System icons, quick access and more!
Editing the hardwired icons
Although you can remove Network Neighborhood by installing the System Policy Editor, it is much easier to do so via the Registry. Scroll to the HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
key and create a DWORD value entry called NoNetHood
. If you set the value to 1 and reboot your system, the Network Neighborhood icon will fail to appear. To reinstate the icon, change the value to 0.
To make changes to the other hardwired icons, scroll to the HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\explorer\Desktop\NameSpace
. Within this key, each icon has its own CLSID
key (a 16-byte value that identifies individual objects) that points to a corresponding key in HKCR\CLSID
. To delete an icon, remove the CLSID
within NameSpace
. To change an icon's name, edit the value of the sister key in HKCR\CLSID
. The CLSIDs for each of the hardwired icons are as follows:
* Briefcase {85BBD920-42A0-1069-A2E4-08002B30309D} * Desktop {00021400-0000-0000-C000-000000000046} * Control Panel {21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D} * Dial-Up Networking {992CFFA0-F557-101A-88EC-00DD010CCC48} * Fonts {BD84B380-8CA2-1069-AB1D-08000948F534} * Inbox {00020D76-0000-0000-C000-000000000046} * The Internet {FBF23B42-E3F0-101B-8488-00AA003E56F8} * My Computer {20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D} * Network Neighborhood {208D2C60-3AEA-1069-A2D7-08002B30309D} * Printers {2227A280-3AEA-1069-A2DE-08002B30309D} * Recycle Bin {645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E} * The Microsoft Network {00028B00-0000-0000-C000-000000000046} * Url History Folder {FF393560-C2A7-11CF-BFF4-444553540000}If you want to edit the Recycle Bin icon, for instance, you must first find the key in
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\explorer\Desktop\NameSpace
whose Default value reads Recycle Bin: {645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}
. If you delete this key, then the system removes the Recycle Bin from the Desktop. You can simply rename the Recycle Bin, however. by scrolling to the corresponding CLSID (HKCR\CLSID\{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}
) and changing the name in its Default value.{00028B00-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}
CLSID. To create a new icon called MSNetwork, delete the HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\explorer\Desktop\NameSpace\{00028B00-0000-0000-C000-00000000046}
key and create a new folder called:MSNetwork.{00028B00-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}A folder with this extension file retains the properties of the original MSN icon, but it can also be deleted or moved. You can change the My Computer icon by scrolling to
HKCR\CLSID\{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}\DefaultIcon
and identifying a new icon file in its Default
value entry. You can use a similar method for the other hardwired icons; the only variable is the CLSID
key. Simply move to the appropriate key under HKCR\CLSID
, then move to the DefaultIcon
subkey. Except with Recycle Bin, the Default value of this subkey is the full pathname of the file that contains the corresponding icon.DefaultIcon; Default, Empty
, and Full
. The Empty
value points to the icon that represents an unoccupied Recycle Bin, while Full
points to an icon that represents a Recycle Bin with at least one file (or folder) in it. The current Recycle Bin icon is kept in Default
.
Fundamental System Icons
Windows 95 draws most of its fundamental system icons from the file C:\Windows\Shell32.dll
. For example, icons 006 and 007 are used for the floppy disk icons on the Desktop or in My Computer, the icon labeled 030 is used to indicate shortcuts, and 029 indicates shared drives, directories, and printers (See below for a more complete list).
When you access an icon in Windows 95, you must count from zero rather than one (the first icon is icon 0, the second is icon 1, and so on). If you wish to point to icon 007, for instance, you must use the following format:
C:\Windows\System\Shell32.dll, 6
where 6 points to the seventh icon.
To change a system icon, use Regedit to create a new key called HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\explorer\Shell Icons
(if you have the Windows 95 Plus! package or Microsoft's TweakUI installed, this key is already present). Entries in this key -- which reassigns the functions of Shell32.dll icons -- adhere to the following format:
N = Filename, n
N is a number from 0 to 42 that points to a particular icon in Shell32.dll. Filename is a path to an icon file, while n signifies an icon within that file.
Icon 030, for instance, usually denotes a shortcut. If you want to use icon 031 for shortcuts, however, you need to create the following String Value entry in the Shell Icons subkey (remembering to count from 0 rather than 1):
29 = C:\Windows\System\Shell32.dll,30
Microsoft's Plus! pack gives you a new version of COOL.DLL which contains replacements for many of the basic system icons. This file is found in the WINDOWS\SYSTEM
folder. Entries in the Shell Icons subkey can now be pointed to icons in cool.dll, for example:
6 = C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\Cool.dll,8
You can implement such changes without rebooting the system. So that Windows can load quickly, its current system icons are also stored in a hidden file called C:\Windows\ShellIconCache
. When your system boots, it reads the necessary icons from this file or creates the file if it is not present. Windows reconstructs ShellIconCache on the fly, however, if you change your icon size settings. To do so, right-click on the Desktop, choose Properties, and move to the Appearance tab. Next, choose Icon from the Item menu. If you change the icon size and click on Apply, Windows reconstructs the ShellIconCache file and implements your changes to the Registry (you can easily restore your icon size in the same manner).
Here is a list of icons in Shell32.dll, with their counterparts in cool.dll, if available:
Shell32 Cool Icon description
1 38 unassociated filetype
2 -- document
3 -- executable
4 12 closed folder
5 19 open folder
6 10 5¼" floppy
7 9 3½" floppy
8 -- removable drive
9 1 local hard drive
10 2 network drive
11 30 disconnected network drive
12 11 CD-ROM drive
14 14 Entire Network in Network Neighborhood
16 29 computer in Network Neighborhood
17 23 printer in printers folder
18 18 Network Neighborhood
19 -- workgroup in Network Neighborhood
20 5 Start Menu folder
21 3 Documents
22 7 Settings
23 4 Find
24 16 Help
25 6 Run
26 34 Suspend
28 8 Shut Down
29 35 "Shared" hand
30 -- Shortcut arrow
31 -- Shortcut arrow, alt.
32 21 Recycle Bin, empty
33 22 Recycle Bin, full
34 28 Dial-Up Networking
35 -- Desktop
36 13 Control Panel
37 25 Start Menu folder, large
38 20 Printers folder
39 15 Fonts folder
Quick access to the desktop
Do you ever get tired of minimizing all your open apps so you can find the desktop to use your desktop shortcuts? Try this!
Open the Start Menu folder in an Explorer window. Click on File | New | Shortcut. Enter "Desktop" for the command line. Click on Next, then Finish.
Now when you click the Start button on the Taskbar, you will have a new menu item called Desktop. Click it to open an Explorer window containing your desktop shortcuts, and launch away!
HINT: You should have your taskbar properties set to Always on top and Auto hide.