How can I make desktop.ini work on network locations?

Question

I've got a simple desktop.ini file that applies a folder icon. I'd like it to work on a network location, as we have an external hard drive connected to our network. However, the desktop.ini seems to have no effect on said network.

What am I doing wrong?

Answer 1

You have to mark the folder as system or readonly, to make the desktop.ini work. readonly is better, as system folders are omitted from explorer-searches by default. attrib +r (folder name)

Answer 2

Have a read at this article http://helpdeskgeek.com/how-to/customize-folder-icons-desktop-ini/

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 Icon Index entry.

In over words you will have to specify a relative path to your icon

eg ./hiddenfolder/mycoolicon.ico

Good Luck