Folder Background Images in WinXP
This brief tutorial explains how to add a background image to any folder in Windows XP.
First, make sure all hidden files are visible on your system. Then, open the folder for which you wish to add a background image. Within the folder, right-click and select Properties » Customize tab » Customize. There, choose any icon, click Apply and OK.
That process should have created a "desktop.ini" file. Open that file with a text editor and add these lines of code:
[ExtShellFolderViews]
{BE098140-A513-11D0-A3A4-00C04FD706EC}={BE098140-A513-11D0-A3A4-00C04FD706EC}
[{BE098140-A513-11D0-A3A4-00C04FD706EC}]
IconArea_Image=C:\path\folder\background.jpg
To customize this according to your needs, edit the path in the last line to reflect to the location of the image you wish to use as the background image for that folder. Refresh the folder and the new background should appear.
Finally, to remove the default icon chosen during the creation of the desktop.ini and restore the default folder icon, delete these lines of code from within the desktop.ini file:
[.ShellClassInfo]
IconFile=%SystemRoot%\system32\shell32.dll
IconIndex=(some number)
Related articles
- Rename the Recycle Bin in WinXP
- Associate Extensionless Files with Notepad in WinXP
- Delete Unwanted Context Menu Items in WinXP
- Path to Outlook Express Files on WinXP
- Delete index.dat on Windows 98SE
- Backup Block Senders List in Outlook Express
- Extreme Makeover for Gravatars in WordPress
About this article
This is article #216, posted by Perishable on Monday, October 16, 2006 @ 07:11am. Categorized as Technology, and tagged with customize, images, tips, tricks, tweaks, windows, winxp. Updated on March 02, 2008. Visited 31407 times. 26 Responses »
Bookmark • Subscribe • Explore
« Basic DOS Commands • Up • Delete Unwanted Context Menu Items in WinXP »
1 • October 28, 2006 at 9:10 pm — Bernd says:
Nice tip but … this njust tiles the image. How about a tip to scale it instead to window size. And aside from that how about some insight into what the long codes mean and how they function?