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Does your USB flash drive have a boring, generic icon that you would like to change? Do you want the new icon to show on whatever computer you use, so registry editing is not an option? Using an Autorun file is your solution.

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Steps

  1. Change the Icon of Removable Drives Step 1 Version 2.jpg
    1
    Create your icon, or find one online. A good size is 34 pixels square.
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  2. Change the Icon of Removable Drives Step 2 Version 2.jpg
    2
    Open Notepad to create your Autorun file.
  3. Change the Icon of Removable Drives Step 3 Version 2.jpg
    3
    Type [AutoRun] in the first line.
  4. Change the Icon of Removable Drives Step 4 Version 2.jpg
    4
    Name your drive in the second line: label=Name
  5. Change the Icon of Removable Drives Step 5 Version 2.jpg
    5
    Specify your icon in the third line: ICON=your-icon-file.ico. If you wanted to call your drive "My USB Drive" with an icon named "myusbdrive.ico"
  6. Change the Icon of Removable Drives Step 6 Version 2.jpg
    6
    Click File, then Save As. Change the file type to "All" and name it AUTORUN.inf
  7. Change the Icon of Removable Drives Step 7.jpg
    7
    Your autorun.inf file would look like this:
    • [AutoRun]
      label=My USB Drive
      ICON=myusbdrive.ico

  8. Change the Icon of Removable Drives Step 8 Version 2.jpg
    8
    Keep in mind that the ICON name should match the name of the icon you wish to use.
  9. 9
    Note:
    • Depending on the label you choose, and the location of your icon file, you may need to wrap the label and folder names in quotes (") to handle long filenames.
      Change the Icon of Removable Drives Step 9Bullet1 Version 2.jpg
    • It has been reported that on some systems your ".INF" file extension may need to be capitalized in order to work.
      Change the Icon of Removable Drives Step 9Bullet2 Version 2.jpg
  10. Change the Icon of Removable Drives Step 10 Version 2.jpg
    10
    Ensure that both your autorun.inf and any .ico files are in the ROOT of your removable drive, instead of a folder, unless you have specified the correct folder for the icon in your .inf file.
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Tips

  • If the AUTORUN.inf and icon files are an eyesore, you can hide them (right click, click Properties, check the "Hidden" box).
  • This is a great way to get past the "11 Character Drive Name" restriction.
  • You will need to remove the drive, then plug it back in to see the changes.
  • This also works on internal hard drives, cd-rs, and any other drives that support Autorun.
  • This will not work on a drive where Autorun is turned off.
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Warnings

  • Make sure you save the autorun file as .inf instead of the default .txt.
  • Ensure that the icon is saved in the root of the drive, with the autorun file.
  • This does not work on floppy drives, because they have no Autorun feature.

Things You'll Need

  • A removable drive
  • An icon for your drive
  • A text editor, such as Notepad/Notepad++

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Sources and Citations

Article Info

Categories: Hacks

Recent edits by: DogandCatlover, Illneedasaviour, DerpyTomboy

In other languages:

Español: Cómo cambiar el ícono de una memoria extraíble, Italiano: Come Cambiare l'Icona di una Pendrive, Português: Como Alterar o Ícone de Drives Removíveis

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