Is there a way to apply custom folder icons and still preview contents in Windows Explorer?

Question

Applying a custom *.ico file to a folder in Windows removes the contents preview where several files or images appear to fan out inside the default folder icon. While it makes sense to automatically disable the preview when a user-defined image is viewed, I would like to create icons that would still appropriately show sub-directories and files. While I can readily find sources on creating *.ico files from other image formats or applying those files in Windows, I have not been able to find any info on the preview functionality.

Is it possible to build the preview function into the custom *.ico file? Can the visual layout of the preview files be controlled (changed between the Windows 7 fan shape, the older Windows XP grid, the Windows 10 preview stack, or possibly a user-defined layout)? What software/scripting is required?

Answer 1

My problem appears to start with ignorance of exact terminology. More precisely stated, I want to create a custom Windows Live Folder icon that will show thumbnails of any contents.

In order to show the thumbnails, the icon must be build with layers for the front (which will cover any thumb layers) and back (behind all other layers). The icon can take any shape but the thumbnail images will appear only in the layout of the specific operating system. Windows Vista/7/8 uses a layout that imitates a book being fanned open slightly. The Windows 10 layout is still in flux but at this point, any custom Live Folder designed for an older system will not work correctly on the new OS.

Applying a new live folder design to some/all folders requires manually editing the registry to point to the new icon layers and add them to imageres.dll or using one of several third party packages to basically accomplish the same thing with (hopefully) less effort on the part of the user.