How do I get Classic Folder Icons Back?

Anonymous

How can I get back the folder icons from windows xp? I need my folder icons to be flat square folders, which I can customize with one photo from inside the folder shown on the front? These open folders sitting sideways with documents and pictures falling out, are driving me crazy. I work with thousands of photos every day and need a quick simple way to identify what is inside each folder. Now I have to spend hours opening each folder and looking through the photos...such a waste of time. Why is such a simple folder icon gone in Windows 7? I need it back!

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@CmdrKeene 90,631 Volunteer Moderator

Try making the icons larger to accommodate the picture. For example:

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Anonymous

Periwinkleblue,

Hello, I’m afraid that changing the file displayed/icon would be the closest choices for customizing the folder in the way you would like, short of possible third party tweaks.

If this is a feature you would like reinstated, please leave your suggestion at Windows 7 Feedback.

Lisa

Microsoft Answers Support Engineer

Visit our Microsoft Answers Feedback Forum and let us know what you think.

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Anonymous

2014-03-13T00:38:21+00:00

Thanks for being a good sport Shawn. In the grand scheme of things, you're right. It isn't that big of a deal. It's just frustrating, not because we hate Windows, but rather because we love Windows so much. I, along with millions of other people, spend literally the majority of our waking lives looking at the Windows environment on a screen, and these little annoyances start to add up big time.
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@CmdrKeene 90,631 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator

2014-03-13T00:30:21+00:00

I can't imagine how it matters in the real world, unless you never ever have more than 4 pictures in your folders.

I have 9,067 pictures (and counting), and the thumbnails aren't near as useful as the actual names:

But alas, I am but one person with one opinion. Since my opinion doesn't matter and I can do nothing to help the situation you face, I will gracefully leave this conversation.
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Anonymous

2014-03-13T00:18:26+00:00

Just want to add my voice to the many others who don't understand why folder icons were changed. If there were a good reason for the change, I would accept it. But this is one of a million different little annoyances in Windows 7 that really, really smack of change for the sake of change, not because it actually improves things.

This is what the icon for a folder containing pictures looks like in XP:

This is what the icon for the same folder looks like in 7:

I defy somebody from Microsoft to explain how the Windows 7 icon is an improvement in some way over the XP icon. In the 7 icon, I can only see two pictures, and they are both substantially cut off.
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