The regedit-free approach assumes you've installed the famous PowerToys tool, Tweak UI. This method creates Shortcuts to the icons for Dial-up Networking, Inbox, Network Neighborhood, Recycle Bin, The Internet, and The Microsoft Network, then uses Tweak UI to remove the originals from your desktop. Since it's easy to change a Shortcut icon, this is the simple, hack-free way to ditch your boring icons.
 

1. Use the right mouse button to drag an icon you dislike to somewhere else on the desktop.
2. Select Create Shortcut(s) Here from the menu that pops up when you drop the item.
3. Repeat these steps for each item you dislike.
4. Select Start/Settings/Control Panel, and launch Tweak UI.
5. Click the Explorer tab, select None under Shortcut Overlay, and remove the check mark from the "Prefix shortcut to on new shortcuts" option under Settings.
6. Under the Desktop tab, click to remove the check marks from all the items for which you've created Shortcuts.
7. Click OK.
Back at the desktop, right-click each Shortcut you created, select the Shortcut tab, and click the Change Icon button.
8. Locate the icon that you want to use, and click OK.

The problem with this approach? It doesn't work on the tedious My Computer. Luckily, true Win 95 geeks can always turn to regedit.
 

1. Make sure you have a backup of the Registry. We mean it.
2. Launch regedit by selecting Start/Run, typing regedit in the text box, and pressing Enter.
3. Make a note of the filename of the icon you want. If the file contains multiple icons, note its rank (0 for the first, 1 for the second, and so on).
4. Open HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT, and locate CLSID (the Class ID option).
5. Scroll down until you find: {20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}.
6. Double-click DefaultIcon and change the (Default) value to the filename and number of your preferred icon (using the format filename.ext,number).
7. When you're done, exit regedit, and restart Windows.
 
 
 

First, you'll need to assemble up to 48 pithy sayings; if you run short of tips, we recommend Dilbert quotes or Zippy the Pinhead non sequiturs. Then turn the tips feature back on: select Start/Run, type Welcome in the text box, press Enter, and checkmark the "Show this welcome screen next time you start Windows" box. Then click Close.
 

Next, get ready to enter your nuggets of wit and wisdom into the Registry:
 
 

1. Make sure you have a backup of the Registry. We're talking to you.
2. Launch regedit: select Start/Run, type regedit in the text box, and press Enter.
3. Find the tip scheduled to run next by going to HKEY_CURRENT_USER; then locate Software/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/Explorer/Tips/Next, and note the first two numbers in the key.
4. To see all the tips and edit them if you wish, go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, and find Software/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/Explorer/Tips/Next. Double-click the next tip on the list, and replace or amend it with your own.
5. Repeat the last step until you've run out of tips to edit; then close regedit.

 
If you want ot restore your old registry just type from DOS (Shut down Win ): scanreg/restore