How can I use old-style drag-drop icons in Windows 7?

Question

In Windows 7 64-bit, the Windows Explorer file drag-drop icon is so huge, especially with image files, that it obscures the names of target folders. Is there any way to revert the drag image to the simple Windows drag icons? I think they have tried to add too much eye candy with this app.

Why do they not give you a designated safety zone for drag-drop operations you want to cancel? I have to hunt around the screen for a spot that gives me the invalid icon.

Answer 1

You can change this behavior in control panel - system properties - visual performance. Uncheck "show file contents while dragging".

Answer 2

If in Chris_O's nice image you uncheck "Use visual styles on windows and buttons", it makes things look more like Windows XP.

Without the eye candy, Explorer becomes much more modest.
However, this solution may not be for everyone's liking.

Other solutions:

• Turn off the Aero theme, using the Classic theme.
• The huge transparent icon doesn't matter, since behind it the Explorer UI is exactly the same as before.
• There is little text below the icon that says whether it's going to copy or move and to where. When it can do nothing, a little no-entrance icon is displayed.
• Rather than left-click drag, use right-click drag. The icon is same, but after you release the mouse button, a short context menu will offer you the choice to Copy / Move / Create a Shortcut or Cancel.
• Use the menu commands of Copy and Paste instead of drag & drop.
• Use an Explorer-replacement product.