Turn the word Start on Windows XP into a custom name

This article will introduce a small trick that you can name arbitrarily for the 'Start' button on Windows XP. The nice point of this trick is that the newly created 'Start' button is not limited to just 5 characters as some other ways

Note before making:

- This tip only applies to Windows XP Professional and Home operating systems.

- The file that this wizard uses is 'explorer.exe' in the folder C: Windows (C: is the partition where the Windows XP operating system is installed). You should back up this file with a new name (ex: ExBackup.exe) to the same directory to use when needed.

- Your Windows XP must use the standard default interface of Windows XP (themes), then this change wizard will take effect. To set up this standard interface, go to the Desktop Properties and select the Themes tab and browse to the 'Windows XP' theme. You can also select the standard interface to display the results after completing this procedure.

PERFORM

Step 1: Download Resource Hacker software

- Doing this procedure you will need a special editor tool called Resource Hacker to edit the file 'explorer.exe' in WindowsXP. This is a free software for viewing, editing, renaming, deleting . source files (* .res) and executable files (* .exe, * .dll, * .cpl , * .ocx .) on 32-bit Windows applications (from Win95 to WinXP).

Resource Hacker current version is v3.4.0 (540 KB capacity), you can download the addresses

http://delphi.icm.edu.pl/ftp/tools/ResHack.zip

or http://www.users.on.net/~johnson/resourcehacker/reshack.zip

Also download the manual file (115 KB in size) at:

http://www.users.on.net/~johnson/resourcehacker/reshack_hlp.zip

- After downloading the software, unzip the ResHack.zip file into a folder on the hard drive and select the file 'ResHacker.exe' to perform this trick. The software runs on its own, without installation (Figure 1).

Step 2: Edit file 'Explorer.exe'

- Go to FileOpen and open the file 'explorer.exe' in the folder C: Windows.

(Figure 2)

- Select the 'String Table' folder. Click on the '+' in front of the 'String Table' or double-click on the 'String Table' to expand this folder.

- Browse to '37' and select '1033', you will see a new screen as shown in Figure 3 (part A).

- At this point, you will change the word 'Start' (line 578, marked as shown in Figure 3, part A) with a letter of your choice. Here I use the example name 'Observation bearing' instead of 'start' by scanning the word or double clicking on the word 'start'.

Note: 1 / You must not delete the quotation marks but only replace the text inside the quotation marks (see Figure 3, part B); 2 / You can set a new name including whitespace and special characters like:! @ # $.

- Compare Figure 3 part A (above) and part B (below) you will see after entering the word 'The Gioi @' or any other word, the 'Compile Script' button (dimmed in part A ) has been highlighted so you accept changes (bold in section B). If you agree with the replacement, you must click on this 'Compile Script' button then the change will take effect.

- You will save this file with a new name in folder C: Windows by selecting from the File Save As menu (see Figure 4).

Note: 1 / You must enter a new name with the extension '.exe' (here I use the file name 'quantrimang.exe'); 2 / File naming specification: Do not use special characters or spaces; 3 / You should not save the same name as 'explorer.exe' by using Ctrl + S shortcut or from File Save menu; 4 / You can go to the folder C: Windows to check if this new file has the same properties and capacity as the original 'explorer.exe' file.

Step 3: Edit the Registry

- After completing the name change for the word 'start', you must register with the Registry so that Windows XP recognizes your change when booting the computer.

- You go to the Start Run menu, enter 'Regedit' (without the quotes) and press Enter or the OK button on this dialog box, the Registry Editor screen will appear. Next, browse to the Winlogon folder using the following path:

[HKEY_LOCAL_ MACHINESOFT WAREMicrosoft Windows NT CurrentVersion Winlogon]

- You choose to lock Shell in the right screen frame.

- Next, double-click the Shell lock (the key is highlighted in the screen on the right) to open the 'Edit String' dialog box. In the Value data data box, enter the name of the new file you changed as 'quantrimang.exe' as in step 2 above, and click OK.

- After completing the above update step, the file 'explorer.exe' has been changed to 'quantrimang.exe', see Figure 5 part B.

- At the end of this step, you close the Registry screen and restart the computer, then this change wizard will take effect.

Note after performing this procedure:

1 / If you start your computer and the word 'start' still appears on the Windows menu, verify that the Windows interface you are using is the default Windows XP theme. If this is not the case, you should make changes to the interface as noted in the first part of this tip.

2 / If you restart the computer and the screen does not appear at all, you will perform this unexpected troubleshooting as follows:

- Press the hotkey combination 'Ctrl + Alt + Del' to enter Windows Task Manager.

- Go to FileNew Task (Run .) (same function as you go to StartRun) and enter 'regedit' to open the Registry file, then press Enter or OK key on this dialog box.

- Do the same as step 3, but this time you return the value in the Value data field to its original value 'explorer.exe' (or 'ExBackup.exe' as the example in the note first of this trick).

- When the Registry is finished editing, go back to the Windows Task Manager to Shut Down Restart tab to reboot, your computer will return to its original state.

3 / In the Process (go to Task Manager and select the Process tab) on the computer you appear the file 'quantrimang.exe' is active. Don't be surprised and you don't end up seeing this Process appear! If you end this (End Process) then your Windows will lose the 'Explorer' process and will not work properly. The explanation for this occurrence is because you changed 'explorer.exe' with the file 'quantrimang.exe' when performing Registry editing in step 3 above.

Good luck!