This script allows you to change the icon Windows will use for a given file type.
Below is a step-by-step slideshow of how this works.
A few warnings:
1. Modifying the windows registry can create some undesirable side-effects. Including killing your current Windows install. This script will never, ever, modify the registry by itself. It creates .reg files that contain registry modification instructions but does not execute these files. The user is always required to execute these files themselves. Ideally after inspecting their content using Notepad or something similar.
2. This script is mainly intended to be used in conjunction with Xy's Portable File Associations. Attempting to modify the icon of a an established file type (For example .txt, .dll, ...) will work but as a side-effect all predating associations are also deleted. If you had programs that have written to the file type keys in the registry their data will be lost. This is usually not a problem considering only keys relevant to file type icons are deleted.
3. Always, Always, Always inspect the content of any .reg file created by this script before execution. I recommend doing a test run in a virtual machine first.
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1. I like portable applications. As a result I don't have many file type associations. Instead I use Xy's Portable File Associations. Unfortunately this also leaves me with a lot of blank icons as I don't allow many programs to write code to my registry
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2. After launching the script a dialog will ask you which file types you would like to change the icon for. You can type as many file types as you like all separated by a comma,
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3. Next a dialog will ask you to select the icon you want to see for your file types. Many programs have .ico files but if you select a .exe the script will use the icon from that executable.
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4. A RegIcons.reg file will appear in your <xypath>\Data\Scripts folder. Windows Registry Editor uses .reg files to allow users to spread changes to the registry of a computer over many system.
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5. A .reg file contains simple text and can be read using Notepad
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6. Once you have inspected the .reg file you can make the changes to your registry by executing the file (double-click). A confirmation dialog appears asking you if you understand what you are doing.
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7.%20And%20there%20you%20go!