How to customize Your RUN Dialogue box??

Use resource hacker to customize your computer, specifically the run dialog box. Make your computer as cool as you, and learn something in the process. :]

Note: I can only validate these directions for Windows XP... but you can try others.

Step 1: Download/Open Resource Hacker

Here's a to download Resource Hacker. Its freware, and very useful.

http://www.download.com/Resource-Hacker/...78587.html

Extract all files to a folder of your choice.

Step 2: Locate/Copy shell32.dll

Locate file in XP... C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\shell32.dll

WARNING: These are essential OS files. Please be cautious to spare yourself any trouble. I am not responsible for any damage done to your computer, and cannot (and will not) be held accountable. Simply put, be careful.

First: Make two copies of shell32.dll I agree, its overkill. But you know..

Paste one for BACKUP purposes (somewhere safe).

Paste another for editing (somewhere accessible)

Second: Use Res Hacker to open shell32.dll (the accesible one)

It should resemble the picture below...

Double click the ResHacker application. No installation required.

Step 3: Simple Alterations

Okay! First we need to find the code that is responsible for the RUN dialog box. Easy.

Its found under:

Dialog>1003>1033

This is what we'll be interested in changing.

ResHacker shows you the dialog box in an editable preview. very handy. Everything you can see in the dialog box is called a "control."

(the text, the icons, the dropboxes, the bitmaps, the buttons... *everything)

Some simple alterations:

1. Change the position of a control by clicking and dragging it in the display. Try =D.

2. Change the dialog box title "Run" by changing line 3 of the code. replace run with whatever!.

*Note: don't delete the qoutes!

3. Edit text by right clicking the control, select "Edit Control." Simply edit the caption.

4. Delete a control by right clicking it, select "Delete Control"

(I would only do this for controls that serve little to no purpose)

Its all quite self explanatory... just try some stuff. Its the best way to learn.

Note: If you see no dialog box preview, try clicking the Show Dialog button (not rocket science)

Step 4: More Advanced Alterations

Add an icon:

1. Right click wherever you want the icon.

2. Click "Insert Control"

3. Find the Pre-Defined Control, ICON, in the drop down menu

4. Click Ok, compile your script!

A default icon will appear until you specify an icon...

Now, icons are saved under another directory in the same file. ICON GROUP

I assume you want to add your own icon, one you've downloaded and/or made... (an .ico file)

http://www.freeiconsweb.com/

5. In RESHacker, on the top menu click, ACTION, and then ADD NEW RESOURCE

6. Open the .ico file you want and name it (use a name with letters) Leave LANGUAGE blank...

7. Click Ok.... Your icon will now be in the ICON GROUP directory

8. Go back to DIALOG>1003>1033 (your RUN dialog)

9. Right click the icon you placed, click EDIT CONTROL

10. Change the caption to whatever you named your icon in step 6

11. Click Ok =) compile your script!

Add a Picture (.bmp)

You'll follow the same steps, except you'll add a .bmp file instead of a .ico

1. SAME

2. SAME

3. Find the Pre-Defined Control, BITMAP, in the drop down menu

4. SAME

5. SAME

6. Open the .bmp file you want and name it

7. Click Ok.... Your bitmap will now be in the BITMAP directory

8. SAME

9. SAME

10. SAME

11. SAME

Note: the size of the bitmap is important, so keep this in mind...

Add Buttons

Possible, but... i don't want to get into it... it is damn difficult

example

Step 6: Saving Your Work

So now you have your modifications made, i hope...

SAVE your modified file as "shell32hack.dll"

Place it into the C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\ directory (will make this easier)

Step 7: Safe Mode!

Now, I hope you have some experience with DOS..

We've got to enter SAFE MODE with COMMAND PROMPT to make the swap.

Basically, we have to bypass the Windows GUI in order to change it.. No big deal.

So, right now, you should have everything , with "shell32hack.dll" in C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\

Restart the computer, and while its booting, start pressing F8 repeatedly. The Windows Advanced Options Menu will boot.

Use your arrows to select Safe Mode With Command Prompt Press Enter

Eventually a DOS prompt will come up...

_________________________________________________________________________

another example

I'll tell you how to modify Windows, we'll change the Run box and make it look like this:

First of all the disclaimer: This article is purely informational, you don't have to do anything because I tell so, everything you do is on your own risk and I am not responssible when anything goes wrong.

With that out of the way, grab the tools if you don't have them yet:

res hacker - in the first part

http://www3.telus.net/_/replacer/ -replacer

We'll begin by copying shell32.dll to a safe place.

Copy it two times, one which we'll be editing, and one which is a backup.

Open it in ResHacker and you'll see a list on the left side showing all available resources.

Now select the 'Dialog' resource, and look at 1003. You'll notice it's the Run box.

We'll start by adding a bitmap to place on our Run box. Go to 'Bitmap' and select 'Action', 'Add a new Resource'.

Here you select a bmp file and give it the name RUNGFX. You can get the bmp I used here:

http://users.telenet.be/tr/ms/articles/r...Runbox.bmp

you search for net for more

Press 'Add Resource' and now you can see it's added.

Now we'll go back to the 'Dialog' 1003, 1033 and replace the existing script with this one:

Code:

1003 DIALOGEX 0, 0, 188, 83

STYLE DS_FIXEDSYS | DS_MODALFRAME | DS_NOIDLEMSG | DS_CONTEXTHELP | WS_POPUP | WS_CAPTION | WS_SYSMENU

CAPTION ":: run ::"

LANGUAGE LANG_ENGLISH, SUBLANG_ENGLISH_US

FONT 8, "MS SHELL DLG"

{

CONTROL "", 12298, COMBOBOX, CBS_DROPDOWN | CBS_AUTOHSCROLL | CBS_DISABLENOSCROLL | WS_CHILD | WS_VISIBLE | WS_VSCROLL | WS_TABSTOP, 3, 53, 181, 198

CONTROL "R", 12306, BUTTON, BS_AUTOCHECKBOX | WS_CHILD | WS_VISIBLE | WS_DISABLED | WS_TABSTOP, 21, 90, 1, 1

CONTROL "Run", 1, BUTTON, BS_PUSHBUTTON | WS_CHILD | WS_VISIBLE | WS_TABSTOP, 3, 67, 59, 14 , 0x00020000

CONTROL "Cancel", 2, BUTTON, BS_PUSHBUTTON | WS_CHILD | WS_VISIBLE | WS_TABSTOP, 63, 67, 59, 14 , 0x00020000

CONTROL "Find", 12288, BUTTON, BS_PUSHBUTTON | WS_CHILD | WS_VISIBLE | WS_TABSTOP, 124, 67, 59, 14 , 0x00020000

CONTROL "RUNGFX", 0, STATIC, SS_BITMAP | WS_CHILD | WS_VISIBLE | WS_GROUP, 3, 3, 181, 48

}

To make your life easier, and to be sure you don't make a mistake due to your browser word wrapping the script, copy paste it from this text file

http://users.pandora.be/tr/ms/articles/r...script.txt

When you have replaced it you press 'Compile Script'.

And now you'll see the preview has changed to our new runbox!

Press CTRL+S to save the modified dll.

The last thing we need to do is to use Replacer to replace our existing shell32.dll in SYSTEM32 with our new file. You can't just copy it in there because Windows File Protection would replace it with a backup. Therefore we use Replacer, just follow the instructions Replacer shows and you'll be fine. Replacer also prompts you to make a backup, make sure you make one, you never know what can go wrong.

When the file is replaced (Replacer replaces the file itself along with the one in dllcache) you have to reboot and when everything went fine, you now have a new Run box! A really good looking one, different from everyone else.

Some notes:

If you move the controls around, make sure to not place any above or behind the bitmap, it could give problems. Also don't include a bitmap bigger then your box. Make sure you leave a bit of spaces from the edges, when you put the bitmap against the border, it won't show up.

                                                                                     source: computerknow.co.cc