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How To Create Icons Without Text!

vistarewired.com — Great and easy way to improve the look of your desktop icons. Gives a Mac feel to it.

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impaKt 1 year 183 days ago, made popular 1 year 182 days ago

865 diggs
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Sparda, on 10/12/2007, -103/+22If you want your desktop to look like MAC OS, get a Mac (or use Linux).
- LaSepultura, on 11/01/2007, -36/+90No thanks, i'm a gamer.
- jiub, on 10/12/2007, -5/+24Seems to be down already, duggmirror got it:
  
  http://duggmirror.com/design/How_To_Create_Icons_Without_Text_2/
- thetanbark, on 10/12/2007, -9/+22The article:
  =================================
  
  I always liked the idea of textless icons after seeing them on the Dock in Mac. Luckily, you can experience a similar feel with your desktop - in just 2 steps.
  
  Before you start, make sure that your folder options are set so file extensions are not shown. To check this, open up a Windows Explorer window > Tools > Options > View tab > Hide extensions for known file types. It is very important that you check the box beside this feature. Modifying the entire file name and not giving an extension can potentially alter or damage your files. Thank you to Jerry for pointing this out. Now that you’ve checked the box, let’s get started.
  
  Another important thing you should be aware of is that if you use this in conjunction with the invisible icons tutorial, you may encounter a time where you will NOT be able to delete this folder or icon. To solve this problem, simply download this program. Please be very careful as this program permanently deletes files without sending them to the Recycle Bin.
  
  1) Right click the icon and choose rename
  
  2) Press Alt + 255 or Alt + 0160, making sure the numbers are inputted with the numpad. You can use a series of combinations or repeat the same key as well. (e.g: Alt+255, Alt +255, Alt + 255 or Alt + 0160 , Alt + 255, Alt +255, etc)
  
  One thing you have to know is that you are actually inputting characters when pushing those buttons, meaning you cannot have duplicates in the same directory. Make sure you do not use the same key combination twice.In my opinion, the icons look much sleeker and beautiful without the text.
  
  =================================
  
  Why disable file-extensions when they can tell you exactly what a file is? Icons are deceiving and easy to manipulate. Why would you ever not want them on?
- InsomniaSlim, on 10/12/2007, -12/+3I tried this just now on Vista, and the icon disappeared completely. Creepy.
  
  Oh, and the same effect is possible with the spacebar.
- Frankie4Fingers, on 10/12/2007, -44/+12But MACs suck. It is just too expensive and treats people like too much of computer noobs. Not everyone needs such a simple front end. Some want powerful computing.
- ames822, on 10/12/2007, -6/+18I agree with thetanbark. Removing file extensions would be detrimental to the computer experience.
- Bigcat1021, on 10/12/2007, -7/+20@Frankie4Fingers
  
  Please explain how a complex front end translates into powerful computing. Seriously, I am genuinely interested.
- Dotcommer, on 10/12/2007, -6/+14*is speaking to a group of young "future diggers"* You see kids... Frankie4fingers has demonstrated something that you should all note. You don't want to be the retarded tool in the herd. Never diss something when you don't know what you're talking about. This leads to being dugg down.
  
  Jimmy1337Pro! Pay attention! Quit talking to TJ740R. This is important.
  
  Now. In order to make the system of digg work and to have a fun and rewarding experience, you need to keep an open mind and a positive look on things. Dont be an angry ass hole, be an understanding user who likes to put their two cents into a discussion, and can listen to other's ideas. THIS is something franking4fingers lacks (among other things), and as such, you can see him being dugg down.
- jonhohle, on 10/12/2007, -2/+11@Frankie4Fingers
  since when has Unix been for noobs?
  
  if you think Macs are for noobs, then you probably think Windows is for power users. it also probably means you hear "bash" you don't think a) a great shell or b) $YOUR_SHELL is better.
- mwosh, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5"I always liked the idea of textless icons after seeing them on the Dock in Mac. Luckily, you can experience a similar feel with your desktop - in just 2 steps."
  
  Uh, Just get a dock on your PC?
  
  http://www.majorgeeks.com/download.php?det=2790
- resplence, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4Call me weird but I prefer to use completely transparent icons and have a discrete row of text-only shortcuts. You guys should try it.
- calvinator, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2@jiub
  
  Apparently the site goes to the coral cache which is down, but the site itself is still up:
  http://vistarewired.com/2007/03/03/icons-without-text/
  If it doesn't work, just take the .nyud.net:8080 out of your url
- Firehed, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4And in any case, Mac desktop icons have text too. They just started much earlier on the whole high-res icon thing.
seregap1, on 10/12/2007, -13/+4good read. cleaned up my desktop nicely!
SteelFrog, on 10/12/2007, -7/+2I've been doing this for years. Note that if you rename a folder in Windows XP and upgrade to Vista, it will no longer be editable, as I have painfully found out. (It cannot be renamed, deleted or moved. It's just there.)
- crazlunatic, on 10/12/2007, -7/+1It is deletable if you use a third-party software. Can u guys not view the article?
dougmidkiff, on 10/12/2007, -5/+7what about the recycle bin in XP? It doesn't have the rename option
- Rhelim, on 10/12/2007, -2/+6Under TweakUI, click on Desktop and uncheck Recycle Bin. If you want to RENAME the Recycle Bin, just create a shortcut to Recycle Bin, then use TweakUI to remove the original.
- M4v3R, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5It can be renamed, but You have to use registry:
  1) open "regedit"
  2) press f3
  3) check only to search for values
  4) enter "Recycle Bin"
  5) it will find an entry, rename it to whatever you want. If you want to delete the recycle bin, delete the whole folder that contains this entry (be careful while doing this)
  6) close Registry editor and press F5, voila.
- JohnTheJohnMan, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2you can get a program called Tweak UI from Microsoft that allows you to hide the recycle bin as well as do other various things like hiding the shortcut arrow. if you really wanted to go threw all of this work just to have icons you could always create shortcut to the recycle bin, rename it, and hide the arrows.
  
  http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/powertoys/xppowertoys.mspx
- chieferer, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1There is another registry tweak that allows you to put the "rename" option in the recycle bin context menu
  
  http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000543.htm
crawfishsoul, on 10/12/2007, -20/+5I prefer not displaying any icons on my desktop and creating a desktop toolbar to access the recycle bin and any other junk that might be on my desktop. Saves system resources by not requiring the desktop icons to be repainted every time you minimize all, etc.
- cbreaker, on 10/12/2007, -3/+70Did you just say moving a few icons saves system resources?
  
  1993 called: It wants it's 4MB RAM back.
- iamnos, on 10/12/2007, -2/+12I do this, but not to save system resources. Its just easier to open another program if its on the taskbar and thus not covered by any currently running programs, then to try and find a desktop icon thats hidden behind one or more windows. Its also way faster than going through the start menu. So, I keep my most commonly used programs (12 or so) in the taskbar, the rest I can get to through the start menu. Leaves me with a nice clean desktop.
- ShBm, on 10/12/2007, -1/+13I prefer no icons so I can fully enjoy my background. Start menu has all I need anyway
- thanassius, on 10/12/2007, -11/+11@ iamnos:
  
  We have that built into the Mac, it's called Expose. It either shows you just the desktop, all the windows currently open for an application, or every single window you have open, all at once. You can activate it with mouse buttons, keyboard keys or hot corners.
  
  http://www.apple.com/macosx/features/expose/
  
  The dock in OS X is designed to give you quick access to your most commonly used applications, documents, folders, network shares, etc. You can hide it, or keep it always on top.
  
  Just some of the many built in things OS X has been doing right for years now. :-)
- TedTschopp, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Ummm That was a 'problem' with XP and older. Vista 'fixes' this issue.
- fatdog789, on 10/12/2007, -7/+9Windows has had that feature since 3.0. It's called "Cascade Windows" and "Show Desktop". You can also tile windows too....
  
  Plus, the Windows taskbar gives you access to your most commonly used programs, documents, the currently open applications, and even handy dandy notifications! It autohides, can go on any edge of the screen! Windows has had that feature since 95.
  
  Seriously, the "Mac has this" crap has got to end. Almost 100% of the time, Windows,*nix, or someone else had it first, and Mac copied it. The only they do most of the time is make it prettier.
- Firehed, on 10/12/2007, -4/+3Prettier, more useful, and more accessible. Just like Office 2007 is doing to all of Office '97's new features. Just like Synaptic does for apt-get. If nobody knows about or uses them, what's the point in their existence? Nobody expects software to be completely unique, especially something as broad and complex as the operating system. Someone makes something, someone else improves upon it. It's why patent trolls ***** up the system. Imagine if Microsoft had patented something as broad as the GUI. Imagine if Apple had. The other couldn't exist if it had happened, and that's not good for anybody (competition is a GOOD thing, since it forces innovation to stay competitive).
  
  Slam Apple all you want for not innovating. Almost every software developer in history has stolen a concept from someone else, regardless of whether they implemented it first. Apple's innovated some, and they've copied some. So has Microsoft. So have the countless people who donate their time and energy to the plethora of Linux distros. If someone comes up with "great idea, poor execution," why should whoever comes up with "old idea, awesome execution" get slammed?
- Namco, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Personally, I prefer a *****-ton of random icons completely covering my desktop. If I need more space, I simply go to Display Properties - Appearance - Advanced - Icon Size, and turn it down a few notches. Icon Spacing too! When I hit 16 pixels, I'm buyin' a bigger monitor.
- meatmcguffin, on 10/12/2007, -2/+5"Seriously, the "Mac has this" crap has got to end. Almost 100% of the time, Windows,*nix, or someone else had it first, and Mac copied it. The only they do most of the time is make it prettier."
  
  Did you seriously compare 'cascade windows' to expose? Go use these features in OS X and see how they compare to the 'features' in Windows, as i'm guessing you've never used the former in your life. Apple had the first public GUI for gawd's sake!
  
  Also, *Mac* copy everything they do off someone else? They only make it prettier? They're possibly the dumbest fanboy-biased statements i've ever read on Digg and that's going some.
- EndersGame, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Yea I leave my desktop clean with no icons either. Looks sexy that way, plus I just turn recycle bin off, its not that hard for me to be sure I want to delete a file when I delete it.
- cresquin, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1@thanassius
  
  I have to say that the most annoying thing about using my Mac Pro at work is the inability to quickly, at a glance find the window I want on top. Expose is a bandaid that requires an extra step to get the job done. on my windows box, (and kde and gnome for that matter) I can quickly glance down and find the window I need next.
  
  This is especially helpful when I am working on a complex webdev project that requires me to have 4 or 5 different programs open, along with 3-4 documents in each program,,, it just takes too long to try to expose that, when I COULD be reading he document titles instead.
falstaff, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9Combine this with a completely transparent icon, and you can hide all sorts of stuff. Just don't forget where you dragged it to last (or just assign a keyboard shortcut to it).
bsolidgold, on 10/12/2007, -35/+17If I wanted icons that looked like Mac icons, I would have bought a Mac.

I prefer a real computer though. Not a Fisher Price.
- Aliarse, on 10/12/2007, -21/+12You must be using linux, its not a real computer if you're running windows.
  
  bury me, bury me now.
- Dean129, on 10/12/2007, -15/+20You obviously have no idea as to what a Mac is capable of.
- bsolidgold, on 10/12/2007, -8/+6@dean129
  You're right, it's blatantly obvious.
  
  @Aliarse
  Yes, SuSE actually.
- Aliarse, on 10/12/2007, -8/+22A mac is capable of :
  
  Posting to Flickr
  Posting to Myspace
  Posting "Get a mac" adverts on every site possible.
  
  That just about sums it up, right? ;)
- Urusai, on 10/12/2007, -5/+1Macs have a Turing-complete instruction set, so I guess they're capable of anything.
- eam52guy, on 10/12/2007, -2/+0Yeah because Windows is far more capable than a *nix system.
Vst_kills, on 10/12/2007, -12/+9Hey LaSepultura, your ***** retarded, there are over 4 ways in which you can run windows on a mac now, Go find a new argument
- Waterispoison, on 10/12/2007, -9/+23"Wow! nVidia came out with this amazing new video card. I should buy it...
  
  Wait, you mean I can't upgrade my mac? I have to buy a whole new computer? Oh."
- Radan, on 10/12/2007, -10/+3Eherm... http://www.apple.com/macpro/
  
  The iMac, which I believe you are referring to, isn't made for people who wants to go dirty and upgrade their hardware. It's made for people who wants a working computer to play music, watch movies, edit their holiday videos and sort their picture albums on.
- Waterispoison, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4Oh ok. So let me get this straight. I have to pay Apple $2,500 to give a computer which is more expensive than a comparable PC if I built it myself. Ok, it comes with Mac OSX, but I need Windows to play games. So basically it just comes down to buying an overpriced system which has an OS that I don't want or need when I can get the same computer for a thousand dollars less.
- palmer, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3"Hey LaSepultura, your ***** retarded"
  
  This coming from a guy who can't spell "you're."
  
  I guess you two are in the same class.
- Radan, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2@waterispoison:
  
  I have no idea why you keep getting dugged and I'm getting buried for just delivering pure facts. But really, what is your freaking problem? Have I said that you should buy Mac? Have I said you are Apple's target group? No. You are not the target group.
  You are complaining about some people wanting a Ferrari and some people wanting a Volvo. You don't feel like paying for the extra luxery of a better designed computer, and with a greatly superior OS which also most importantly works very well with other Apple products that some people want. I am willing to pay those features. You are not, because the Mac is not a computer which built for people like you, but why the hell are you complaining about what OTHER people buys, then? Do I, or any other random guys for that matter, complain about what car you are driving, or what brand of cloths you are wearing? Maybe they do, but then they are idiots.
  
  What I feel very humorous in this conversation, is that there are a lot of people complaining about "Mac Fanboys", but apparently there are equally amounts of "PC Fanboys" out there.
sp3kt4r, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4If you use this to rename a folder, you will not be able to rename the folder back using the right-click rename. I’m not sure why this is. What you’ll have to do is open a command prompt and change directory into the containing folder (For instance, the desktop folder), and run this command:

ren “Alt+255” “NewFolderName”

You will need to actually type the Alt+255 characters where illustrated in the command. It will appear as a space.
- Quakes, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4I don't know what you're talking about, it works perfectly for me.
Jakubowski, on 10/12/2007, -12/+3WOW...

I've been doing this on my Mac and Windows boxes for a while now. I never knew there was a need to make a tutorial.

On the Mac, if you want icons without names on the desktop, just rename it and put "spaces" for the name, "spaces" meaning press the spacebar a few times.
Vst_kills, on 10/12/2007, -7/+2waterispoison, are you ignorant? Ever since the G3 Powermacs came out you have been able to upgrade. So lets see. for the last 20 yrs you have been able to upgrade your mac. Again. Go find a new argument
Otto, on 10/12/2007, -7/+4Why would anybody want to do this? The text makes it a lot easier to distinguish the icons apart. One of the most annoying "Mac-feel" things is the lack of any text on the icons.

If you're literate, it's faster to read than to try to distinguish one little tiny picture from another.
- bsolidgold, on 10/12/2007, -10/+11Like I mentioned above... they're the Fisher Price of computers. Shiny little pictures tell them what applications do so they don't have to waste energy thinking about word definitions and sentance structure.
  
  "If you're literate"... most Fisher Price (mac) users aren't.
- Dotcommer, on 10/12/2007, -10/+4Awww... is bsolidgold a little jaded? Or maybe just jealous? Awww.. come here little numb nuts. Its alright. I know you might be scared thinking about the abilities of other platforms outside of your own... but hey.. its okay man...with a little bit of experience, you'll get it! I believe in you. Ignorance is an easy disease to remedy.
- arbulus, on 10/12/2007, -6/+5@bsolidgold
  Apparently YOUR computer doesn't think about word definitions and "sentance structure" either. And I think you need to turn that "if your literate" gun back on yourself there.
- chieferer, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3i like stereotypes :) even though macs are designed around the fact that its users have difficulty turning them on lol
- Quakes, on 10/12/2007, -6/+3@arbulus
  
  What the hell. You complain about someones spelling, and then use "your" instead of "you're". Shame on you man, shame on you.
- timro, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2@ quakes
  
  Actually, he was right.
- arbulus, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I'm somewhat ashamed. I did jump while making a mistake myself. I apologize.
  /crawls into a hole
Hale, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3I'm using Vista and this worked well, but it pointed out how poor some icons were designed. The BF2 icon looks terrible.
- Hale, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Replacing my BF2 icon was a huge improvement. deviantArt had a nice selection.
  
  http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/25990192/
hdtvdust, on 10/12/2007, -7/+5A Mac feel is not an improvement.
nimawin, on 10/12/2007, -0/+9about 10-15 years ago, when there was barely windows around and everything was DOS based, i used to hide my pr0n in a folder named " ".. which was black.. (Alt + 255) which would be hidden also.. good old days... of course back then i only animated GIF files!.. yup.. no divx then..
rasensio, on 10/12/2007, -7/+1VERY BAD ARTICLE, he tries to show you how to press alt + 255 like a rocket science, but you can press several space bar.. its the same.
CRAP, no digg!
- statikuz, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7Try renaming something by putting in all spaces. Really, go try it.
d3dm, on 10/12/2007, -5/+3WTF is a "Mac feel"?? Sounds like something you'd get from that fruity clown at McDonald's.
JohnTheJohnMan, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2personally, i'm not a fan of having any icons on my desktop. i use the start menu for my important programs (about 7 or so) and use the vista search function for everything else. it's quick and easy. however if you don't have vista, then i recommend launchy which is basically the search function from vista in a handy little app. or if your one of those people who love their icons, you could also go with something like object dock or RocketDock that mimics the mac's dock.

there are a lot of options for a better looking desktop, but this has got to be the lamest i've seen

http://www.launchy.net/#introduction
http://www.stardock.com/products/objectdock/
http://www.punksoftware.com/rocketdock
- chieferer, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1rock on!!! launchy rules!!
- Cl1mh4224rd, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I never understood the appeal of Launchy. I mean, why would you prefer typing, sometimes entirely, the name of the file or app you're trying to run, rather than just double-clicking an icon?
  
  There's a serious cost-to-benefit imbalance here, I think.
- eam52guy, on 10/12/2007, -4/+0Because typing is more efficient, and faster. For the same reason one uses shortcuts in emacs or vi... oh hang on sorry, windows user. You carry on with your double clicking the pretty pictures.
windowsxp550, on 10/12/2007, -4/+0Here’s a fact…
This was posted on my site 6 months ago!
http://www.fixmyxp.com/content/view/186/129/

And, there was a follow up guide on how to Remove the icon, making a completely invisible hidden file (perfect for items you do not want your kids or significant others seeing)
http://www.fixmyxp.com/content/view/187/129/
CrazyForSW, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1I've done this with my computer (also made the icons only 18 pixels and put them across the top). Saw it on TSS a long time ago!
Andy134, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1This is a great tutorial! Thanks!
Andy134, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1This is a great tutorial! Thanks for posting it!
MackPrime, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2you all need launchy.
eVolutionVI, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1mac feel? thats pretty dumb...clearly topic poster havent used a mac. all my mac icons on the desktop have text under them...which is the default as well.
nihilism65, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3I was interested until I read "Before you start, make sure that your folder options are set so file extensions are not shown." and I was done.
SpeKopuZ, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1it would have been good if u said that this works only in windows
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How To Create Icons Without Text!

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