Tip #3004 - Create Your Own Icon
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Create
Your Own Icon
Have you ever wanted
to create your own icon for your desktop? Maybe you're tired of all the
original boring ones and you think it's time for a change. Well, you're
in luck, because this article will help you in creating your very own
icon. You'll no longer have to use the ones that are available by default
in Windows XP.
Note:
This tip will only work in Windows XP.
Just follow the steps
given below to create your own icon!
1.) Open the Paint
program by going to Start, All Programs,
Accessories, Paint.
2.) Select Attributes
from the Image Menu.
3.) The Attributes
dialogue box will then open.
4.) Change both the
Width and the Height to 32.
5.) From Units,
select Pixel.
6.) Click OK.
You'll notice that
the height and the width of the screen reduced to 32 pixels. That is going
to be the size of your icon.
Now, go ahead and
draw whatever you'd like your icon to be in the Paint
program. When you're finished, save the file by going to File,
Save As. Go ahead and give your file a name, but make sure it's
formatted with the .ico extension (.ico is for an icon
file). For example, save it as face.ico.
Now, set the Save
as Type to be a 24-bit bitmap (*.bmp; *.dib) and then store it
in your My Pictures folder.
There you have it!
You have created our own icon. Now, let's see how you can replace this
icon with the a default icon that Windows XP provides (just in case you
ever feel like going back to them).
To do this:
1.) Right click anywhere
on your Desktop.
2.) Select New
and then from the submenu, select Folder.
3.) A folder named
New Folder will be created on your desktop. (You can
change this name if you want. Just right click on it and choose Rename).
4.) Next, right click
on the new folder and select Properties.
5.) Click on the
Customize tab.
6.) Click the command
button of Change Icon under the Folder icons
menu.
7.) On the next screen,
click on Browse and select the face.ico
file from your My Pictures folder. Then click OK
for the changes to take effect.
Now you can see the
icon you created. It will automatically replace the default Windows XP
"New Folder" icon. It's not only for your folders; you can also
use it for any files, shortcuts, etc. Now, you can go and create any number
of icons and replace all of your files and folders, if you so choose.
Go ahead and give
it a try and see how it works, but most importantly, have fun with it!
~ M. Nagarajan
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