How would you set a sort of default folder background for all folders? Is this something that's possible through the registry, or can it be embedded in the htt used for the sidebars?

On a completely unrelated note, there isn't a way to set up a seperate image in an htt file for a different drive? Something like %drive%/image.ext

Start - Settings - Folder options

How would you set a sort of default folder background for all folders?

As far as I know, no one has found a way to do that.

Is this something that's possible through the registry, or can it be embedded in the htt used for the sidebars?

An htt file is actually used for displaying the entire content of the window and not only the left pane.

On a completely unrelated note, there isn't a way to set up a seperate image in an htt file for a different drive? Something like %drive%/image.ext

An easy way to do this is to use a desktop.ini file in the folder you want, as to force the folder to use a customized htt file which has the image or functions you want :

[ExtShellFolderViews]
Default={5984FFE0-28D4-11CF-AE66-08002B2E1262}
{5984FFE0-28D4-11CF-AE66-08002B2E1262}={5984FFE0-28D4-11CF-AE66-08002B2E1262}

[{5984FFE0-28D4-11CF-AE66-08002B2E1262}]
PersistMoniker=file://yourcustomfile.htt

I am not sure whether it is possible or not to add some script to the htt file that displays all folders so that it displays custom elements according to the path of the folder.

Edited November 6, 200718 yr by eidenk

Ah hah! It can be done!

REGEDIT4
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ExtShellViews\{BE098140-A513-11D0-A3A4-00C04FD706EC}]
"Attributes"="1"
"IconArea_Image"="C:\\imagepath.ext"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shellex\ExtShellFolderViews\{BE098140-A513-11D0-A3A4-00C04FD706EC}]

The HKLM line sets the default attributes for this namespace. The font color commands are overridden by Windows itself, but you can set the default icon area image no problem. Any settings in the folder's own desktop.ini will override this.

To utilize the feature you just add the namespace to the ExtShellFolderViews for whatever directory you want to affect. The HKCR above affects all directories, but you could selectively change only certain system folder backgrounds by adding the namespace to their respective CLSID.

Ah hah! It can be done!

REGEDIT4
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ExtShellViews\{BE098140-A513-11D0-A3A4-00C04FD706EC}]
"Attributes"="1"
"IconArea_Image"="C:\\imagepath.ext"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shellex\ExtShellFolderViews\{BE098140-A513-11D0-A3A4-00C04FD706EC}]

The HKLM line sets the default attributes for this namespace. The font color commands are overridden by Windows itself, but you can set the default icon area image no problem. Any settings in the folder's own desktop.ini will override this.

To utilize the feature you just add the namespace to the ExtShellFolderViews for whatever directory you want to affect. The HKCR above affects all directories, but you could selectively change only certain system folder backgrounds by adding the namespace to their respective CLSID.

Hey, clever. Pity that a desktop.ini per folder is still needed though.