Save desktop icon placement

[xunil76]

the computer is running Windows XP SP2 with all security updates installed

i share the computer (with a dual monitor setup) with someone who uses a different desktop view than i do (nVidia's "Horizontal Span", vs. "Dualview", which is what i use). when i login and change it back to "Dualview", my icons are all over the place. i want to save my icon locations so that it is easy to reset them the way i like. i'm trying to keep this system as lightweight as possible, so i want to keep from having to install as many additional programs as i can possibly help.

so i did some searching, and found the following FIX (referring to the layout.zip download file in post 5/5 on that page).

however....

that fix (as it is now) requires that the extracted "layout.dll" file be placed in the c:\windows\system32 directory, then you import the "layout.reg" file into the registry to add the options for "Save Desktop Icon Layout" & "Restore Desktop Icon Layout" to the context menu when you right-click the "My Computer" or "Recycle Bin" icons. the problem is that i don't want to add the "layout.dll" file to the c:\windows\system32 directory, i want to put it elsewhere.

is there any possible way that this can be modified, so as to place the layout.dll file inside a new folder that i create in the root c: drive (c:\layout), rather than needing it to go in the c:\windows\system32 directory?

the code for the default layout.reg file is listed below:

REGEDIT4


[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{19F500E0-9964-11cf-B63D-08002B317C03}]
   @="Desktop Icon Layout"
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{19F500E0-9964-11cf-B63D-08002B317C03}\InProcServer32]
   @="Layout.dll"
	 "ThreadingModel"="Apartment"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers\IconLayout]
   @="{19F500E0-9964-11cf-B63D-08002B317C03}"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Shell Extensions\Approved]
   "{19F500E0-9964-11cf-B63D-08002B317C03}"="Desktop Icon Layout"

is it possible to get this to work, or maybe another way to save the icon placement without installing software or adding anything to the c:\windows\system32 directory?

thanks!

[xunil76]

anyone? someone?

[idesksoft]

You can put the folder that placed the layout.dll into system PATH, and try again.

[xunil76]

You can put the folder that placed the layout.dll into system PATH, and try again.

sorry, it may just be the way your response is worded, but i can't make any sense of what you just said

can you phrase it differently for me, so i can understand what it is you're trying to say?

it's been a long night at work, sorry if i'm just retarded and not seeing things clearly right now

[BLeU]

REGEDIT4


[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{19F500E0-9964-11cf-B63D-08002B317C03}]
   @="Desktop Icon Layout"
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{19F500E0-9964-11cf-B63D-08002B317C03}\InProcServer32]
   @="C:\\Layout\\Layout.dll"
	 "ThreadingModel"="Apartment"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers\IconLayout]
   @="{19F500E0-9964-11cf-B63D-08002B317C03}"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Shell Extensions\Approved]
   "{19F500E0-9964-11cf-B63D-08002B317C03}"="Desktop Icon Layout"

Replace C:\\Layout with path to the folder you save layout.dll in..Must use double slash in the path..FYI, desktop icons layout/position is stored in HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags\1\Desktop under value ItemPos[YourScreenResolution](1) and if you prefer the hard way, you can export that value to reg file to save icons position on your desktop..when you're to restore the icons position, just merge that reg file and restart explorer.exe process (kill it then start it again)