Newbie Help Question

MERRICK

Hi guys!
I want to customize my win 9x GUI by:

1] Changing the start button icon

2] Removing all printer icons from control panel, my computer and start menu (This is for a printerless DAW)

Does anyone know how to do this?

Does anyone know a forum where I can find this kind of stuff out?

Much much thanks!

Tropical

do you have windows 98, 2000, or xp? anyways try this right click on the taskbar and hit properties and go to the second tab(start menu on xp) click on customize and then there should be a tab to click of printer out of the start menu.

MERRICK

Hi tropical
Okay this is for windows 98SE. Before you laugh, it's part of a project I'm working on to make a quasi embedded operating system (EOS) specific to DAW applications. I understand that XP is highly customizable but 9x is very "hard wired" when it comes to this kind of stuff. I'd be willing to commit to icon/bitmap/hex editing but I just don't know where to look for advice. Thanks for your help!

Straight_Man

Pure DLL (where embedded graphics hang out) removal is a registry key deletion set-- try looking in the registry guides at http://www.winguides.com. EDITTING,unfortunately you get to find the resource file and edit the EMBEDDED graphics call code or embedded graphic itself from within DLL and I do not have a good handle on the exact software set one person I KNEW in France used to do this exact thing on his own box. That button, though, is part of an integrated dll and NOT a separate graphic laid in in a callable changeable way in registry, unlike the starting and closing graphics for Windows itself which are in fact separate files-- desktop icons are mostly seperate files also, though they can be embedded in dlls also if a programmer wants to make it a PITA to find and change them.

You could see if ResHack is still around anywhere, but I do not have a copy now. Except for taskbar, you can right-click and say delete most things that are not dll embedded graphics, I think the printer set is an exception to normal .ico use in start menu for 95 OSR2 and up and is registry entry defaulted in part and part in the start menu dll set (and I forgot the name, sorry, been too long since I played with that particular thing).

Note the full licensing of ResHack is not something you might want to do with a US address, though for your OWN boxes only and not for distribution you can use it legally for what YOU want to do. Microsoft does not say that editting the looks of your OWN box is illegal, but has copyrighted the look of what they require OEMS to distribute and the start button is part of THAT.

Also, on WinGuides.com, see if RegHackr still hangs around, if so he is an absolute WIZ with the registries for MOST windows versions, though in some ways stubborn about what is best single way to do things-- it would not surprise me if he helped WRITE the downloadable guides, they have his writing flavor in many places.

John.

Tropical

here is a simple way to delete the printer icon on control panel: hold the windows key + f to start find and look for files starting with .cpl, it should show all the control panel icons files in that search. the only problem that i don't know which one to delete so you can do that yourself, remeber to reboot

MERRICK

Thanks ageek!

Yeah I've got a handle on the reg tweaks. I realize it's roll up my shirt sleeves time here and yes this is for my box and not an OEM thing.

Your link to programmersheaven.com is a great tip. hanks for the clue.

MERRICK

Tropical, yes you are right excpet in the 9.x O/S the printer icon is hard wired with the mouse and keyboard icons (main.cpl). I'd like to keep the mouse so I'm going to have to customize it. I also want to rid the printer icon in my computer and in the start menu.

:banghead:

Straight_Man

Ok, thought you would find it-- I last looked at it in 2001, EARLY in 2001. The embedded graphics are actually bitmap files but the size has to match to the byte in some dlls because some use a mix of absolute and relative addressing. BMP color codes apply, usually a set of bytes with null color codes in a dll results in only a background square of the window or pane or menu's background showing with no entry (a blank box where the picture should be) or overlay.

In 98, if you remove the physical printer.cpl file only, you will get errors EVERY time you try to and fail to run Control Panel(IT WILL CRASH ON LOAD) unless you get rid of all the registry entries for the printer applet also.

John.