Replacing system files in 2k w/NTFS.


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damn dude that desktop i hotter than hot, you using a 3rd party app to make hte windows and taskbar whistler like?

I never use 3rd party customizing apps.

The only app ever running is called transparent42, and that's just for the desktop icons (so the background of the text area will be transparent, and not some ugly colored box).

That is a custom color scheme I made.

Enclosed it a reg file. It contains a few of my color schemes. Have fun. :) I'm using BeOS3.

Windows 2000 ONLY!!!! Do not ask why it doesn't work in any OS but 2000.

  • 1 month later...
  • 3 months later...
And in this shot, you can see all the files I've mod'ed. Though you can NOT see a few things:

1. You can't see my control panel. Oh well, believe me, it's pretty.

2. You can not see the login screen nor my locked screen, if you could, you'd probably have to go put on new boxers, then you'd be frantically asking me how I did it. So maybe it's a good thing I didn't show you. ;)

That looks sweet :p

Could you send me the 2k logo that you are using that looks like the 2003 one?

I could just take it from your screenshot, but I want the highest quality one I can get :p

Also, what winamp skin is that? WMP8 or somthing?

  • 3 weeks later...

You can replace the sys files if you rename them while running safemode with cmd support. However, there are some down sides.

I just edited the shell32.dll to replace some avi's... booted in to safemode with cmd, renamed and then replaced the dll. When I rebooted I got some weird UI error and it told me to restart. I couldn't get back in to windows, nor could I get in using safemode. So I used your method (the repair option when you use a bootable win2k/xp/2k3 disk), which worked. Luckily my backup sys files were in c:\winnt (since i renamed them), because that was the only folder it allowed me to access. So if nothing else works, the repair option seems like the only way to go....

Just tried Dark Saints guide and it also works.....

Now, you need to replace the files, first you need to make a batch file that replaces all the modified files fro you, this saves a lots of time and work, open your notepad and write it, here?s an example:

del x:\winnt\explorer.xxx

del x:\winnt\system32\shell32.xxx

del x:\winnt\system32\browseui.xxx

ren x:\winnt\explorer.exe explorer.xxx

ren x:\winnt\system32\shell32.dll shell32.xxx

ren x:\winnt\system32\browseui.dll browseui.xxx

copy x:\reshacker path\explorer.exe c:\winnt\

copy x:\reshacker path\shell32.dll c:\winnt\system32\

copy x:\reshacker path\browseui.dll c:\winnt\system32\

Save it as shell.bat in your Winnt directory (save it into it, this going to make your life easier)

Of course you need to modify the example adding your real paths and drive letter, also maybe you want to make a repair batch if your moddified files are screwed:

del x:\winnt\explorer.xxx

del x:\winnt\system32\shell32.xxx

del x:\winnt\system32\browseui.xxx

ren x:\winnt\explorer.exe explorer.xxx

ren x:\winnt\system32\shell32.dll shell32.xxx

ren x:\winnt\system32\browseui.dll browseui.xxx

copy x:\reshacker path\explorer_original.exe c:\winnt\explorer.exe

copy x:\reshacker path\shell32_original.dll c:\winnt\system32\shell32.dll

copy x:\reshacker path\browseui.dll c:\winnt\system32\

Thanks reshacker to save the original files

Save it as repair.bat in your Winnt directory (save it into it, this going to make your life easier)

Now you have your batch files, DONT RUN THEM WHEN EXPLORER IS ACTIVE, go to the task manager (ctrl + alt + del) and kill explorer.exe, now create a new command line (type cmd in the New task... button), if you saved the batch files into Winnt then you can simply type the word "shell" (without the quotes) into the command line, it doesnt matter the dir where you are, and the shell.bat file replaces the files for you.

Just tried Dark Saints guide and it also works.....

That's great hun. This was posted over a year ago. This is ONE of the ways to do it. Personally, it's the method I prefer.

Dunno why you felt the need to quote St's method here. Majority of people on these boards know about these two guides.

So yeah, put the kids to bed, I'm going to be staying late tonite.

  • 8 months later...

My method

Install a second copy of 2k on a SEPARATE partition so you can dual boot. This is what I call a service installation. Just boot into it and replace all the files you want in your main installation with simple drag and drop, though you must remember to replace them in dllcache as well. With this method there are NO files that cannot be replaced.

  • 1 year later...

i use the second partition method as well. It's pretty handy if the first partition becomes corrupt (as it did when the hard drive started to die). It makes other things useful as well. Especially if it lives in a single-direction hidden partition.

W

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