I run Win2K Professional Build 2195 and Michael Ward ([Windows 2000] Question about 'Customize the Start Menu Button' (Michael Ward: Wednesday, October 31, 2001) ) 's trick does not work on my system. My system automatically updates important system files from the system32\dllcache directory so that any modification made to explorer.exe is nullified by the system once the mod'ed .exe is started. In order to get the trick to work on my system, I had to rename the explorer.exe file in my system32\dllcache directory to some other name so that the system could not update the mod'ed .exe. After then I was free to mod the explorer .exe in my winnt folder. Once finished, Windows comes up with a message about how a critical system file has been replaced by an unrecognized version. Simply cancel the dialog box, and approve win2k's use of the mod'ed .exe in the next dialog box(in other words, click yes). Then as Mr. Ward mentions in his post "[Windows 2000] Question about 'Customize the Start Menu Button' (Michael Ward: Wednesday, October 31, 2001) ", press Ctrl-Alt-Delete, select task manager or simply run taskmgr.exe, go to the process tab, and end the explorer.exe process. Then go to File, New Task, and run explorer.exe.


On a sidenote, user's may use any resource editor to edit the explorer .exe. No hex editing is required. One can download a simple resource editor at http://www.rpi.net.au/~ajohnson/resourcehacker/ On my build resource 578 contains the word Start. Since we are using a resource editor there is no restriction on the size of the resource as the editor will modify the .exe completely, so hey, go for more than five lettersif you want , it's your pc. P.S. An approach similar to the first one mentioned would be to modify the dllcache'd explorer .exe directly, then delete the winnt explorer .exe, thus saving one the process of renaming the winnt explorer .exe. P.P.S. Any desired taskbar mods may be done from within a resource editor. For example, look in the Bitmap section. On my system, resource 143 is the windows flag from the start button. Change that if you want. Resource 157 is the side graphic ("Windows 2000 Professional") from the start menu on my system. Change that as well. Look and play around and modify the resources. Cheezwhizzer

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I edit everything but for people not comfortable with that there is TClock<>

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copy the explorer file and rename it. Then hack the file and change "Start" to anything you want, any amount of letters is fine but the start button gets bigger with more letters. Then reboot into safe mode with DOS prompt. Copy the file over the explorer file. Reboot and it's done. You can also turn off "File Protection" in the registry and it won't rewrite changed files. Jay


On Wednesday, November 21, 2001 at 12:41 am, Cheezwhizzer wrote:
>I run Win2K Professional Build 2195 and Michael Ward ([Windows 2000] Question about
>'Customize the Start Menu Button' (Michael Ward: Wednesday, October 31, 2001) ) 's
>trick does not work on my system.
>
>My system automatically updates important system files from the system32\dllcache
>directory so that any modification made to explorer.exe is nullified by the system
>once the mod'ed .exe is started. In order to get the trick to work on my system,
>I had to rename the explorer.exe file in my system32\dllcache directory to some other
>name so that the system could not update the mod'ed .exe. After then I was free to
>mod the explorer .exe in my winnt folder.
>
>Once finished, Windows comes up with a message about how a critical system file has
>been replaced by an unrecognized version. Simply cancel the dialog box, and approve
>win2k's use of the mod'ed .exe in the next dialog box(in other words, click yes).
>
>Then as Mr. Ward mentions in his post "[Windows 2000] Question about 'Customize the
>Start Menu Button' (Michael Ward: Wednesday, October 31, 2001) ", press Ctrl-Alt-Delete,
>select task manager or simply run taskmgr.exe, go to the process tab, and end the
>explorer.exe process. Then go to File, New Task, and run explorer.exe.
>
>


>On a sidenote, user's may use any resource editor to edit the explorer .exe. No hex
>editing is required. One can download a simple resource editor at >href="http://www.rpi.net.au/~ajohnson/resourcehacker/">http://www.rpi.net.au/~ajohnson/resourcehacker/
>On my build resource 578 contains the word Start. Since we are using a resource editor
>there is no restriction on the size of the resource as the editor will modify the
>.exe completely, so hey, go for more than five lettersif you want , it's your pc.
>
>P.S. An approach similar to the first one mentioned would be to modify the dllcache'd
>explorer .exe directly, then delete the winnt explorer .exe, thus saving one the
>process of renaming the winnt explorer .exe.
>
>P.P.S. Any desired taskbar mods may be done from within a resource editor. For example,
>look in the Bitmap section. On my system, resource 143 is the windows flag from the
>start button. Change that if you want. Resource 157 is the side graphic ("Windows
>2000 Professional") from the start menu on my system. Change that as well. Look and
>play around and modify the resources.
>
>Cheezwhizzer

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any idea how to get that bitmap 143 to have transparency??? i've been able to change it but even keeping within the color pallete and away from the edges, one change makes the entire thing opaque. (i run XP but this sounds like the process i used to edit my text and graphic.)

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On Wednesday, November 21, 2001 at 12:41 am, Cheezwhizzer wrote:
>I run Win2K Professional Build 2195 and Michael Ward ([Windows 2000] Question about
>'Customize the Start Menu Button' (Michael Ward: Wednesday, October 31, 2001) ) 's
>trick does not work on my system.
>
>My system automatically updates important system files from the system32\dllcache
>directory so that any modification made to explorer.exe is nullified by the system
>once the mod'ed .exe is started. In order to get the trick to work on my system,
>I had to rename the explorer.exe file in my system32\dllcache directory to some other
>name so that the system could not update the mod'ed .exe. After then I was free to
>mod the explorer .exe in my winnt folder.
>
>Once finished, Windows comes up with a message about how a critical system file has
>been replaced by an unrecognized version. Simply cancel the dialog box, and approve
>win2k's use of the mod'ed .exe in the next dialog box(in other words, click yes).
>
>Then as Mr. Ward mentions in his post "[Windows 2000] Question about 'Customize the
>Start Menu Button' (Michael Ward: Wednesday, October 31, 2001) ", press Ctrl-Alt-Delete,
>select task manager or simply run taskmgr.exe, go to the process tab, and end the
>explorer.exe process. Then go to File, New Task, and run explorer.exe.
>

[Reply or follow-up to this message]

I think that the easiest thing to do, besides using that TClock i'm reading about, 
is this: 

1. Use a Hex editor like Resource Hacker and open the explorer.exe file. Make all 
the changes you want, (icons, what the start menu says, etc...). Then Compile it 
and save it under a different name (i.e. explorer2.exe, or whatever you want, just 
NOT explorer.exe). 

2. Start up the registry editor (Start --> Run --> regedit) and navigate to: 

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon

Change the value of the "Shell" from EXPLORER.EXE to whatever it is you called it 
when you saved your version in step 1. 

3. Reboot and you're done! Now, windows will always startup your modified version 
of explorer.exe and because it's a different filename, there's no pesky File Protection 
stuff going on. 

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When you edit Explorer.exe there save it as explorer2.exe in windows folder. Then goto your registry (start > run > regedit) then then goto HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > SOFTWARE > Microsoft > Windows NT > Current Version > Winlogon then edit Shell (found towards the bottom of the right pane it should say explorer.exe) and make it say explorer2.exe

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Hi I read this thread after some googeling art.. So I've tried your method but if I use reshacker, compiling the script after i've changed the string "Start" to something else with 5 letters, changed the registry. My windows just boots black, and if I use the ctrl+alt+delete feature and trying to start my hacked edition of explorer.exe, it sais; "explorer_hacked.exe is not a valid win32 program/file" or something slightly similar. I use windows 2000 with the latest service pack, I don't use latest edition of reshacker thou, can the be it? I've also tried _NOT_ to compile the script in haste, but ofcourse it worked the same as the original explorer.exe.


On Friday, June 28, 2002 at 11:56 pm, Marc wrote:
>
>I think that the easiest thing to do, besides using that TClock i'm reading about,
>is this:
>
>1. Use a Hex editor like Resource Hacker and open the explorer.exe file. Make all
>the changes you want, (icons, what the start menu says, etc...). Then Compile it
>and save it under a different name (i.e. explorer2.exe, or whatever you want, just
>NOT explorer.exe).
>
>2. Start up the registry editor (Start --> Run --> regedit) and navigate to:
>
>HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon
>
>Change the value of the "Shell" from EXPLORER.EXE to whatever it is you called it
>when you saved your version in step 1.
>
>3. Reboot and you're done! Now, windows will always startup your modified version
>of explorer.exe and because it's a different filename, there's no pesky File Protection
>stuff going on.

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