Tray Icon Locations

[TBurrfootsIre]

Making an nLited XP disc and was thinking I'd like to change the icons used in XP's tray for sound, network, etc. Wondering if anyone might happen to know what file they are located in inside XP SP3 .iso. If I can find out, I was going to try and change them using Res Hack so already changed when do fresh OS install.

Actually, while I'm asking, what about location of logonui & ntoskrnl.exe files in the iso. Are they in the I386 folder of the iso? I hunted for them and found a bootcfg & ntoskrnl ex_ file but couldn't open them with res hack. Is that them but they haven't been turned into actual exe's yet that res hack can access? Might try res hacking them as well if can find them and get bored. If not, no biggie.

[CharlotteTheHarlot]

I hunted for them and found a bootcfg & ntoskrnl ex_ file but couldn't open them with res hack. Is that them but they haven't been turned into actual exe's yet that res hack can access? Might try res hacking them as well if can find them and get bored. If not, no biggie.

These are compressed files using the MSCAB format. It should be identified in a file sniffer as Microsoft Cabinet Archive. You should be able to drop to a CMD window and simply type ...

expand xxx.dl_ xxx.dll

expand xxx.ex_ xxx.exe

... minding your current directory of course.

I got so tired of this myself (this has been going on since what, DOS 4 or 5?) that I did something else. I associated them with WinRar. It was complicated because of how many extensions can be used (i.e., .sy_ or .cp_) but it was worth it. So when I double-click in i386 on Explorer.ex_ and I get a typical WinRar window containing Explorer.exe.

[TBurrfootsIre]

THANKS FOR REPLYING!!

So are you saying the EX_ ones I saw are the right ones and that they are just zip files with unusual extension? If so, can I just change extension to .zip, unzip them with 7zip, change the wanted files, rezip them and then change extension back to EX_?

Or have I misunderstood what you are saying?

Also, since you didn't say anything about the tray icons, I'm assuming you don't know location of them, correct?

[CharlotteTheHarlot]

THANKS FOR REPLYING!!

So are you saying the EX_ ones I saw are the right ones and that they are just zip files with unusual extension? If so, can I just change extension to .zip, unzip them with 7zip, change the wanted files, rezip them and then change extension back to EX_?

Or have I misunderstood what you are saying?

Also, since you didn't say anything about the tray icons, I'm assuming you don't know location of them, correct?

The answer is yes, these are the correct files for you, they are just compressed. No, they are not 'ZIP files with unusual extension'.

From Explorer, doubleclick on file using extension: ZIP ... No!, adding .zip to the extension will not work because for some reason WinZip does not understand MSCAB when called from Explorer (well at least WinZip v14.0), if you add/change the extension to ZIP, and then doubleclick it, WinZip will return: Cannot open file: it does not appear to be a valid archive. NOTE: but it will work in another fashion, see below.

From Explorer, doubleclick on file using extension: RAR ... Yes!, You need to have WinRar installed (and everyone should IMHO). So if you take xxx.ex_ and rename it: xxx.rar (or better yet just add on the extension xxx.ex_.rar, which is so that you don't forget to rename the original back), then you doubleclick it, yes, WinRar opens up the file as an archive and you can drag xxx.exe out of the archive just like any archive. Just have to remember that the file is not a normal archive.

Open from Archiver ... Yes!, I just tested this now. All three popular archivers: WinZip, WinRar, 7zip will open a xxx.dl_ directly. So open up your archiver (e.g. WinZip), CTRL-O for Open dialog, paste the filename (if current directory) or paste the full path from anywhere, hit Enter and the window shows xxx.dll. Again this is manually opening a xxx.yy_ file from your open Archiver. This has nothing to do with doubleclicking the file in Explorer mentioned above (WinZip fails!).

Tray Icons ... well the sound icon (assume you mean the soundcard manager, NOT the volume control) varies wildly from computer to computer. That icon lives in an EXE that comes with the audio drivers which may be Realtek, Creative, ADI, probably many more).

But it is possible to find out where some of them are, one way is to use Process Explorer from System Internals. Locate the running process. For this computer I see the Realtek icon so ProcExp shows a file called: Rthdcpl.exe, selecting it and clicking its properties gives the location: C:\Windows\Rthdcpl.exe. That would be the file you are concerned with. Follow the same steps for other '3rd party' icons.

Now the WinXP system icons are much trickier. On this computer the Network icon has no fingerprint in ProcExp. So I tried something else. Process Monitor also from System Internals. I started logging and doubleclicked the icon, stopped logging, weeded through 100,000 events and found references to two files: Netshell.dll and Xpsp2res.dll in System32. They both contain lots of icons. Also note that there also are files called: Xpsp1res.dll, and Xpsp3res.dll also containing icons. Good luck with that! I don't have time to go further right now.

I guarantee other commenters in this forum have actual experience with tray icons and where the files reside. Tell the truth, I have never touched them as far as I can remember.

EDIT: Added some stuff. See: Open from Archiver

Edited March 1, 2011 by CharlotteTheHarlot

[TBurrfootsIre]

Wow, thanks for the help. Didn't mean for you to go through all that trouble looking for the processes.

Yes, I was referring to the yolume control and network system icons in XP. I'll see if I can locate them in files mentioned. Like I said, if not no biggie though, it was just an idea to change them on the install disc if could find them.

Again, thanks for the help!

[CharlotteTheHarlot]

Wow, thanks for the help. Didn't mean for you to go through all that trouble looking for the processes.

Yes, I was referring to the yolume control and network system icons in XP. I'll see if I can locate them in files mentioned. Like I said, if not no biggie though, it was just an idea to change them on the install disc if could find them.

Again, thanks for the help!

I just updated that post #4 with some more info.

[TBurrfootsIre]

OK, one more question.

Since the files are not normal archives is there a special way I need to repack them so they still function correctly or can I just re-archive them normally and then change extension back and that's it?

Thanks again for help!

Edited March 1, 2011 by TBurrfootsIre

[submix8c]

"Makecab.exe" will re-compress. Mind what you were told - do in a separate folder.

[TBurrfootsIre]

OK.

Thanks submix8c, and to you again charlotte!

Will see what I can do with all the info. given when I get a chance.