Control Panel Icon (Win XP Pro SP-1)

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Is it possible to put the Control Panel icon on the desktop, and if so how??? I’m a neophyte with XP having moved up from ME…
Thanks…

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– Make sure that the desktop is visible (not completely covered by open windows)
– Open your Start menu.
– Drag the Control Panel icon to the desktop.
– This will create a shortcut.

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Or, if you would rather not create a shortcut….

• Right click on the desktop and select New – Folder.
• For the folder name, copy and paste the following:
  Control Panel.{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}[/list]After pressing enter this will create the actual hard-wired control panel icon in any folder you choose, including the desktop. You can also add other “special” icons into folders in this manner by using the CLSID that Windows assigns to them.

  You might also consider turning on the Desktop toolbar, as show in the attached screen shot. My Documents, My Computer, My Network Places and the Recycle Bin will all be there for easy pickings when you click on the chevrons. If you add the Control Panel, it too will appear. I double size my taskbar and add the address bar, quick launch, and Desktop toolbars to the bottom row, leaving the top open for programs. Even without double-sizing it, it’s a handy thing to have stuffed in the corner when you have a screen full of open windows.

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How do you know this stuff???!!!??? And what’s a CLSID?????
Thanks

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I maintain a store of useless (until someone needs it) knowledge. I am a vacuum for nuggets of knowledge… well, you get the idea. Actually this is an old trick that came about with the advent of Windows 95.

A CLSID is a “Class Identifier.” It is that long string of letters and numbers that follow the Control Panel.{ part of my previous post. Windows uses these CLSID numbers to uniquely identify various items within the operating system. No two numbers are alike, with the exception that some are common to all versions of Windows, such as the Control Panel and other special icons; however they are still unique and no other program/object has them assigned to it. Some of them are unique to individual programs that are not part of Windows as well. They are created in such as way as to guarantee that no two CLSIDs are the same, making them Globally Unique IDentifiers (GUIDs). There are 2^128 possible GUIDs – an impossibly huge number.

Hopefully that explanation did not cause your eyes to glaze over!

You can search the registry for other CLSID strings, for example the History folder. Search the registry for History. and copy the key name with a right click, and then see if it works to create the special icon inside of a folder or on the desktop. There are also several references on the web that list many of the common CLSID numbers.

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So where would I go to find CLSID’s for Excel, Powerpoint, Word, Publisher… stuff like that ????

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One place you could go would be here–this nails CLSID’s for stuff like Office Components that Billy Gates is calling modules these days.

Win XP Registry Sybex by Paul Hipsen Appendix F Microsoft Office CLSID’s

Besides good discussions of the context of com Class registrations, Jerry Honeycutt has a list of them in the appendix of his MS Press Microsoft

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One place you could go would be here–this nails CLSID’s for stuff like Office Components that Billy Gates is calling modules these days.

Win XP Registry Sybex by Paul Hipsen Appendix F Microsoft Office CLSID’s

Besides good discussions of the context of com Class registrations, Jerry Honeycutt has a list of them in the appendix of his MS Press Microsoft

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First let me ask why you would want the CLSID for these applications? They are very little use, for the most part, outside of creating special icons where they normally do not exist.

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That’s exactly why.. For the icons…
Thanks for your help.
Secondly, I have an older Pentium 2 333MHz running Win ME and I’d like to upgrade to XP Pro….If I install XP Pro over ME, will all of my stuff still be accessible, i.e. all the ICONS on the desktop the same etc????
Thanks,

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Yes and you sure can upgrade from ME, but given a choice I would prefer to do a clean install–but upgrading is not going to impact your desktop icons, and you have a considerable lattitude for changing the other regular icons within XP–there are over a thousand icon changes accessible to you within the folders of XP, including the hidden files and folders, your applications, the zip download folders, and any other download folder. The System 32 folder is a rich source of icons if you want variety. You can do the icon changes simply right clicking, hitting properties, and searching any and all of your folders including .dll folders for icons. You can also use Tweak UI and other Tweakers or very simple regedits to decide which of those regular desktop icons controlled by CSLID’s stay or go on the desktop.

SMBP

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Yes and you sure can upgrade from ME, but given a choice I would prefer to do a clean install–but upgrading is not going to impact your desktop icons, and you have a considerable lattitude for changing the other regular icons within XP–there are over a thousand icon changes accessible to you within the folders of XP, including the hidden files and folders, your applications, the zip download folders, and any other download folder. The System 32 folder is a rich source of icons if you want variety. You can do the icon changes simply right clicking, hitting properties, and searching any and all of your folders including .dll folders for icons. You can also use Tweak UI and other Tweakers or very simple regedits to decide which of those regular desktop icons controlled by CSLID’s stay or go on the desktop.

SMBP

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If you want those icons, you can find the program file and drag it somewhere to create a shortcut. Progams like Excel, Word, etc. do not have special properties attached to their icons, as far as I know. You can also right click anywhere there is an empty space (desktop or folder) and choose New – Shortcut. When you locate the program you want, it will automatically have the icon assigned to it that it contains. Using the CLSID is useful for when you want to work with a folder that does not behave like normal file folders (History, Network Places, Control Panel, Internet Explorer and so on).

If it’s for changing icons and making them look better/prettier/cooler then I would suggest Stardock’s IconPackager or Object Desktop. I have been using it myself for a long time, and I just cannot stand the default Windows colors and icons anymore after using it.

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If you want those icons, you can find the program file and drag it somewhere to create a shortcut. Progams like Excel, Word, etc. do not have special properties attached to their icons, as far as I know. You can also right click anywhere there is an empty space (desktop or folder) and choose New – Shortcut. When you locate the program you want, it will automatically have the icon assigned to it that it contains. Using the CLSID is useful for when you want to work with a folder that does not behave like normal file folders (History, Network Places, Control Panel, Internet Explorer and so on).

If it’s for changing icons and making them look better/prettier/cooler then I would suggest Stardock’s IconPackager or Object Desktop. I have been using it myself for a long time, and I just cannot stand the default Windows colors and icons anymore after using it.

Reply | Quote

That’s exactly why.. For the icons…
Thanks for your help.
Secondly, I have an older Pentium 2 333MHz running Win ME and I’d like to upgrade to XP Pro….If I install XP Pro over ME, will all of my stuff still be accessible, i.e. all the ICONS on the desktop the same etc????
Thanks,

Reply | Quote

First let me ask why you would want the CLSID for these applications? They are very little use, for the most part, outside of creating special icons where they normally do not exist.

Reply | Quote

So where would I go to find CLSID’s for Excel, Powerpoint, Word, Publisher… stuff like that ????

Reply | Quote

I maintain a store of useless (until someone needs it) knowledge. I am a vacuum for nuggets of knowledge… well, you get the idea. Actually this is an old trick that came about with the advent of Windows 95.

A CLSID is a “Class Identifier.” It is that long string of letters and numbers that follow the Control Panel.{ part of my previous post. Windows uses these CLSID numbers to uniquely identify various items within the operating system. No two numbers are alike, with the exception that some are common to all versions of Windows, such as the Control Panel and other special icons; however they are still unique and no other program/object has them assigned to it. Some of them are unique to individual programs that are not part of Windows as well. They are created in such as way as to guarantee that no two CLSIDs are the same, making them Globally Unique IDentifiers (GUIDs). There are 2^128 possible GUIDs – an impossibly huge number.

Hopefully that explanation did not cause your eyes to glaze over!

You can search the registry for other CLSID strings, for example the History folder. Search the registry for History. and copy the key name with a right click, and then see if it works to create the special icon inside of a folder or on the desktop. There are also several references on the web that list many of the common CLSID numbers.

Reply | Quote

How do you know this stuff???!!!??? And what’s a CLSID?????
Thanks

Reply | Quote

Or, if you would rather not create a shortcut….

• Right click on the desktop and select New – Folder.
• For the folder name, copy and paste the following:
  Control Panel.{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}[/list]After pressing enter this will create the actual hard-wired control panel icon in any folder you choose, including the desktop. You can also add other “special” icons into folders in this manner by using the CLSID that Windows assigns to them.

  You might also consider turning on the Desktop toolbar, as show in the attached screen shot. My Documents, My Computer, My Network Places and the Recycle Bin will all be there for easy pickings when you click on the chevrons. If you add the Control Panel, it too will appear. I double size my taskbar and add the address bar, quick launch, and Desktop toolbars to the bottom row, leaving the top open for programs. Even without double-sizing it, it’s a handy thing to have stuffed in the corner when you have a screen full of open windows.

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