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OT: icons by filename.filetype

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Robert Baer

unread,
Oct 15, 2012, 4:55:06 PM10/15/12
to
I click on a folder and have view by details selected.
I see a list,each line has an icon, a file name,file type, etc.
Now,how the @@!&*^!()*&#@@&!~ do i get that nasty icon to ALWAYS be
that used for the program that opens it?
eXplicitly, i want that icon to be the Corel balloon for each and
every .CDR file.
I get images that roughly look like the first page in the CDR file.
Hell_p!

Nobody

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Oct 16, 2012, 3:21:05 AM10/16/12
to
Thumbnails. I wasn't aware that they were generated in "Details" mode;
I've only seen them in "Medium Icons" and larger.

First, check whether the application which deals with them has an option
to control thumbnail generation. If it doesn't, you can modify the
registry keys directly using regedit (it doesn't have a start menu entry,
but can be run by name).

The relevant keys are:

{BB2E617C-0920-11d1-9A0B-00C04FC2D6C1} (image handler)
{E357FCCD-A995-4576-B01F-234630154E96} (thumbnail handler)

They will be found under one or more of:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\.cdr\ShellEx
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Classes\.cdr\ShellEx

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\<filetype>\ShellEx
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Classes\<filetype>\ShellEx

where <filetype> is the "Default" value under the keys:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\.cdr\ShellEx
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Classes\.cdr\ShellEx

The value of the above key(s) will be a CLSID (hex digits and dashes
within curly brackets) which identifies an OLE server which can generate
thumbnails for the file type. You can look up CLSIDs under
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID if you want to know the program/DLL to which they
refer.

Deleting the relevant key(s) will disable thumbnail generation for
that file type. You can export a key to a .reg file before deleting it;
running the .reg file will re-instate the key if you decide you want the
thumbnails back.

Use the one under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE to change the system-wide setting and
the one under HKEY_CURRENT_USER to change the per-user setting for the
current user.

As well as the above keys, you may find:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.cdr\ShellEx
HKEY_USERS\<user-id>\Software\Classes\.cdr\ShellEx
HKEY_USERS\<user-id>_Classes\.cdr\ShellEx

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\<filetype>\ShellEx
HKEY_USERS\<user-id>\Software\Classes\<filetype>\ShellEx
HKEY_USERS\<user-id>_Classes\<filetype>\ShellEx

Most of the keys are aliases for each other. The real keys are the
ones under:

HKEY_USERS\<user-id>\Software\Classes
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Classes

HKEY_USERS\<user-id>_Classes is an alias for
HKEY_USERS\<user-id>\Software\Classes.

HKEY_CURRENT_USER is an alias for HKEY_USERS\<user-id> for the current
user.

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT is a virtual key obtained by merging the per-user
and system-wide versions of the ...\Software\Classes keys (under early
versions of Windows, the real keys were stored here; that had to change
when NT was developed and they needed to support multiple users, so
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT was "synthesised" for compatibility).

Robert Baer

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Oct 17, 2012, 4:27:24 AM10/17/12
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Thanks; will see if any of this makes sense to me as well if registry
changes as noted help.

Robert Baer

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Oct 20, 2012, 4:52:18 PM10/20/12
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What i found: entries only on HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT and
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, with only the image handler key you gave.
What is problematic is that another drive that gives the familiar
look of the Corel balloon looks exactly the same in its registry as the
"bad" HD.
Also, adding the thumbnail handler key made zero difference.
Looks like i need a way to fall back and punt.

TheGlimmerMan

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Oct 20, 2012, 4:59:49 PM10/20/12
to
On Sat, 20 Oct 2012 12:52:18 -0800, Robert Baer <rober...@localnet.com>
wrote:

snip windows tripe


iPad and Macbook retina display icons are flawless, high resolution
beauties.

Shame that a greedy overpriced lame corporation is behind it.
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