Drive info icons on desktop?

How to do it?

from WinCustomize Forums
I've seen this on a few screenshots and I would like to do the same on my desktop, but I have no clue how. Could someone explain the steps in an easy to understand fashion on how I could achieve the same thing? I heard someone say it was using DesktopX, I have version 2.x something. TIA.



beginners
14,484 views 42 replies
Reply #1 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Thats actually a program/add-on ..There was a post about it here a couple weeks ago with a link to the site..I dont remember what topic it was under..I think Boss is the one that has the link..LoL..
I'll see if I can find it..

Zero.
Reply #2 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Here ya go Bebi, I think this is what your looking for Link

Zero.
Ashes of the Singularity II
Reply #3 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Well, I downloaded it and installed it but have no idea what it is or what to do with it, doh (looks like a Mac thing? I'm running XP Pro). >_<

Would still appreciate it if someone could give me a step-by-step guide on how to get the icons working like in the screenshot.

Thanks for the link Zero.
Reply #4 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Your welcome Bebi, I cannot help you with the "How Too's" I havent used the program..I am just forever reading the threads here and remember that one..::laughs::

Heres a link to the original thread..perhaps Boss can help you get it organized? anyway..good luck Link

Zero.
Reply #5 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I've posted there too. Hopefully he'll see it an lend a helping hand.

Thanks for your help. ^_^
Reply #6 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Not a prob..after all, you *were the one that showed me how to do that cool yellow backround trick!!..LoL!

Umm..another thought is you can always Email him also..he has his Email posted in his profile [email protected]

Tho the tutorial might be great to have on the boards here since it does look like a very cool feature to have!

Zero.
Reply #7 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Hopefully this will help.

Run AveDesk. Right click on the system tray icon, select Desklet Control Panel. That will open up a panel with menus on the top. Select Desklets>Add. Select PidlShortcut from the list and hit Add. This will give you an ugly icon for the C drive on your desktop. In the Desklet Control Panel select that shortcut and go to Properites. This opens up the desklet dialog. There you need to play. Just mess around with the options to see what they do. That is the best way to learn. That dialog is pretty explanatory. You can do the same thing and make shortcuts for whatever drives/folders you have.

Have fun and experiment.
Reply #8 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Well, I tried it but nothing is showing up on my desktop. o_O I can't seem to figure out how to choose the icon I want either, I'm using the AlienMorph icons and want it to use the right image for the hard drive, recycle bin, and etc.
Reply #9 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Hmm, can't figure out why there isn't anything on your desktop. Choosing the icon is a piece of cake (once you know how, of course). Once you have the desklet on your desktop you need to bring up the properties. There will be a button that says "Set Image". Click that and select the image you want. Alternatively you can click the tab that says Icon in the desklet properties box and there will be a button that says Use Custom Image and a box below that. Select that button and drag the image file you want to that box. Hit apply and you are set.

If nothing is showing up on your desktop you need to figure out if the desklet is even running. Open the Desklet control panel and see if PidlShortcut is running. If it is, right click on it there and open the Desklet Properties dialog. Other than that, I don't have any more info to go on.
Reply #11 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I have tried to do this a lot in Desktop X (not since version 3 though) and it just never seems to come out as easy, customizable in terms of what it displays and the format of the display, and nice as AveDesk. ExodusCrow's folder info widget rocks, but you really can't make one of those things point to your main hard drive (I tried, takes forever to update the info - don't want that happening at random intervals throughout the day).

The shortcut/drive and folder info thing is, for me, the only area AveDesk really is a lot better than Desktop X. I would love to see a shortcut widget developed for Desktop X that is as easily customizable as PidlShortcut for AveDesk. But alas, I wouldn't have a clue where to start.
Reply #12 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Ms. Bebi Bulma............If u hare still having trouble using avedesk 1.2, I believe I can help!
It took me a wile to figure it out, seeing as how there where no instrctions on "how to use avedesk"!

Make sure, after u open the control panel, and add a desklet, that it is located where u can see it
U will see the names of the desklets you have added in the desklets control panel! Right click the
desklet (in the desklets control panel) you want to change the icon too, and goto properties!
from there you can choose the icons, position of icon, icon size, and tons more! Not sure
if i could help!
Reply #13 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Yes they are showing in the control panel but I really have no idea why they aren't showing up on my desktop. And about the setting the icon, if I right click on a icon on my quick launch, I'm given the open to choose from all the icons in the .icl file, but with avedesk it will only let me choose an ico or png, and I'm not sure how to get to each individual icon in the icon packager pack. I assume having "use system icons" checked in the Icon tab of the pidlshortcut desklet properties will use the right icon from the package? Of course that won't do me much good if nothing shows up at all. >_<



EDIT: GAH I think I figured out the problem. I'm using IconX for my desktop icons, and when I clicked on the "show desktop" quicklaunch the normal desktop icons disappeared and the avedesk ones showed up, is there anyway I can have both?

Almost got the images thing straightened out...except for when just using a shortcut to a regular folder, it's using the plain folder image instead of the folder image from the alienmorph icon set. It also seems to be using an ugly icon image for my c drive everytime I change the properties on it instead of using the image I had set for it.
Reply #14 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I thought I'd just update this because I was getting messy editing my other post while figuring the whole thing out.

I pretty much got the whole thing working, screenie here: http://bebi.banterboard.com/march-dark.gif Even got the ftp desklet working...that is one super cool feature!

Remaining problems:

1. Is it possible to have IconX enabled and running along with AveDesk without one or the other ceasing to show up/function? At this point I can only have one or the other (iconx enabled - avedesk won't show up, iconx disabled - avedesk works).

2. Still have the issue about not being able to choose a single image from the alienmorph icon package (or any other theme I guess). Single ico/png files work fine, but a bundled set is a no-go.

Just wanted to say thanks again to those of you who got me pointed in the right direction, avedesk is cool.
Reply #15 from WinCustomize Forums Top
that's pretty cool.. but how did you get the sublabel working?... i cant figure it out, maybe you can help me out
Reply #16 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I have a few Questions about Avedesk:
1. When I put a PIDLSHORTCUT onto my desktop and Go to Properties/Shortcut, and write in the Line START IN "C:\" the desklet should nrmaly open a window of the harddrive "C", right? I´ve done that, and when I click onto the Desklet of harddrive "C" I dont get to "C",I get to "My Computer"! What was my mistake?
2. How can I activate then informations underthe desklets like how much space is left on the harddrve?
3: How does this speeking bubble thing work (this text to spech thing)?

Hope u could understand me (I´m german) Thank god for translatio tools at google
Reply #17 from JoeUser Forums Top
Don't really know on the first and third, but as for configuring the info, go to the tab labeled Label Info. In there are the instructions as to what variables mean what. Play around and see what they all do.
Reply #18 from WinCustomize Forums Top
figuered out how it works, but someone please tell me how to make the shortcuts going to the right place, like I explained in my last post
Reply #20 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Red33mer...I had that problem too, it wasn't going to my c drive...my problem was I had the slash backwards. Should be C:\ which works for me.

For my C Drive I'm using this in the label format: %f free - %t total %# %s used (%pU %%)
For my Anime and Mp3's shortcuts:%s %r - %f %r files

Does anyone have any solutions for the 2 problems I mentioned?
Reply #21 from JoeUser Forums Top
As for problem #1, I think it is a conflict between the way IconX wants to draw the desktop. Not a way around it currently as far as I know. Bummer.

As for #2 I use Icon Explorer (part of Icon Packager). Open it and browse to the location of the alienmorph icons. You will see the alienmorph.icl. Click on it and Icon Explorer will let you see all the files in it. Just right click on one of those and you can export it as a single icon. If you want to convert it to .png use something like AveIcon or Icon Developer to export it as a .png. I do this all the time to get icons for my docks and such.

Let me know if that isn't clear enough for you.
Reply #22 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I'm actually not using icon packager, but rather the OEM manager thingie that came with the alienmorph download. I had some issues with icon packager in the past and haven't reinstalled it. Is there anyway to do that without having to install icon packager again?
Reply #23 from JoeUser Forums Top
I am sure there are ways to extract single icons from a .icl file, but my knowledge ends there. Hopefully someone else can help there.
Reply #24 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Apparently I can save the individual icons from the .icl package with this Axialis IconWorkshop program, cool. Thanks for your help. ^_^
Reply #25 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Ok I have made a screensht, to show what I mean

P.S Dont wonder about the text, I am using german windows Xp
Would be nice if anzone could help me. ARBEITSPLATZ is the same as MYCOMPUTER