents and Settings Folder may have helpful info.

4) Change Documents and Settings Location: Windows XP Thread November 22, 2003 May Help: Check Out Links Here

hth,

SMBP

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G’day SMBP.

I did read your post and the links. I’m not concerned with folder locations, but folder customisations – the way the internal view of a file is generated (picture preview, thumbnails etc, and the icon used to display the folder.) See http://www.wopr.com/cgi-bin/w3t/showthread…ew=&sb=&o=&vc=1 who’s got what I’m talking about. The location is not a problem, been using tweakui to move my mydocs, sento, desktop, templates etc. since win98

Thanks anyway.

Regards Ken

P.S. How do you past a link in here so it looks like a link?

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> P.S. How do you past a link in here so it looks like a link?

You use the and tags, see Help 19

StuartR

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> P.S. How do you past a link in here so it looks like a link?

You use the and tags, see Help 19

StuartR

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G’day SMBP.

I did read your post and the links. I’m not concerned with folder locations, but folder customisations – the way the internal view of a file is generated (picture preview, thumbnails etc, and the icon used to display the folder.) See http://www.wopr.com/cgi-bin/w3t/showthread…ew=&sb=&o=&vc=1 who’s got what I’m talking about. The location is not a problem, been using tweakui to move my mydocs, sento, desktop, templates etc. since win98

Thanks anyway.

Regards Ken

P.S. How do you past a link in here so it looks like a link?

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Ken–

1) As it says in the top of the links I gave you above, By default, the target or actual location of the My Documents folder is C :Documents and Settings user name My Documents, where C is the drive in which Windows is installed, and user name is the currently logged-on user.[/i] Other useful information including good information on permissions is in these links–take a look.

2) 3310147: How to Change the Default Location of the My Documents Folder may help.

3) 236621: Cannot Move or Rename the Documents and Settings Folder may have helpful info.

4) Change Documents and Settings Location: Windows XP Thread November 22, 2003 May Help: Check Out Links Here

hth,

SMBP

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Ken–

Sorry I misread. You want the same folder customizations to go from your PC to your laptop? Would it take that long to do as Doc suggests and just set them up including using in Windows Explorer folders Tools>View>Apply to All Folders on the laptop? I know PC Relocator is usually to go from an old PC to the new one, but could it be used to put your settings on a CD-RW and then load them on the laptop?

SMBP

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Hey SMBP – no sweat – apologies if I came across short.

Thing is I have about 8 individual folders in My Docs that I use regularly – System Folders, Emirates, Download, Financial, Ken’s Docs, Meg’s Docs, Lewis’ Docs etc. On the desktop, each of them has a different icon – so you open My Docs and very quickly see the folder your looking for amongst the 30 or so icons in there. Inside Emirates is Office Work, Roster, Correspondance, Training, Flight Related and Manuals which I access all the time – amongst another 20 or so icons. http://www.fileware.com/products.htm#FileSync%5B/url%5D to do it. Once a month or so I delete the entire MyDocs on the laptop and copy across.

So the question is – where are these customisations stored? Can’t be the registry, because when I customise a folder with a icon, then delete the icon, the customisation remains – it must copy the icon somewhere, you can’t store pictures in the registry, can you?

REgards Ken

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You didn’t come across short. When I saw @#$!%. Thanks. @#$!% I thought it meant you had a lot of settings you would have to duplicate manually to customize the way your first machine is in the laptop and it was frustrating. I’m sorry that I don’t have a handle on exactly how to make the transfer, thinking you mean you want your folder views a certain way, and some people take advantage of the feature to put pictures on each folder. But unless you’ve done something like pictures on thousands of folders, you can get the same view applied to all folders with a couple clicks. I like the feature in folders View>Show In Groups because it will head in bold any way you’ve chosen to organize the views in your folders like an index of a book whether its alphabetical, most recently modified, size, ect.

The registry doesn’t store images but in some cases the keys or values might dictate how an image will appear. I think there may be a way to transfer these–I just don’t know it. Someone must. I wasn’t trying to be naive suggesting PC Relocator (the Old Aloha Bob) I just thought it might have a way to transfer those files with their settings selectively (a copy) to your laptop or let you copy them to a CD and then pull them off a CD onto your laptop.

I’m trying to find a way to do this, but I think someone may be able to tell you when they see the thread.

SMBP

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You didn’t come across short. When I saw @#$!%. Thanks. @#$!% I thought it meant you had a lot of settings you would have to duplicate manually to customize the way your first machine is in the laptop and it was frustrating. I’m sorry that I don’t have a handle on exactly how to make the transfer, thinking you mean you want your folder views a certain way, and some people take advantage of the feature to put pictures on each folder. But unless you’ve done something like pictures on thousands of folders, you can get the same view applied to all folders with a couple clicks. I like the feature in folders View>Show In Groups because it will head in bold any way you’ve chosen to organize the views in your folders like an index of a book whether its alphabetical, most recently modified, size, ect.

The registry doesn’t store images but in some cases the keys or values might dictate how an image will appear. I think there may be a way to transfer these–I just don’t know it. Someone must. I wasn’t trying to be naive suggesting PC Relocator (the Old Aloha Bob) I just thought it might have a way to transfer those files with their settings selectively (a copy) to your laptop or let you copy them to a CD and then pull them off a CD onto your laptop.

I’m trying to find a way to do this, but I think someone may be able to tell you when they see the thread.

SMBP

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I think you will find that DocWatson is right and it will apply only to that account also. So, if you are using more than one account on the same machine do not expect for it to be there when you change user accounts.

DaveA I am so far behind, I think I am First
Genealogy....confusing the dead and annoying the living

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I think you will find that DocWatson is right and it will apply only to that account also. So, if you are using more than one account on the same machine do not expect for it to be there when you change user accounts.

DaveA I am so far behind, I think I am First
Genealogy....confusing the dead and annoying the living

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Hey SMBP – no sweat – apologies if I came across short.

Thing is I have about 8 individual folders in My Docs that I use regularly – System Folders, Emirates, Download, Financial, Ken’s Docs, Meg’s Docs, Lewis’ Docs etc. On the desktop, each of them has a different icon – so you open My Docs and very quickly see the folder your looking for amongst the 30 or so icons in there. Inside Emirates is Office Work, Roster, Correspondance, Training, Flight Related and Manuals which I access all the time – amongst another 20 or so icons. http://www.fileware.com/products.htm#FileSync%5B/url%5D to do it. Once a month or so I delete the entire MyDocs on the laptop and copy across.

So the question is – where are these customisations stored? Can’t be the registry, because when I customise a folder with a icon, then delete the icon, the customisation remains – it must copy the icon somewhere, you can’t store pictures in the registry, can you?

REgards Ken

Reply | Quote

Ken–

Sorry I misread. You want the same folder customizations to go from your PC to your laptop? Would it take that long to do as Doc suggests and just set them up including using in Windows Explorer folders Tools>View>Apply to All Folders on the laptop? I know PC Relocator is usually to go from an old PC to the new one, but could it be used to put your settings on a CD-RW and then load them on the laptop?

SMBP

Reply | Quote

Interesting …

What I’m looking for is slightly different.

You can open up my documents, right click on a folder in there and choose properties – customise – change icon. You can then change the icon for that folder.

When I then copy all the contents of d:my documents accross to //notebook/my documents – the folder settigns for custom icons are not copied.

Anyone know where they’re stored?

Ken

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SMBP,
Hey, what happened just 6 words and only 2 links?

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Haven’t you heard? Less is more

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Haven’t you heard? Less is more

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SMBP,
Hey, what happened just 6 words and only 2 links?

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Ken–

These may help:

My Documents Folder in Windows XP
How To Move Shell Folders and Contents

SMBP

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I don’t know if this new article in the XP Expert Zone on MS’s site will help you but you could always write Ed Bott who wrote the Que Office books with Woody and the MS Press XP Inside Out book through the http://www.MVPs.org site:

Moving Files and Settings to a New PC by Ed Bott February 2, 2004 Microsoft Windows XP Expert Zone

SMBP

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I don’t know if this new article in the XP Expert Zone on MS’s site will help you but you could always write Ed Bott who wrote the Que Office books with Woody and the MS Press XP Inside Out book through the http://www.MVPs.org site:

Moving Files and Settings to a New PC by Ed Bott February 2, 2004 Microsoft Windows XP Expert Zone

SMBP

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