Road Kill Cat Icon

[cg03026]

We all know what a great progam Irfanview is. I actually just implemented it on a brand new Toshiba laptop because (believe it or not), Windows Picture and Fax Viewer worked great and as normal, EXCEPT it wouldn't not open any images on the Desktop. Move the image to a folder, and it opened fine.

Anyway, I find the red splat of the road-kill cat less than appealing all over my desktop.

Does anyone know of a way to make the jpeg icon something different. I don't mean the icon of the program or its shortcut. I mean change the icon of all the jpegs on my desktop to something less jarring.

Thanks!!

[Sam_Zen]

I can't tell you about the Desktop or using Exploder, because Total Commander is my desktop.
In there I can give any available icon to the program or the various graphic formats.
You can see the whole set of icons of IV in the 'about' screen coming along. Here the graphic ones on a row:

In TC I can change using the 'associations' of a format, as jpg, to another icon of the list. And bmp to another one.
So check for file associations, and look for something like 'change pictogram'.

[matera]

You don't want to change the file associations, of course - just the squished kitty. That can be done in Windoze Exploder through the Tools-->Folder options menu, File Types tab.

Make IrfanView atone for its small sin by helping you to create new icons

There was once (still is, if you keep everything like I do) a little program that changed icons much more easily, but it is no longer available for download.

You can dig into the registry directly, of course. It's very educational. I got my introduction to reg-hacking when some silly program changed my first custom icon.

I like the kitty

Addendum: I forgot ActiveIcons! Still available and still free, change icon for any registered file.

[Ander]

Yes, I agree: IrfanView is great, but like MANY users, the "bloody" icons drive me crazy. And it's either that or the cheesy Windows 3.1-style "alternate icons". I know Irfan means well---but really, so many nice-looking icons are available around the Web. Why can't we just use the icons we want to?

And is it really necessary for IrfanView to change all those icons in the first place? Couldn't that be an option too?

Addendum: I forgot ActiveIcons! Still available and still free, change icon for any registered file.

I tried ActiveIcons, but I found that it would let me change icons for only certain file types (system, desktop, etc.). How did you change icons for image types too?

[Ander]

Okay, that's it---I've uninstalled IrfanView. Too bad. I've used it for years, but I can't tolerate the tasteless "road kill" icons any longer.

I know Irfan does all (well, most) of this out of the goodness of his heart. And he isn't the first person in the world to try to force his tastes on others... So I still admire him for what he's doing.

I'll keep monitoring this topic. If anyone discovers how to change the icons to those of your choice, I'll gladly come back.

[j7n]

I can't believe you uninstalled IrfanView because of the icons. I mean most new sofware have shitty 16x16 icons, but that's not enough to stop using the software.

If you know what the Registry Editor is then you can assign any icon to your image files. Here you can find a precompiled library of ACDSee-like icons: http://en.irfanview-forum.de/viewtopic.php?t=354

[matera]

You don't even need to use the Registry Editor, there are some very easy to use programs that will let you choose icons for anything. Do a little search, and don't bother if it isn't free . You can even use Windows' own methods. Read my previous post in this thread. There are ways of altering the icon dll too. Now and then I fix some of the icons to suit my taste.

The benefit of having the icons changed by IrfanView from the former default is to know at a glance which files are associated with IV. I don't choose to associate all possible file types for several reasons. I suppose I am not as troubled by the appearance of icons because I do not waste window space in my file manager with large icons. I want the information when I look at my file system, not Big Dumb Eye-cons.

[Sam_Zen]

I use the icons as 16x16 in my filemanager, so just to be able to roughly classify the extensions by color and shape.
They should be as small as still useful, as matera states, no space-waste with Big Dumb Eye-cons.

Only after already using IV for years, I found out on this forum that the main icon indeed was a 'Road Kill Cat'.
I hadn't recognized that so far. And it never occurred to me to stop using IrfanView from then, for that reason.
I just considered it as a kind of 'silly' icon, quite funny.
Although in realtime in the past I've lost five cats run over by a car on the nearby road.

And if I would want to, I can always make an animal-friendly version of IrfanView with ResHacker, by changing the order of icons inside the executable, so the default nr 0 would be the palmtree.
Of course it's not unthinkable, that there are other people who feel offended by the associations with a palmtree.

[Ander]

You can see the whole set of icons of IV in the 'about' screen coming along. Here [are] the graphic ones...

Sure, those are great if you're still using Windows 3.1, but... :?P

[Sam_Zen]

Hmm, no need to flame here, I think.
I make my own decisions whether a 'look' adds something to the functionality or not, on my set.
And the reload of that included bitmap in the quote is a waste of forum space imo.

[j7n]

I never saw a cat in that icon. Only software made by the cats and for the cats I have on my machine is Foobar2000.

Actually under Windows 3.1 there were no 256-color icons and the last two in this example are. And for the records, Windows XP and Vista icons suck big time. They're only legible at 48px and above. I've replaced the most common icons in my NT5-XP system with 98-ones.

You can even use Windows' own methods.

Registry Editor is a Windows method. First I tried using the Folder Options cpl, but it needed way too many clicking to set up one basic association.

[matera]

LOL I know it Hoovers.

As a last resort, see attached file...

[Sam_Zen]

Hey, very nice, this IconAss

Whether it will solve this topic or not, a neat tool to avoid the horrid registry, at first look.
The list has some missing icons, which are yet shown in my file manager.
The extensions are there, but icon is not allocated.
First guess : Programs that are installed outside the default 'Program Files' dir.
Or maybe apps without further keys in the reg. during installation.
But this can be corrected by looking up the .exe or .dll file with button 'filetype properties'->Browse for icon.

Beware :
just as the RegEdit, IconAss has no 'save' option, so any change will be done immediately in the reg. too..
So be sure about the total setting of the list, before closing IconAss !

And I noticed it can function as a cleaner too. I found some filetypes of old, removed programs.

Import of a single .ico file is also possible, so anybody who doesn't like the IV one, can make its own icon, with the same IV.

[matera]

I've been using it off and on for years, especially when I have an issue with a generic icon applied to multiple file formats. It has vanished from the Web, but lingers in my redundant backups. I deliberated about it for a while, then thought I might as well share. Never had a EULA with it that I know of...

[Sam_Zen]

I just experienced some trouble with it. A tracker-icon no longer responded with the right app, but came up with another.
The icon appears to be one of those not recognized in the current IA-list. I had to recover this in another way.