I’ve got a friend asking me for opinion on him changing his standard Windows folder icon to another icon using a freeware called NirExt. The NirExt utility is able to add 3 useful context menu extensions to your Windows Explorer environment which is Folder Properties, Advanced Run and Create Shortcut+.
Here’s my opinion on whether or not to use NirExt to change his Windows Folder icon.
First of all, you don’t need any utility or third party tool to change the standard folder icon to another icon. Windows already has this feature. Whatever NirExt Folder Properties can do, Windows also can except where you can place your comment and then your mouse is on the folder, it’ll display the text. As for Advanced Run, you can easily create a batch script to run an EXE with external commands. Finally Create Shortcut+, Windows can create shortcuts too.
By the way, NirExt Folder Properties has a checkbox that says “Show a special warning message if you try to delete this folder“. I tried checking it and deleting the folder but I don’t see any special warning message. NirExt tool is dated August 2004. It’s quite old, so don’t blame the author if some feature doesn’t work. My conclusion is, I don’t see a need to install another utility to do things that Windows also can do.
If you didn’t know how to change the standard Folder icon to another icon, here’s how to do it…
1. Right click on the Folder that you want to change the icon and select Properties.
2. Click on the Customize tab, and you’ll see a “Change Icon” button.
3. By default, you’ll have a list of icons to choose from as SHELL32.dll contains Windows default icons. You can select the icons from the list, or you can browse icons from DLL, EXE, ICO… Once you’ve chosen the icon, make sure it’s highlighted, then click on the OK button.
4. Finally click on OK button again, and now you’ll see the icon has changed on the folder that you selected earlier.
It’s a good practice to change the folder icon for folders that contains important files. It might stop you from accidentally deleting the wrong folder. Although you can easily recover the deleted folder by using third part tool, but you’ll be wasting a lot of time doing that. If you’re interested in trying our NirExt, you can download NirExt at the link below.
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As of a few months ago, Nirext Folderproperties folder icon [desktop.ini] is still not fully Vista compatible. MS changed the syntax since XP. To see, compare desktop.ini created by Nirext to desktop.ini by Vista, ..>Properties.
Also, sometimes shortcuts (LNK file) of folder w/ icon use generic windows folder icon. So, click LNK file >Properties, Change icon… paste the fullpath [fastest to copy from Nir Folderproperties], OK, OK.
Finally, I Find it better to use environment variables in the path, especially if on network. Alternatively, paste path without path, iow just the filename of an icon-containing file within folder (eg, firefox.exe in firefox’s install folder).
IMO, all oses need to overhaul this and other usability aspects of the GUI. there’s huge opportunity to improve GUI and wipe the competition, but AFAIK, they’ve relegated the GUI to eyecandy and chezzboll gimmicks/regressions such as murky oversize icons, dock, ribbon, and faked “3d”. Disclaimer: I haven’t checked Amiga, Aros, Haiku, Sky, Syllable, Kolibrios, Helenos, or any other oses’ “roadmap” for GUI.
Any software recomendation that as good as Customize Folder [sourceforge.net/projects/costumizefolder/].
This software doesn’t work in vista.
Hi
The problems is which i am facing now with this.
is that all the shared icon change into script.