Show a custom image in a folder’s background

September 15, 2008 by PsMan
Filed under: Windows hacks 

Have you ever seen a flash disk, CD or just any folder that looks like this?

A USB Flash disk with a backgroud image

A USB Flash disk with a backgroud image

You can easily add a background to your USB flash disk or CD\DVD by following these steps.

1.Select the background you want and place in the folder or drive where you want to see it. rename it to back.jpg

2.In the same location, create a new file and name it desktop.ini

3. write the following code inside desktop.ini and save it

[ExtShellFolderViews] {BE098140-A513-11D0-A3A4-00C04FD706EC}={BE098140-A513-11D0-A3A4-00C04FD706EC} [{BE098140-A513-11D0-A3A4-00C04FD706EC}] IconArea_Image=back.jpg

4.Exit the folder and open it again, and here is your fancy folder. To do this for a cd, burn the picture along with the desktop.ini files to the cd\dvd root.

One last thing is the choice of picture, what do you think is the best theme for a flash disc? Me I would go for some 3D images, maybe some games artworks ? what about you?

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Comments

31 Comments on Show a custom image in a folder’s background

  1. Roger on Tue, 25th Nov 2008 1:04 pm

    2. it won’t work… bad…

  2. PsMan on Tue, 25th Nov 2008 4:22 pm

    3. @Roger :Where did you stop? may be I can help because it DOES work.

  3. iakim on Tue, 16th Dec 2008 12:34 pm

    4. hey..it rocks..and you rock!

    can you also teach me how to change the icon in my flash drive?

  4. PsMan on Tue, 23rd Dec 2008 3:23 pm

    5. @iakim

    Changing you flash drive icon is much easier.
    find your self a nice icon
    copy it to the root on of your flash (directly in the disk not inside any folders) may be you should name it icon.ico
    now open notepad write the following:
    [autorun]
    icon = icon.ico
    now press Ctrl+S to save
    as the “save as” type select “all files *.*”
    name your file
    AUTORUN.INF
    and save it to your drive.

    That’s it it will work the next time you insert your flash disk into the computer

  5. wyndell on Tue, 27th Jan 2009 2:46 pm

    6. hey, excuse me… why it doesn’t work on me?… this is my code [ExtShellFolderViews] {BE098140-A513-11D0-A3A4-00C04FD706EC}={BE098140-A513-11D0-A3A4-00C04FD706EC} [{BE098140-A513-11D0-A3A4-00C04FD706EC}] IconArea_Image=ambot.jpg

    then i save it “desktop.ini” (all files) in root of flash disk…

    can u make me?.. my picture file name is “ambot”…

    give me another step pls?…

  6. PsMan on Tue, 27th Jan 2009 3:29 pm

    7. hello wyndell

    Your code is correct, I assume you are using windows vista.

    In vista this hack is unusable but there is an utility that can show a picture as a folder (or a disk) background check it here: http://mpj.tomaatnet.nl/vista/folderbg.html

  7. modesty on Wed, 17th Jun 2009 11:21 pm

    8. Thanks for this,it worked for my flash drive,:-)
    but it didn’t for a cd\dvd.:-(
    I burned picture along with the desktop.ini to the cd\dvd root, but when I insert cd background is white…I even try to burn folder with custom background image (on my comp folder have background image) but it didn’t work either.. Do you have some advice. I’m running Windows XP.
    Thanks

  8. PsMan on Sun, 21st Jun 2009 2:52 pm

    9. Hi.

    I have seen my method working on the root of a cd on windows XP, if it is not working then you must be doing something wrong. did you try to run your CD on a different computer?

  9. rhay on Thu, 2nd Jul 2009 9:51 am

    10. i cant make it…….
    can you please teach me…….
    please…
    :(

  10. rhay on Thu, 2nd Jul 2009 10:18 am

    11. psMan
    i try to change the bg of my flsh drive but it doesnt work too…..
    teach me how.pls
    :(

  11. rhay on Thu, 2nd Jul 2009 11:11 am

    12. can you tech me how to set the original background of the folder????

  12. PsMan on Thu, 2nd Jul 2009 3:21 pm

    13. Hi.
    Did you follow the steps in the post above? do you have windows XP? where did you stop?

  13. rhay on Fri, 3rd Jul 2009 3:14 am

    14. ive done of those steps……..
    ive tried to change the bg of my flashcrive ut it doesnt work………

  14. rhay on Fri, 3rd Jul 2009 3:22 am

    15. please teach me how to set background for my flash drive………….
    :(

  15. rhay on Fri, 3rd Jul 2009 8:37 am

    16. ps man
    why is my folder back to its original background??
    i knew i do it right yesterday..
    but now its back…………
    i need some help……..
    :(

  16. rhay on Fri, 3rd Jul 2009 9:48 am

    17. in changing the background of my flash drive..
    do i need to find .ico image or just rename the image as image.ico????
    please tell me.

  17. PsMan on Fri, 3rd Jul 2009 11:52 am

    18. well…
    A .ico is an icon. you can’t use an icon as a folder background, an icon is used as a flash disk (or CD) icon. the method to do that is shown is a reply to another comment.

    you will need a jpg or a gif file to use as a background for the folder.
    As for teaching you, I think I already did the method shown in the post is correct, you just have a problem using it.

    For a start give me the picture name you want to use and the code for the desktop.ini file you are using.

  18. JohnK on Tue, 22nd Sep 2009 7:26 pm

    19. PsMan,
    I have been able to set the background for a folder, but when it is burned to a cd, it does not stick. I belive it is because the “SYSTEM” attribute is removed from the folder when I burn the cd. I think the CD needs to keep it’s “SYSTEM” attribute.

    I used “attrib +s ” to get the folder to display an image.

    For instance, I have a directory called MAINDIR on my C:\. in there I have 4 directories.

    from C:\attrib +s MAINDIR
    inside MAIND dir I have my desktop.ini. and after setting the attrib to “+s” (i.e., SYSTEM) the folder MAINDIR dispalys the image specified in the desktop.ini.

    When I burn MAINDIR to a cd, the background of the folder is white, that is, it does not seem to be reading th desktop.ini to get the background.

    When I look at the CD in “DOS”, the SYSTEM attribute is no longer there.

    What software did you use to create the CD? I can’t find CD burning software that keeps the system attributes.

    ANy ideas?

  19. sun-flo on Fri, 9th Oct 2009 8:04 am

    20. dear psman,
    i already follow the steps how to make the background in my flashdisk but i follow the step from the other. it work but after i change the picture it doesnt work anymore. can you help me ?
    thx before

  20. PsMan on Fri, 9th Oct 2009 9:45 am

    21. You are not being very clear on your problem. you said that it works for you, but when you change the picture it disappears? why not put the correct picture in the first place? anyway make sure that the second picture has the same file name as the original, and the same extension of course.

  21. vgs on Fri, 13th Nov 2009 5:53 pm

    22. it worked inside a local drive but not inside folder

  22. fancrydrew on Tue, 19th Jan 2010 7:17 pm

    23. Hello!

    Nice background image! :)

    But when you scroll up and down in your folder, the background scrolls either?
    Is there a way to set up a background image in a folder, like the one in the “My Music” folder?
    I mean that musical key from lower right corner.
    More important for me, is the fact that the background image in that folder, does not move when scrolling up and down through the folder’s content.
    I thought that there are maybe some codes to introduce in the desktop.ini file which can make the background image to start from the lower right corner of the window.
    If I’m saying something stupid, please excuse me!

    Thank you and cheers!!!

    P.S. Also please excuse my writing mistakes, english is not my current language!

  23. PsMan on Wed, 20th Jan 2010 2:39 pm

    24. Hey fancrydrew

    Actually, I think there is something to do to place any image in the lower corner of a folder’s view, that is just how things are with windows, if it was done once, you can do it again!

    If you want to work on this, can you please do it in the forums? I will help and we will probably make it.

  24. allan glen on Wed, 10th Feb 2010 3:49 am

    25. flashdisk doesnt work!!!

  25. PsMan on Wed, 10th Feb 2010 10:32 am

    26. Hi allan
    The flash disks background should work if you do it right under windows XP

  26. Phil on Mon, 22nd Feb 2010 2:37 am

    27. Hi,
    can anyone teach me how to show a background in a sub-folder?
    thanx.

  27. bel on Mon, 22nd Feb 2010 3:27 am

    28. it didn’t work..why is that?help,=(

  28. hunter on Thu, 22nd Apr 2010 2:13 pm

    29. it seems to work only on the root directory i.e., C: D:E: etc etc………..

    Even this will work on the root directory.
    [ExtShellFolderViews]
    {BE098140-A513-11D0-A3A4-00C04FD706EC}={BE098140-A513-11D0-A3A4-00C04FD706EC} [{BE098140-A513-11D0-A3A4-00C04FD706EC}]
    Attributes=1 IconArea_Image=windowsrecovery.jpg

    i h seen someone make an image appear in a folder(not in root directory)with these codes.

    What does PsMan h’ to say for this.

  29. Al Hafiz Al Capone on Sun, 25th Jul 2010 6:10 pm

    30. PsMan,

    I still can’t change my flash drive’s background.
    I am using Windows Vista.
    Any ideas how to solve it?

    Thanks dude!

  30. PsMan on Mon, 26th Jul 2010 12:55 pm

    31. Hi, this is a windows XP only trick, sorry

  31. Serephim on Tue, 17th Aug 2010 11:07 pm

    32. It doesnt work cuz i have Vista.. you gave the other guy this link =
    http://mpj.tomaatnet.nl/vista/folderbg.html

    it leads to this Europe website ?? O_o
    any other way for Vista ? -__-

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