Desktop Customizing Essentials Part II, IconPackager

Custom Icons for everyone!

from JoeUser Forums

The next program in my series of Customizing Essentials is IconPackager.  Another one of the neat little programs from Stardock.  IconPackager has a simple mission in life to let you change all your system Icons easily.  It does this really well.  Here's an example:

Windows standard icons Icons from the Xtoon Icon package.

This is only one example, there are currently over 500 Icon packages in the IconPackager section of Wincustomize.  

    IconPackager lets you install a whole package of icons that generally cover all your system icons.  To do this all you have to do is start up IconPackager and Click on the Icon package that you want to load.  The Click load and Apply.  In a few seconds all of your system Icons will change.  Here's a screenshot of the interface:

It's really that simple, you can change your icons with only a couple of clicks.  Here's a shot showing a preview of a few icon packages that are available at Wincustomize:

 

IconPackager doesn't stop there.  If you are really serious about customizing your desktop it will also allow you to change each icon individually.  From a simple user interface using the Icons and cursors section of the program.

The setting section lets you do many things that are either hard to find or do in the standard windows environment.  Things such as set your default Icon size. ( I use 48x48 pixels)  You can also adjust the size of the icon cache and many other settings.

The last but certainly not least part of Icon packager is the Icon Explorer. This program lets you view and extract Icon and cursors from various file formats including exe, icl and others.

Stardock has had a long time to polish IconPackager and there is only one little thing that bugs me about the program.  To apply a package I have to click load and apply, WHY is this necessary?  Shouldn't clicking Apply invoke the package to load and apply it's self?  I think so,  I have watched other people use the program that are used to the Windows way of apply then OK and this load, apply and then OK really confuses them. 

Now for the people that upload IconPackages.  Here we have a problem, most people upload the icon package with extra icons or an .ICL file to go along with it.  This is great for those of us who don't mind unzipping the file and then installing it to Iconpackager but, for those either new or lazy( like me) this is a real pain.  My suggestion is that if you upload to the Iconpackager section of a skinning website you upload the .ip file so that it will auto install for those of us who either don't know how to install it otherwise or are just too lazy.  If you want to share that .icl file or extra icons we need to get Stardock to add a new section for them.

Give Iconpackager a try and see what you think.

Links:

Stardocks Website - The company that makes Iconpackager and other cool software.

IconPackager Website - Get IconPackager here.

WinCustomize - Go to the IconPackager section to get new packages.

Customizing Essentials part I, IconX

 

A little about me:  I have been in the desktop customization community for 5+ years (My Wincustomize Site).  In that time I have beta tested and skinned many of Stardocks products along with some others.  I do not claim to be unbiased in my review of Stardocks products, they are what I have learned to skin with and will continue to use.  I will not, however intentionally lie to you about the features or anything else related to the products.  If something irritates me with a product  I will write it in my article. ( how else would I get it fixed ;p )

 
icons
24,656 views 17 replies
Reply #1 from JoeUser Forums Top
Another great article TasT. I was just thinking today that IconPackager really needed some more love. It is one of the staples of my customization. I can do without DesktopX and IconX, I can do without logons, bootscreens and cursors. But not my icons. I have to have an icon package applied (and Windowblinds). Solid program. But I have also wondered about the load and then apply thing. For a while, when I first downloaded the shareware version I thought that the lmitations prevented me from changing the package because apply wasn't possible. Until I hit load first. Weird.
Reply #2 from JoeUser Forums Top
when I first downloaded the shareware version I thought that the lmitations prevented me from changing the package because apply wasn't possible.


That is exactly my point it does not follow the standard way of doing things in windows.

Another great article TasT


Thank You, and your right IconPackager needs more exposure...
Elemental: Reforged
Reply #3 from JoeUser Forums Top
Enhanced XI are actually Alloy Bezel by Voodoo_Freak


:embarrased: Thanks for the correction
All Better now!
Reply #4 from WinCustomize Forums Top
A very nice article, IconPackager is one of those programs that do so little...yet do so much. It's something I can't think of living without.

Just a correction though, the icons you listed as Enhanced XI are actually Alloy Bezel by Voodoo_Freak.
Reply #5 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Very nice. Keep up these articals.
Reply #6 from JoeUser Forums Top
Very nice. Keep up these articals.


Thank you. I plan to however the next one may take a week or so, until I started writing about WB I didn't realize how big a project the articel would be.
Reply #8 from WinCustomize Forums Top
One of my favorite features of Object Desktop is Iconpackager. I grew so tired of the same Windows icons and iconpackager opened up an entirely new world of icons. Many of the icons that I see for iconpackager are painstakingly detailed, down to the placement and color of each individual tiny pixel. Love using iconpackager and probably will never, ever go back to the default Windows icons. Thanks for the great article, TasT!
Reply #9 from WinCustomize Forums Top
"My suggestion is that if you upload to the Iconpackager section of a skinning website you upload the .ip file so that it will auto install for those of us who either don't know how to install it otherwise or are just too lazy. If you want to share that .icl file or extra icons we need to get Stardock to add a new section for them"

this is true, a section for icon extras should be added , i usually open the themes and end up extracting the icl and adding the extras into a new folder ... or seperate them into a different folder along with the other extra icons from other packages =X
its somewhat of a hassle ;X
Reply #11 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I want mp3 player. What will advise?


Why did you dig up these ancient threads which have nothing to do with MP3 players. If you want advice on MP3 players start a new topic or find one that's "on topic"

Try Winamp

Link
Reply #14 from WinCustomize Forums Top
To get a meaningful response it is necessary to post a complete sentence.

Looks like this is probably SPAM.
Reply #16 from WinCustomize Forums Top
You ain't fooling me twice Don, you're mom's not that hot.