How do I get Classic Folder Icons Back?

Anonymous
2010-03-20T15:16:47+00:00

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!

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Files, folders, and storage

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@CmdrKeene 90,631 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
2010-03-24T21:23:27+00:00

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

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Anonymous
2010-03-23T15:47:24+00:00

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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  1. Anonymous
    2010-09-17T04:40:32+00:00

    Even though I am not a professional user by any means, I too am disappointed in the vertical folders used in Vista and Windows 7.  I have over 9,000 pictures on my computer and the folder thumbnail views in XP made it easy to tell, at a glance, what pictures were in each folder.  To make matters worse, for some reason I can't change the folder icon by right-clicking and choosing "customize" - that tab isn't available.  This might be because I have my computer set up to emulate Windows 95.  This is because I am using a old-style CRT monitor rather than a new wide-screen.

    I agree with most of the correspondents opinion that the vertical folders are not aceptable, especially for people who work extensively with images.  It's these kinds of issues that have given many people a bad opinion of Microsoft and have sent them, rightly or wrongly, to purchase a Mac.  If my old computer hadn't died on me I too would still be using XP, one of the finest OS released by Microsoft.

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  2. Anonymous
    2010-09-17T02:02:33+00:00

    Shawn, try to imagine this. I have more than 1000 folders, each with a digital scrapbooking kit inside, which consists of at least 4 background papers and about 8-10 elements, as well as a contact sheet and a preview page of the whole kit that I used to use as the file that I chose to put on the cover of the folder in XP, so at a glence, I could see what the colors were if if there was something specific I needed in that folder, WITHOUT HAVING TO OPEN IT! Now, I have to open every folder cause all I can see is maybe one thing hanging out of the folder which usually dosent give me a clue as to what's in the kit inside of the folder! And in XP, I figured out how to enlarge the size of the folder so I could really see the preview of the kit on the cover of the foldeer. It was great!

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  3. @CmdrKeene 90,631 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2010-09-16T22:43:10+00:00

    I just don't understand the workflow.  I've never had a folder with hundreds of images, yet represented by "absolutely 4" that was a make-or-break issue for me.  If I wanted to know what was in a folder, I'd open it up and see everything, not just the 4 random icons that were on the preview.   Although honestly I never used the thumbnails to view folders, I only used them to view actual things like pictures or PDFs.  Obviously I'm not the target audience.  But if I could understand how it was used, maybe I could better appreciate the need for such a feature.

    If this was helpful, please vote by clicking the green triangle. If it solves the issue, click Propose as Answer. Thanks!

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