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Help with batch file

G

George

Flightless Bird
I have about 40 different shortcuts in various folders that have
the same icon, let's call it icon A. I would like to change icon
A to a different icon, icon B. I know I can make the changes
individually, shortcut by shortcut, but am wondering if a batch
file might do the trick in one full sweep. If anyone can tell me
how to create such a batch file, in other words, the various lines
needed, I would be most grateful.

T.i.a.
George

P.S. Icon A is inside an exe file, Icon B is an ico file.
 
S

Shenan Stanley

Flightless Bird
George wrote:
> I have about 40 different shortcuts in various folders that have
> the same icon, let's call it icon A. I would like to change icon
> A to a different icon, icon B. I know I can make the changes
> individually, shortcut by shortcut, but am wondering if a batch
> file might do the trick in one full sweep. If anyone can tell me
> how to create such a batch file, in other words, the various lines
> needed, I would be most grateful.
>
> T.i.a.
> George
>
> P.S. Icon A is inside an exe file, Icon B is an ico file.

Change one, copy to the other locations/replacing the existing file.

--
Shenan Stanley
MS-MVP
--
How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html
 
T

thanatoid

Flightless Bird
"George" <null@null.net> wrote in
news:#vvLJZ6qKHA.3408@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl:

>
> I have about 40 different shortcuts in various folders that
> have the same icon, let's call it icon A. I would like to
> change icon A to a different icon, icon B. I know I can
> make the changes individually, shortcut by shortcut, but am
> wondering if a batch file might do the trick in one full
> sweep. If anyone can tell me how to create such a batch
> file, in other words, the various lines needed, I would be
> most grateful.
>
> T.i.a.
> George
>
> P.S. Icon A is inside an exe file, Icon B is an ico file.

You have to get a few programs and be prepared to spend some
time - but the results are well worth it.

First, you need an icon extractor. I use an oldie freebie but
goodie called Iconjack32 (from PC Magazine year 2000).

Then you need a program like Axialis Icons (which I use) or
Michelangelo (which is mentioned all the time) to make/edit and
then combine icons into a DLL or exe file.

You need to assemble all the icons you like from wherever, and
create a DLL file to be put in your system32 directory. I call
mine "__2010.DLL", so it appears /first/. Whenever you right-
click and get to "change icon" on any icon on the desktop (or in
start menu shortcuts or wherever) it will (usually) start with
the program exe file and then the program directory etc. Many
programs' icons are stupid or butt ugly. So you click down to
win\sys32 and see the icon DLL file. You click on that and you
choose the icon you want.

You have to do that for every icon and doing it once in the
start menu will NOT change the icon for other shortcuts, on the
desktop, etc.

If you have a great program with unbearable-to-look-at icons,
there are other tools, one is resource hacker, one is resource
tuner. There may be more. They will let you change icons (and
other things like dialog boxes text) without actually changing
the /program/.

There are sites devoted to icons which may have links for all
this stuff.

If you have further questions, ask me.

(There is no batch file way to do it, the only other way to do
it is to go inside the registry, FIND the key for each program's
icon, and put in what in my case might be value "default" the
data "__2010.DLL,73" which will give you the seventy FOURTH icon
from the DLL file. But an additional problem is not all programs
(that I've noticed anyway) store their main icon {let alone all
the other icons} in the registry. {For *those* you /need/
resource tuner.})



--
The lonely child plays with eternity, while a gang of children
plays with time.
Karel Capek
 
P

Pegasus [MVP]

Flightless Bird
"George" <null@null.net> said this in news item
news:#vvLJZ6qKHA.3408@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...
> I have about 40 different shortcuts in various folders that have the same
> icon, let's call it icon A. I would like to change icon A to a different
> icon, icon B. I know I can make the changes individually, shortcut by
> shortcut, but am wondering if a batch file might do the trick in one full
> sweep. If anyone can tell me how to create such a batch file, in other
> words, the various lines needed, I would be most grateful.
>
> T.i.a.
> George
>
> P.S. Icon A is inside an exe file, Icon B is an ico file.

It's fairly easy to automate the creation of icons - the VB Script file
further down will do it. However, in your case this is probably not the
answer. Since your shortcuts reside in different folders and require
different icons, it is difficult to create an automatic process. By the time
you've finished creating, debuggin and testing it, you've probable used ten
times as much time as if you had done it manually.

'Create a shortcut with VB Script
sName = "d:/Test.lnk"
Set oFSO = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
Set oShell = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
if oFSO.FileExists(sName) then oFSO.DeleteFile(sName)
Set oShortcut = oShell.CreateShortcut(sName)

With oShortcut
.TargetPath = "C:/Program Files (x86)\Microsoft
Office\OFFICE11\Excel.exe"
.arguments = ""
.Description = "Excel Launcher"
.IconLocation = "e:/Technical\Icons\progman15.ico"
.HotKey = "Alt+Shift+A"
.Save
End With
 
T

thanatoid

Flightless Bird
"George" <null@null.net> wrote in
news:#vvLJZ6qKHA.3408@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl:

>
> I have about 40 different shortcuts in various folders that
> have the same icon, let's call it icon A. I would like to
> change icon A to a different icon, icon B. I know I can
> make the changes individually, shortcut by shortcut, but am
> wondering if a batch file might do the trick in one full
> sweep. If anyone can tell me how to create such a batch
> file, in other words, the various lines needed, I would be
> most grateful.
>
> T.i.a.
> George
>
> P.S. Icon A is inside an exe file, Icon B is an ico file.

The simpler way, and if you only have a few icons to deal with,
is this:

Search in the registry for the types of files using icon A. (I
will /assume) they are all the same kind of file, although it
does raise a variety of questions, like HOW did they all end up
the same. IME, most icons which are the same are basic system
icons and changing them might not be a good idea.)

Change the icon data for that file extension to "c:/windows\SOME
DIR OR JUST ROOT\iconB.ico" (or somewhere else, or even one of
the few icons in a small DLL file as described in my previous
post).

Still has to be done manually. Making even a small DLL file has
the advantage of keeping most of it in one place. Anytime you
reinstall the system or some (usually) MS program messes with
it, you MAY have to do it again.


--
The lonely child plays with eternity, while a gang of children
plays with time.
Karel Capek
 
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