Can anyone tell me if you know a way to change the Vista start button's icon?
Can anyone tell me if you know a way to change the Vista start button's icon?
See similar threads: Is it possible to change windows icon font colour?
Change Filetype-icon in Vista
Changing Windows Vista Start Button Tutorial
You all need those programs:
- Photoshop CS2 or CS3
- Alpha Icon Converter (free)
- Restorator 2007 (free for what we need it for)
- Ressource Hacker (free)
1. Ok So first, you will need to find the image you want to modify ( in this case it will be the start button )
which is IMAGE_872 and is located in the aero.msstyles (located in C:\Windows\Resources\Themes\Aero)
http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o...Capture1-1.png
http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o.../Capture-9.png
- Open Restorator 2007 (Trial)
- Open the aero.msstyles file from C:\Windows\Resources\Themes\Aero
- Go into IMAGE folder on the left in the explorer and click on file 872.
http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o...Capture2-1.png
- Right mouse click on the 872 file and select extract/extract as 872.png.
http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o...s/Capture3.png
File dimensions are 138x60 px.
Why 3 orbs?
Explanation is simple in this order,
- Top one is the normal orb
- Middle is the hovered orb (mouse over effect)
- Bottom is the pressed orb (when clicked)
It will be your choice in this case to how you will design your new start button
2. Photoshop (a)
- Open Photoshop and make a new image with the size of 60x138.
- Draw you new start button remembering that it can be easier if you divide
your picture in 3 for different colors etc
- Save your new start button creation as .png and make sure you hva an empty/transparent background
3. Converting png to bitmap
- Open Alpha Icon Converter
- Simply make sure its set to .bmp
- Drag your new start button on it
- Done! you should now have your new start button in .bmp
So if you have it right, you should have 3 files by now
- original 872.png
- new872.png
- new872.bmp
4. Photoshop (b)
- Open the saved bitmap and png file in photoshop (new 872.bmp + original 872.png)
- Select the png, copy & paste it over on the bitmap and make sure you move the png in the good position
- Select all using the Rectangular Marquee Tool
- Press "ctrl + right mouse click and choose "background"
- Press "Delete or Del"
- Used the Paint Bucket tool to make the whole background black (see picture)
- Save it as .bmp and overwrite your new872.bmp file with it.
5. Converting bmp to png
- Open Alpha Icon Converter
- Simply make sure its set to .png (default)
- Drag the bitmap file you just saved on it
- Done!
you should now have your new start button "872.png"
Now you need to make sure that you have taken ownership and have full control over the aero.msstyles file
If not, now is the time to do it.
6. Change the aero theme to a windows classic theme
or windows theme but make sure you are not using the original aero
or basic theme.
7. Open Reshacker
- Open the IMAGE folder on the left in the explorer
- Select file 872
- Right mouse click and choose "replace ressource"
- Browse for your new start button .png and fill in the 3 other parametres
like shown in the picture below ( Use capital letters for IMAGE)
- Go to Save your file and "Save As" replace the aero.msstyle with it
http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o...s/Capture4.png
Thats it you are done!
Reshack and Alpha Image are attached!
I hope the tutorial is easy enough for most of you?
source: thehobbylounge.com
if you want you can get windowblinds and theme it there (from what i heard, saw, used <trial) its pretty easy, but if you want to go free, you can always do the uxtheme patch, and make your own themes! (don't ask me, i don't know how )
Well thats quite a lot of information on just a windows Vista start button.
Is this also applicable in same or some other way for windows Xp?
I have done all that was stated above, but I get a black box around my start button icon. How do I fix the transparency?
doesnt work for me. reshack wont let me change areo and i tried to save my own .Theme and .msstyle.Theme and it says theyre not valid themes!
There is a lot of security in Windows Vista and Windows 7, Run Reshack in Administrator mode. Then change the file permission which you need to edit. Always take a back-up of the file you are editing, so that you don't mess your whole Operating system if something goes wrong. Reshack needs to be run as Administrator.
Pay To Developers, Not To RapidShare...!
http://forums.techarena.in/guides-tutorials/1135890.htm
My user account is a Administrator, but there is no specific user named Administrator. Is this the same? If it is, it's not working. If it isn't, how do I get to the Administrator login? I got everything done except the last step:
"Go to Save your file and "Save As" replace the aero.msstyle with it"
Please help
I think I found how how, haven't tried it yet:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olk8L...layer_embedded
Ok, before you can change the permissions, you need to do this:
Right click aero.msstyles, select Properties, on the Security tab, click Advanced, then select the Owner tab, click on Edit, give yourself permission, select yourself (maybe "Administrators" will work as well) and Apply. Maybe then you can change the permissions.
i just need this simple thing which u all dont understand i have downloded ORB ICONS from websites i just want to replace this to my installed theme ORB Icon...and what u r telling me how can make a ORB ICON.....i want simple mathod just like copy and paste is there any way ???
Last edited by abhishek; 25-02-2009 at 07:36 AM. Reason: link removed
Hi guys, I'm having trouble with this as well.
I've done all the steps including taking ownership of the aero.msstyles file and giving my self full permissions. I have replaced the file with the one containing my .bmp file, but it won't load the theme. As a matter of fact, I can't get it to load even the backed up copy of Aero.
Is there another step to get it to read the theme? Aero doesn't show up in the list of themes when I click my "personalize" then "Themes" dialog.
Can anyone help?
Thanks in advance!
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Can anyone help?
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