[Windows 10] Cannot run edited Explorer.exe with Resource Hacker

[hyuu]

I tried to change icons and images in explorer.exe (Windows 10) with Resource Hacker, but windows (?) prevent it to run with error message "Windows cannot verify the digital signature for this file. A recent hardware or software change might have installed a file that is signed incorrectly or damaged, or that might be malicious software from an unknown source".

What I had done this far, remove digital file signature from explorer.exe, turn on nointegritychecks in bcdedit, but no luck.
Please kindly help me. Thank you.

[Shemhamforash]

This is why explorer.exe is not included in icon pack installers since Windows 8, because they're digitally signed.

You'll probably have to run sfc/scannow in admin command prompt first to restore explorer.exe.

Here's what I do to change the explorer/task manager icon in 8/10:
1. Unpin explorer shortcuts from taskbar/start menu
2. Search for explorer in start menu
3. Right click, properties, change icon
4. Pin explorer to taskbar/start menu

[hyuu]

This is why explorer.exe is not included in icon pack installers since Windows 8, because they're digitally signed.

You'll probably have to run sfc/scannow in admin command prompt first to restore explorer.exe.

Here's what I do to change the explorer/task manager icon in 8/10:
1. Unpin explorer shortcuts from taskbar/start menu
2. Search for explorer in start menu
3. Right click, properties, change icon
4. Pin explorer to taskbar/start menu

I still have the original of explorer.exe and I'm not trying to change the File Explorer icon in start menu. I want to modify the notification, Cortana, task view, and touch keyboard icon through Resource Hacker and they're all in explorer.exe.

[nicely]

I still have the original of explorer.exe and I'm not trying to change the File Explorer icon in start menu. I want to modify the notification, Cortana, task view, and touch keyboard icon through Resource Hacker and they're all in explorer.exe.

i know an old trick (didnt tried in windows 10 yet)
but the trick to preserve digital signature is, 1st memorize how much bytes with minimum details, after changing what u want in explorer.exe


verify if the volume gets bigger then suppoed to be, you can delete anything that wont affect explorer


after that, look how much bytes or kbytes are missing and create a new false file with the same exact amount of bytes that are missing,
and leave the explorer.exe with the same size as the original, then the digital signature will come back automatically as if had not been changed. Greatings and sorry bout my english

[hyuu]

i know an old trick (didnt tried in windows 10 yet)
but the trick to preserve digital signature is, 1st memorize how much bytes with minimum details, after changing what u want in explorer.exe


verify if the volume gets bigger then suppoed to be, you can delete anything that wont affect explorer


after that, look how much bytes or kbytes are missing and create a new false file with the same exact amount of bytes that are missing,
and leave the explorer.exe with the same size as the original, then the digital signature will come back automatically as if had not been changed. Greatings and sorry bout my english

I haven't tried that. But it will be hard, since the images/icons make the explorer's size to be larger significantly, and what to be deleted to retain the original size. Here I'm trying to replace the white images/icons with the black ones, since I'm using light taskbar (light taskbar with white icons is bad contrast). The images/icons are actually from the original explorer. I don't know how to tell Windows to use the black icons, since Windows 10's default theme is black taskbar with white icons, eventhough the black icons actually exist inside explorer.

I also tried to remove the digital signature from original explorer, and Windows still be able to run it. But with edited explorer, Windows refuse to run it. I wonder why, maybe its not because of the size of the explorer, but the hash of explorer (excluded the additional digital signature inside explorer). Its just my intuition, but I don't know whether its true or not.

[nicely]

I haven't tried that. But it will be hard, since the images/icons make the explorer's size to be larger significantly, and what to be deleted to retain the original size. Here I'm trying to replace the white images/icons with the black ones, since I'm using light taskbar (light taskbar with white icons is bad contrast). The images/icons are actually from the original explorer. I don't know how to tell Windows to use the black icons, since Windows 10's default theme is black taskbar with white icons, eventhough the black icons actually exist inside explorer.

I also tried to remove the digital signature from original explorer, and Windows still be able to run it. But with edited explorer, Windows refuse to run it. I wonder why, maybe its not because of the size of the explorer, but the hash of explorer (excluded the additional digital signature inside explorer). Its just my intuition, but I don't know whether its true or not.
the trick worked for me before, but If you have knowledge in digital signature then create your own digital signature, this was my second choice when my old trick not worked.