How to change Start button in Windows 7?
Yep, if you are customizing your desktop, you probably also want to know how to change the Start button in Windows 7.
Well, it’s definitely not easy, but with a good Windows 7 Resource editor you can edit the explorer.exe and change your Start button!
Because we’re going to change a system file, we’re first going to play around with a dummy file. Go to your Windows folder and copy the file “explorer.exe” and rename the copy “explorer2.exe”.
1. Download the Windows 7 Resource Editor.
2. Start the .exe file “ResHacker.exe”
3. Press CTRL + O (or File -> Open) to open the explorer.exe. You will find it in your Windows folder (C:\Windows\)
4. Uncollapse the folder “Bitmap”. We are only going to change the files in folder “6801″, “6805″ and “6809″.
To change the Start button in Windows 7, we have to replace every Start button .bmp file.
5. Uncollapse “6801″, right-click on the entry “1033″ and click on “Replace Resource..”:
6. Click on “Open file with new bitmap..”:
7. Browse to your Start button BMP files and select the file that you want. In my case it’s an updated Ubuntu Start button for Windows 7:
8. Now the Start button BMP will be loaded and you can preview it. If that should be your Start button, click on “Replace”:
9. Repeat steps 5-8 for the folders “6805″ and “6809″!
10. Now save your file using the “Save as” command. “File” -> “Save as”.
Save your project as “new_explorer.exe”.
Wait! You should save the new_explorer.exe in your Windows folder C:\Windows or you will have to move it later.
11. Next, we have to replace the explorer.exe in the Windows folder C:\Windows with our newly created new_explorer.exe
12. Open up the Windows Folder (Windows key + E and then double-click on Windows), take ownership of explorer.exe and give yourself permissions to edit the file. If you don’t know how to do that, follow out comprehensive guide that will teach you how to replace explorer.exe in Windows 7:
How to replace explorer.exe in Windows 7 .
Your new Start button could like mine now:
Of course we will be adding new Start buttons to our site, so that you have a nice collection of new Start buttons for Windows 7!
Date posted: January 26, 2010
Hmm…is there any photo editing software you used that allowed you to create your own image? I’ve tried making one with a Firefox logo as the orb but it doesn’t seem to work too well. All I have is Paint Shop Pro and I’m assuming that you used photoshop.
Anyway, if you are taking requests for different orbs, would you be able to make one using the Firefox logo please? I know it’s not your favorite browser but the logo just seems perfect for a start orb. Thanks and thanks for posting this interesting guide.
Hi Geo,
yep I used photoshop to create a 32-bit bitmap with an alpha-channel.
In the alpha channel the button has to be 100% white and everything else black. Then save it as a 32-bit bitmap and check the option “alpha channels”.
There are some other tools that could do it for you, but PSP should also be able to do it.
Anyway, I’ll try to create a firefox start orb, great idea
Cheers
can u reupload the windows 7 resource editor??
I don’t think it can be done before. Great!
Hi guys!
First of all i just wanted to say that this site is coolest and most awesome site for win7 themes.
I’m having trouble downloading the “Windows 7 Resource editor”, it keeps saying:
Home » 404 Not Found
Site Not Found
Ooops, I cannot find you the page you are looking for. You may try to search my site another keyword or use the navigation on your right to browse my site.
PLEASE HELP ME!!!
KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!!!
Splendid, I updated the post and the link is now working. Here you go:
http://windows7themes.net/reso.....eware.html
http://www.angusj.com/resourcehacker/
Hii…sOliver
I was doing d steps told by u…but when i right click on entry “1033″ it doesnt give an option for replace…it has only 2 options..1) save all resources 2) save bitmap resources….plz help me…
Hey! where can i download these buttons?
Hardik, it’s 6033 not 1033.
Emil, which buttons do you want to download? You will find free buttons at the bottom of this huge list:
http://windows7themes.net/free-windows-7-themes
If you want the Ubuntu buttons, I can create a bmp/explorer.exe for 64-bit and upload it.
Hi there! I followed your guide and I’m familiar with ResHack and so on. The button changed nicely to the Ubuntu logo, BUT when i rebooted my computer, the ‘Welcome’-text took about 20-30 seconds longer than usual, and when I got inside and changed the height of my taskbar, explorer freezed and crashed. So now I’ve changed back to the original button.
Btw my PC has Win7 Ultimate and is quite new, so that shouldent be the problem.
-Just a quick response from me!
Take the original explorer.exe (if you don’t have the original, use sfc.exe /scannow to restore the original one) and then modify the bitmaps to change the Start button:
“6801″, “6805″ and “6809″
I’m using a large taskbar myself and it’s working just fine here. Maybe your bitmap is corrupt or does not have an alpha channel, but even then your explorer should not crash.
In fact, there is an easier way to change the start button almost without changing any system files. I’m saying about the program “Windows 7 Start Button Changer”. It works fine – you just choose a bitmap with three variants of start button and W7BC enables it by itself and saves the backup file of explorer.exe in the Windows folder. Works fine and it is absolutely free. Direct download link below:
http://wa7.ru/files/w7sbc.zip
P.S. If you see an error after chaging your start button, than you must get full access to the file “explorer.exe” (you can do it in the “Propetries” of the file).
Hi RODAN, yes the Start Button Changer is a nice app to change the Start Orbs. However, I would still recommend to do it manually instead of relying on a tool that not always works.
I simply like to know what is happening in the background, you know what I’m saying?
Yes, I understand you. Who knows, (seriously) maybe this program will change some other system files or even corrupt your system – who knows? It is always better when you actually know what happens to your important system files.