How do I select an icon for an .exe?

[zulu9812]

Okay, so I have a program to extract an icon from an exe and save it as an .ico file. But I want to use this icon for SFX archive that currently has no icon (it has the 'blank' exe icon that Windows uses when it can't find the icon). How do i get this .exe file to use the .ico file I extracted from somewhere else?

 

[Turner]

Right click on the program/file, and select "Change Icon". Then tell Windows where the icon is. It can be a .ico file or a .exe file. I think you can also extract them from .dll's. I don't know about others, haven't tried.

Once you 'link' the thread to the icon, it should appear. You might have to do a 'F5' to refresh the screen so the icon appears.

Been a while since I've done this, tho, so I may be a bit off.

 

[zulu9812]

Well, there is no "Change Icon" box. I know what you mean, and I've done that before with other files. But this file doesn't have that box in Properties.

I should also point out that I want to put this file onto a CD, and so the icon I want has to be viewable on other computers.

 

[Turner]

Hmm. . .well, they went and changed it on me when I wasn't looking. Sorry. . .don't know.

 

[kcwong]

Originally posted by zulu9812
Okay, so I have a program to extract an icon from an exe and save it as an .ico file. But I want to use this icon for SFX archive that currently has no icon (it has the 'blank' exe icon that Windows uses when it can't find the icon). How do i get this .exe file to use the .ico file I extracted from somewhere else?

When you see a .EXE file with an icon, the icons (and small images sometimes) are actually stored inside the binaries of the executable, referred to as a "resource".

With patience, and good skills at hex editing and assembly, that can be done.

In other words, unless the software used to create the SFX archive supports it, just forget about it...

 

[Padma]

Turner (& zulu): The "Change Icon" box is only there for *shortcuts*. That's what you are used to seeing - probably a desktop shortcut to some program. Those you can change to your heart's content, but like kcwong said, for the actual executable, the icon is stored inside of it ....

 

[anarres]

Probably not what you want, but if you want to give your CD an icon (that appears instead of the crappy default CD icon), just do this:

* Place the icon on the CD in any location.
* Create autorun.ini in the root of the CD file structure.
* Add the line "icon=<myiconpath>" in autorun.ini

Very basic, but if you are distributing CD's then it's a nice touch.