Help with a created icon – how do I install on remote machines?

P
Posted By
Phosphor
Aug 27, 2003
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1014
Replies
17
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Closed
I don’t think you can change the icon associated with a shortcut and just transfer it to another computer. It’s possible you might be able to write registry key that you could "merge" with the registry to change the association, but that’s really got the potential to do more harm than good. Applying a theme is probably your best solution, but if you use it to only change one shortcut, it might override any other theme the user has installed.

I’d check out stardock.com. They have lots of information on changing the windows interface. On themeworld.com there’s a free theme creator program.
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Y
YrbkMgr
Aug 27, 2003
How do I make the shortcut maintain the icon when I send it to another machine?

It’s machine specific, set in associations. I presume you’re trying to do something like this: create a Smiley Face Icon, and use that Icon to represent Photoshop. If that’s the case, you have to put your icon on each machine, then physically change the Icon for photoshop by right clicking on the shortcut and selecting a different one than the default. The icon used to represent a program is set in the installation routine (usually) of that app.

Peace,
Tony
Y
YrbkMgr
Aug 27, 2003
So… functionally, you want the Icon to represent a web page?

The way I read your post is that when you double click on the icon on the desktop, you want a web page to load.

Kind of a gerkin. There’s surely another way to accomplish what you want without doing it that way.

How will people getting the icon in the first place?
P
Phosphor
Aug 27, 2003
Know any programming people? They could create an executable which opens a web shortcut. You can also embed the ico file in an executable.
C
Cheesefood
Aug 28, 2003
Tony,

It’s not hard to do. Create a shortcut, and when it prompts for the location of the item, enter the web address. Then assign the icon.

Eric,

I think your method may be the only way. But I doubt our IT guys will want to take the time to code something they can think of other ways to handle, e.g. adding to favorites.
DM
dave milbut
Aug 28, 2003
cheese, not sure if this is what you’re after, it’s not entirely clear to me, but here goes…

in the shortcut dialog, instead of putting the path to the web page as "C:\mypages\myfile.html"

you need to qualify the path with the unc name (after setting up a share and granting access to the area where the page is stored) like so:

"\\mymachinename\mysharename\myfile.html"

that format should work in any area where you’d normally include a drive letter, in case i’m not exactly hitting what you’re looking for… i.e. you should also be able to point to the icon file with that format.
C
Cheesefood
Aug 28, 2003
dave…

In this case, the icon points to: <http://www.first-quotes.com/qiv/>

So it will take the user to our webpage where they can fill out financing quotes.

What I’m wondering is if there’s a way to code it so I can store the .ICO file on our website so when they receive the Shortcut, it will auto download the .ICO from our website and store it on their computer.

Although now that I read it, that’s way too easy of a way to spread a virus, if used wrongly.
P
Phosphor
Aug 28, 2003
I don’t know if my previous post posted, but if it did, please ignore it. I thought cheesefood wanted to distribute the icon within his office, but now realize it is for potential customers who visit his website. Sorry.
Y
YrbkMgr
Aug 28, 2003
Ya I was trying to ask that Rasta, but I guess I wasn’t clear in my earlier post. Cheesy musta thought I meant something else. <shrug>.
C
Cheesefood
Aug 28, 2003
Well, yes and no.

I’d like to distribute it to my office, which can be easily done by putting the .ICO on the network. But our remote employees only log onto the network once or twice a day. And customers never log on.

So I guess there’s no way to easily self-embed the .ICO in the shortcut, nor can I embed code in the .ICO.

What about a large wooden badger?
DB
David Brown
Aug 28, 2003
Name the incon "favicon.ico"
Put it in the root folder of the website that contains the page to be saved to favorites.
I believe if the page is tagged as a favorite from a remote computer the icon goes with it to the temporary internet files, and resides there until the automatic purge of the temp files….

"Cheesefood" wrote in message
I created an icon and I was able to assign it to a shortcut on my machine.
How do I make the shortcut maintain the icon when I send it to another
machine?
P
Phosphor
Aug 28, 2003
Am a bit confused, if you want a "standard" icon for creating a shortcut of a webpage link, the way I do it is upload a favicon.ico to that page’s location on the webserver. Use Google to find more info, one example here

<http://www.thesitewizard.com/archive/favicon.shtml>

Cheers
JW
John Woram
Aug 28, 2003
Would this do it? Open Notepad and write a four-line file, like this:

[InternetShortcut]
URL=http://www.galapagos.to/
IconIndex=0
IconFile=http://www.galapagos.to/favicon.ico

Change both URLs as desired, then save the file as "WHATEVER.URL" — When you save it, the ".URL" disappears and you’ll see a shortcut named "WHATEVER" and it will display the icon specified in the last line, assuming that file actually exists in the specifed location.

You can then send the shortcut to another machine, and get the same result. The "IconIndex=0" line can usually be omitted, but it’s probably safer to leave it as is, just in case some system should need it.

If you try the file as written above, you should see a shortcut with a tiny map of South America. After that, change it to whatever you want.
P
Phosphor
Aug 28, 2003
I thought favicons only displayed in the favorites or bookmarks list and next to the url in the browser, not on the desktop. Even if it did, what would happen if you used a url for the IconFile parameter and the user’s web connection wasn’t live?
RH
r_harvey
Aug 28, 2003
Usually for IE on Win98 or later, assuming that there is an Internet connection, and configuration is fairly standard. A local icon file would be more likely to be found–otherwise you’ll get a generic icon.
JW
John Woram
Aug 29, 2003
Eric, the code I suggested does what Cheesefood wanted to do (I think). It creates a unique shortcut icon on the Desktop, and can be sent to another PC if desired. If the shorcut’s icon URL points to a non-existent icon, or if there’s no web connection, then you’d see a generic Windows icon. But the icon would show up as soon as a connection was established.
P
Phosphor
Aug 29, 2003
John, ever since I was a child I’ve always enjoyed breaking things. I guess old habits die hard.
V
viol8ion
Aug 29, 2003
ever since I was a child I’ve always enjoyed breaking things.

If you’re really good at it, you could probably get a high-paying gig at Microsoft.

You’re assuming it had worked properly at one time in order to be broken….

—
Carl B. Johnson
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Respectibility in art is appalling.
www.wuli.com

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