JSI Tip 4610. How do I change my Start Menu taskbar button to a Go button?

In an effort to gain a little taskbar real estate, I changed my taskbar Start button to a Go button:

1. Download a freeware Hex editor, http://www.chmaas.handshake.de/delphi/freeware/xvi32/xvi32.htm#download.

2. Copy %SystemRoot%\Explorer.exe to some working folder, like C:\Folder.

3. Open C:\Folder\Explorer.exe in the Hex Editor and Search, in hex, for 050053007400610072007400. The string represents a character count of 05 and the Unicode string Start. I found this string at 0x03860C in my version of explorer, but it is at a different location for each version of the file.

4. Change the 050053007400610072007400 string to 020047006f00200020002000, which indicates a character count of 02, and Unicode string of Go, followed by 3 spaces. Note that the maximum count you can use is 05.

5. Save C:\Folder\Explorer.exe.

6. To prevent SFC and in-place upgrades from ruining my handy work, since I have copies of the OS and Service Pack CD-ROMs on my hard drive, I scanned for Explorer.Ex*. Since I had Explorer.Ex_, I used the Compress command to make C:\Folder\Explorer.ex_ from C:\Folder\Explorer.exe. I then created the following Explorer.TXT file:

set AllowWildCards = TRUE
set AllowAllPaths = TRUE
set AllowRemovableMedia = TRUE
copy C:\Folder\Explorer.ex_ D:\W2KServicePack3\i386\explorer.ex_
copy C:\Folder\Explorer.ex_ D:\W2kPRO\I386\EXPLORER.EX_
copy C:\Folder\Explorer.exe C:\WINNT\ServicePackFiles\i386\explorer.exe
copy C:\Folder\Explorer.exe C:\WINNT\$NtServicePackUninstall$\explorer.exe
copy C:\Folder\Explorer.exe C:\WINNT\explorer.exe

7. I booted to the Recovery Console and ran batch C:\Folder\Explorer.txt.

8. Since copy C:\Folder\Explorer.exe C:\WINNT\explorer.exe didn't prompt me from the batch, I ran copy C:\Folder\Explorer.exe C:\WINNT\explorer.exe from the command line and received a prompt to replace the file. I responded affirmatively.

9. I typed Exit and started the OS normally. When I logged on, I was greeted with a Go menu.

NOTE: I found the 050053007400610072007400 string in Windows 2000 and Windows XP Explorer, and I expect it is in Windows NT 4.0 Explorer also.

NOTE: I tried using Inuse.exe, but it didn't work. I expect I could have used PendingFileRenameOperations, but I didn't try.

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