Road Kill Cat Icon

[boarder's paradise]

In TC I can change using the 'associations' of a format, as jpg, to another icon of the list. And bmp to another one.

Dear Sam_Zen, I have TC as well. I couldn't figure out how to do what you just described. Could you give me a link or some directions? Thanks a lot!

[Ander]

-- Easy solution --

1. Download one (or both) of the alternative icon files I have attached here:

_ Redesigned IV icons with file-type name (GIF, PNG, etc.) and tiny "cat"

_ Original Windows XP icons for graphics files

2. Unzip and copy the Icons.Dll file to IrfanView's "plugins" subfolder.

3. Run IrfanView. On the Options menu, click Properties/Settings.

4. In the Properties/Settings window, click the Extensions tab. (Don't ask me why this isn't on the "Plugins" tab.)

5. Click the Miscellaneous button. In the dialog box that appears, select "Use different icons."

6. Click OK / OK.

Note: If you update IrfanView to a newer version, it will DELETE your Icons.Dll and replace it with Irfan's wacky (i.e. Win-3.1-style) alternative icons. So before updating, I suggest you copy your Icons.Dll so you can restore it.

[boarder's paradise]

Thanks Ander. I do that as well, but that's not TotalCommander-specific. That's the way to use different icons for IV in Windows, generally speaking, not specifically for TC.
I thought you had figured out a way to tell TC what icons to display for what file types. Did you ? That would be marvellous!

[Sam_Zen]

Sorry for the delay.
You can find the procedure on this page :

http://www.xs4all.nl/~samzen/tcomm/TCtipsE.html#icons

[boarder's paradise]

thanks so much for that wonderful tip! Do you know in which file TC stores the information you enter in "File>Associate with" (according to the link you posted)? I did a plain-text search inside the TC folder but couldn't find anything. Does TC modify the registry and thus make system-wide changes for file-icons and context-menu entries? I was hoping there was a way TC would let the user handle file icons and context-menu entries solely for TC.

[mastavic]

Changing IrfanView Icons back to Default Windows Icons

Hello, after reading so very much about IrfanView and hearing of it for a great many years, I finally decided to try it. It seems like a great application, but I have one huge problem with it: the icons. (Actually, I've tried IrfanView at least twice before over the years, but uninstall it both times due to the icons.)

Not only do I not like the red bear icon (it reminds me of a dead bear, which disgusts the animal rights activist in me), I am sure it will confuse a lot of people who use my computer (e.g. they will have no idea that those icons stand for image files). How can I change the icons back to the default image icons that come with Windows XP?

I know that I can go to Properties->Extensions and choose the Miscellaneous button to choose one of a limited amount of icons, but I would just like to change the icons back to the default ones that come with Windows XP.

I have tried searching Google.com but was not able to find anything that was useful, unfortunately.

Thanks,
Victor


_______________________________________
Edit:

I've shifted your separately topic into this thread, because it concerns the same content!

regards Frank________________________________________

[cwb3106]

Icons are stored in the program, not Windows. There are no "default image icons that come with Windows XP". It seems that way because there is a default image program that comes with Windows XP and the program has icons. Windows manages the association between file types and programs; programs manage the association to icons.

There are two ways to change the icons that appear in Windows Explorer: make a different program the default or change the program itself. You probably don't want to do the former since then opening the file in Explorer would start a different program. Ordinarily, you couldn't do the latter, since you didn't write the program. Fortunately, Irfan wrote IrfanView to allow you to.

The process and files is described earlier in this thread. Basically, IrfanView can use icons are stored in a file called Icons.dll and forum members have created versions of this file with different icons. Replace Icons.dll and pick that option in Properties -> Extensions -> Miscellaneous.

In XP, the only tricky part is each new install of IrfanView installs the original icons.dll file. So you have to keep a copy of the custom version and remember to replace it every time you upgrade IrfanView. Vista users also have to fight with UAC, but you don't have that problem.

The whole process is "obscure but easy". That is, you'd never guess what you need to do, but once you know, it's easy. [Full disclosure] I fibbed a little in the first paragraph. The association between programs and icons is stored in the Windows registry. When a program is installed, it changes/creates the appropriate registry entries. Windows then uses the registry to find the icons. So it is possible to hack (i.e., manually change) the registry to reference different icons. It might be possible to point to another program's icons and get the effect you want. But that's not nearly as easy as downloading a file and copying it to the right folder.

[mastavic]

Frank, thank you for merging my topic with this thread. I apologize for starting a new thread when there's already a similar one.

cwb3106, thank you very much for the prompt, informative, and thorough reply. After reading your reply twice, I've understood everything, fortunately. The only thing is that I've only seen Ander have an edited Icons.dll that I can download. I tried it, and it works fine (that is, the icons for image files on my computer are no longer red bear/cat icons), but the icons are multi-colored shapes instead of the sunset/horizon icon that I and my friends have grown accustomed to. Is there any way I can get those sets of icons instead?

Thanks!
Victor

[Sam_Zen]

I like to add a proof that programs contain its icon : one could open "i_view32.exe" with IrfanView..
For replacing icons there, one would an app like Resource Hacker.

[Skippybox]

Changing icons is easy, but to do a bunch can be tedious. I wrote about two methods in another thread. The first involves the registry, but is the better option:

First method
Second method
Icon Plugin question Thread

[RonRay]

I don't understand what all the fuss is about...
Oh, I TOTALLY understand why the responses are negative; I just can't understand why people would quit using the BEST image utility that Windows can install, just over a stupid "icon"!? An icon that can be changed throughout your computer's system with only THREE mouse clicks!
I love that icon! It was the first thing that I came to recognize as the best software I had ever used. (That was back in 1998 and I still feel the same.)
I'm not an animal activist, but I dare you to find someone that loves animals more than me!
But it's not about loving animals... If you knew that thousands of baby monkeys were drown in the buckets, while collecting latex to make rubber, would you refuse to drive a car that had TIRES? ... I think not! That would probably fall under the category of "Well, THAT'S Different!", wouldn't it?!
Grow up people! (and I'm talking to the ones that would rather wet their pants than change a little icon...)
I'm sorry to everyone else here for ranting like this, but reading some of these comments reminded me of something I had heard before.... in the fourth grade!

[MItaly]

For me the real problem is that the default icon is ugly and anachronistic (it reminds me the times of Windows 3.11). In my opinion the best icons for IV are the ones of the alternative icons plugin: they are very simple but good looking, and they don't have that Windows 3 feel, at least in their 16x16 version.

[Sam_Zen]

Ugly ? A matter of taste. And as said, many options to change the default icon.

Animals ? There are quite some species that I would try to kill spontaneously, if they would come to close.

Road Kill Cat ?
When living in a farmhouse in the country, I lost 5 cats in 5 years caused by cars passing by with too much speed.
Non of them produced this picture, they were just hit and dead.
The tire trace are introduced when next cars drive over the dead cat.
But it would be quite stupid to couple my emotions about that to some effective icon.

[WellOiledPC]

I have a great sense of humor. A lot of things make me laugh. Not dead animals, though---sorry. I'm an animal rights activist, and I've seen many horrifying examples of animal abuse. And whether it's silly or not, that's what I think of when I see IV's red icon.

I know that many people like jokes about mutilating and killing animals. Even though most of them wouldn't actually do such things, I think they must be a bit sadistic, or at least juvenile, to consider such jokes funny.

I've read many, many other negative opinions on the Web about Irfan's icons. You'd think he'd finally get a clue and switch to something that more people were willing to see. But maybe he thinks it's funny to use the icons because so many people don't like them. Maybe it makes him feel powerful. Who knows?

If my friend tells a racist joke, should I laugh, even though the joke is against my values? After all, it takes only a few seconds to laugh, then it's over---until he tells the next joke.

I could change my icon associations, but I've decided I'd rather not use software---even great software like IV---if its author thinks something like a dead cat is funny. I don't need IV that much.

Well, an activist with a great sense of humour! Quite rare, so I was curious..
But my sense of humour quickly vanished, being confronted with the demagogic use of heavy words like
"abuse" - "mutilating" - "sadistic" - "juvenile (?)" - "racist" and the trick "something that more people were willing to see".
A button isn't busy being 'funny' or not, it's just a button.
This is about prejudice. Maybe this button is a protest against the car-drivers who don't care killing a cat?

Ander, you are of course free to remove IrfanView from all your Computers. Its your choice, cat or no cat! But I'm curious (as curious as the cat that got killed??? ) - where in heavens did you get the faint idea that Irfan might be feeling powerful by sticking to the cat icon???

I would like to be REASONABLY convinced at the very least, before jumping to conclusions, even where soothened by the 'Who knows' bit! Else, my crime would be worse than killing a thousand cats! And I'd rather I kill a cat than character-assassinate a person.

I like Sam's viewpoint, the one about the tread marks being a request to all motorists to be careful! Also steve's explanation that its a cat napping on a sandy beach - guess the cat forgot to pack a beach towel though! Besides, notice that the cat wears a mask. So it is a bank robber who got run over by its cronies, when they were getting away in a hurry!

Enough noise has been made on this topic, along with some nice methods on how to change default icons. So my request is, will the Moderators kindly close this Thread?

P.S. RonRay, I'm still grinning over your signature!

[MItaly]

Enough noise has been made on this topic, along with some nice methods on how to change default icons. So my request is, will the Moderators kindly close this Thread?

I don't think that it's necessary, the discussion isn't degenerating at all. By the way, the post you quoted (maybe the only one that was a bit harsh towards Irfan) is really old, maybe the person who posted it doesn't even follow this forum anymore.