Create+Your+Own+Icon


 * Create Your Own Icon**

Have you ever wanted to create your own icon for your desktop? Maybe you’re tired of all the pre-installed boring ones and you think it’s time for a change. Well, you’re in luck, because this article will help you create your very own icon. You’ll no longer have to use the ones that are available by default in Windows. Just follow the steps below to create your own icon. In XP, open the [|**Paint program**] by going to **Start, All Programs, Accessories, Paint.** In Vista and Windows 7, just type **paint** into Start search and click on the **Paint** link. In Paint, select **Attributes** from the **Image** menu. In the **Attributes** dialog box, change both the **Width** and the **Height** to **32** and select **Pixels** in the **Units** section. You’ll notice that the height and the width of the screen reduced to 32 pixels will appear very tiny in the window. That is going to be the size of your icon. For easier viewing and editing, in the **View** menu, click on **Zoom** and **Custom**. Select **800%** this makes it much easier to see. Now, go ahead and draw whatever you’d like your icon to be in the Paint program. When you’re finished, save the file by going to **File**, and select **Save** or **Save As.** Go ahead and give your file a name, but make sure it’s formatted with the .ico extension (.ico is for an icon file). For example, save it as Icon.ico. Now, set the **Save as Type** to be a **24-bit bitmap (*.bmp; *.dib)** and then store it in any convenient folder. There you have it! You have created our own icon. Now, let’s see how you can replace the Windows default with your creation. To do this: Right click anywhere on your **Desktop**. Select **New** and then from the submenu, select **Folder**.

A folder named **New Folder** will be created on your desktop. (You can change this name if you want. Just right click on it and choose Rename).

Next, right click on the new folder and select **Properties**. Select **Customize** tab. Select **Change Icon** button under the **Folder** icons menu. In the **Change Icon** dialog box, click on **Browse** and select the **.ico** file from your folder. Then click **OK** for the changes to take effect. Now you can see the icon you created. It will automatically replace the default icon. It’s not only for your folders; you can also use it for any files, shortcuts, etc. Now, you can go and create any number of icons and replace all of your files and folders, if you choose.