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[Fixes] [Customizations] [General Information]

Create Custom Folders With a Custom Icon
This very cool script allows you to create folders on the desktop or anyplace else in Win9x or Win2K, and you can use a custom icon other than the default yellow manilla folder. True, a folder can be created off the desktop and a shortcut to it on the desktop can be assigned any icon, but this script assigns the icon to the folder itself, regardless of location.

Download Custom Folder Builder and place it in its own directory and make a shortcut to it on your desktop. When double-clicked, you will be asked to assign a name for the new folder. The next input box asks for a path to the new folder with the default being C:\Windows\Desktop, and finally the user is asked for the icon file with its index number. There is no browse function so you must know which icon you'd like to use. Icons can be found in many files scattered throughout Windows; see the Graphics section of the Goody Corner for freeware utilities which allow you to look in files and see their icons. The icons are numbered, starting with zero, so the first icon available in, say, MORICONS.DLL would be MORICONS.DLL,0. You may also type the path to the ICO file of your choice. After you're done, you may notice that the new folder displays the normal, generic icon. If so, simply refresh by hitting F5. This should update the generic icon, however a reboot may be required.

Custom Folder Builder works by creating the folder, giving it system and read-only attributes, creating a desktop.ini file in the folder and putting the icon reference in that desktop.ini.

Microsoft Character Map Display Tool
Characters gives a much more readable display of symbol characters than the Microsoft Character map. You get to choose from "symbol", "Wingdings", "Wingdings 2", "Wingdings 3", or Webdings. The output shows the ASCII index number, the equivalent character in Verdana and then the symbol. Download Characters now! It works in either Win9x or Win2K.

Use Extension Analyzer to Check File Associations And More
When you run this script in either Win9x or Win2K, you will be asked to input a file extension such as JPG or DOC. Click OK and a message box will appear that indicates the file type as described in the Registry and the file type as it is listed in Windows Explorer under the View/Folder Options/File Types tab in the Registered File types list. It then reveals the associated application with full path statement if an association exists.

Additionally, you can drag a file into Extension Analyzer. It will promptly extract and report the extension of the file. Likewise, if Extension Analyzer, or a shortcut to it is placed in C:\Windows\SendTo, any file can be right-clicked and sent to Extension Analyzer for analysis. The file will not be moved, just evaluated.

But that isn't all. If you drag an LNK file (a shortcut with the extension LNK) into Extension Analyzer, it is reported to be a shortcut, its target is found and reported and an extension report is generated on the target.

Extension Analyzer performs all this through simple Registry reads. It does nothing for special desktop items such as your Internet Explorer desktop shortcut or the My Computer icon though as this is beyond its scope. However Extension Analyzer can be a real time saver if you don't remember certain associations or if you keep extensions hidden and you want to investigate a suspicious file without going in and making changes to your Explorer configuration.

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