Using Desktop.ini Files
Folders are normally displayed with the standard folder icon. A common use of the Desktop.ini file is to assign a custom icon or thumbnail image to a folder. You can also use Desktop.ini to create an infotip that displays information about the folder and controls some aspects of the folder's behavior, such as specifying localized names for the folder or items in the folder.
Use the following procedure to customize a folder's style with Desktop.ini:
Use PathMakeSystemFolder to make the folder a system folder. This sets the read-only bit on the folder to indicate that the special behavior reserved for Desktop.ini should be enabled. You can also make a folder a system folder from the command line by using attrib +s FolderName.
Create a Desktop.ini file for the folder. You should mark it as hidden and system to ensure that it is hidden from normal users.
Make sure the Desktop.ini file that you create is in the Unicode format. This is necessary to store the localized strings that can be displayed to users.
Creating a Desktop.ini File
The Desktop.ini file is a text file that allows you to specify how a file system folder is viewed. The [.ShellClassInfo] section, allows you to customize the folder's view by assigning values to several entries:
ConfirmFileOp
Set this entry to 0 to avoid a "You Are Deleting a System Folder" warning when deleting or moving the folder.
NoSharing
Not supported under Windows Vista or later. Set this entry to 1 to prevent the folder from being shared.
IconFile
If you want to specify a custom icon for the folder, set this entry to the icon's file name. The .ico file extension is preferred, but it is also possible to specify .bmp files, or .exe and .dll files that contain icons. If you use a relative path, the icon is available to people who view the folder over the network. You must also set the IconIndex entry.
IconIndex
Set this entry to specify the index for a custom icon. If the file assigned to IconFile only contains a single icon, set IconIndex to 0.
InfoTip
Set this entry to an informational text string. It is displayed as an infotip when the cursor hovers over the folder. If the user clicks the folder, the information text is displayed in the folder's information block, below the standard information.
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I'd like to read this entry, but black text on a dark grey background is just silly.
As I REALLY want to get rid of these pesky ini files from my desktop I will copy all the text from the page into word.... but wouldn't it just be easier if you used LIGHT text on a DARK background or, even better, DARK text on a LIGHT background, like people have done since the dawn of writing?