This guide shows how to do it.

Doing this yourself, instead of using the windows 2000 theme from one of the service packs has its benifits.
1. No forced updated explorer.exe version introducing bugs.
2. You can totally make it your own, even add differnt icons or start banners if you want.

List of things youll need.

1. The original Explorer.exe and Shell32.dll that ships with 98se.

2. Windows 2000 Sp1 Download it here.
https://archive.org/details/microsoft-windows … ack-1-x05-72025

3. Resourse Hacker and resourse hacker FX Free. I'll attach them to the post.

4. A hex editior to add 256 color tray icones. HxD works.

5. 7zip

Directions
For the purpose of this guide our working directory will be C:\98shell but you can do somthing else if you want.

1. Make a folder called C:\98shell

2. copy Explorer.EX_ and Shell32.DL_ to C:\98shell from the 2000 SP1. Extract both of the files with 7zip. Those are compressed files, not just renamed with underscore.

3. Next we will extract the 2000 icons.

Use resource hacker to open the win 2000 Explorer.exe and click Icon group folder, 100, 1033, right click, save icon group 100 1033.

4. How to get the updated Network and recycle bin Icons.

5. Network Icon
Use resource hacker to open the win 2000 Shell32.dll file and click icon group folder 18, 1033, right click, right click save icon group 18 1033.

6. Recycle full and empty icons.
Use resource hacker to open the win 2000 shell32.dll and click icon group 32 1033. right click save icon group 32 1033.

click icon group 33 1033. right click save icon group 33 1033.

Close Resourse hacker we are done for now.

Adding 256 Colors to the icon tray with HxD.
Now you need the original Explorer.exe from win 98se. You can either extract it from the iso or copy it from you win 98 computer. Check that its 4.72.3110.1 if you copy it.

1. Make a subfolder inside your C:\98shell\98 Copy the Vanilla 98se explorer to it.
Open HxD and open the 98 Explorer.exe

2. On the left Scroll down to offset 00004B60, on the colum 0B. Highlight 01, change value to 11.
Save file as C:\98shell\98 \Explorer256.exe, so you don't overwrite your orginal explorer.

Start Banner

start menu banner that says Windows 98 Second Edition.

This requires you to be a bit of a artist. If you dont have any artistic skills than you can use the banner I'll attach to the bottom of the post.
4. Open 98 explorer.exe with resourse hacker. Click Bitmap folder 157 1033 rick click save bitmap 157 1033.
Editing the bitmap.

Caveats.

The bitmap must be 21x233 when finished. Must be saved as a 16 color bitmap using Paint. It doesn't have to be edited in paint.

That means you can use photoshop or whatever to edit the bitmap than copy and paste the picture into paint and then save the file from paint to get the best results.

The closet font I could find is one of the Franklin Gothic fonts. However its not just strait up franklin gothic, its squezed letters -50% together and 5% bigger than 18 I think.

MS also used some font smoothing of the letters crisp and sharp are close.

Becasue I can't really make a guide on being an artist I'm going to leave this section alone. I have made several banners and will attach the best one in my opinion I made to the bottom of the post.

Extra Credit My Documents Mod.
Since windows 2000 Icons face to the right. We can edit the Mydocs icon from Mydocs.dll using IcoFXPortable. This is a free app. copy Mydocs.dll from the Windows system of 98. Open using resorce hacker and save the Icon like you did before with the other icons. Now open the icon up in IcoFXPortable and flip horizontal each icon in the icon group do not change the color pallet. It will ask. save icon. Now replace the icon in Mydocs.dll with the fliped right icon you made with resource hacker.

Final Step.
Replace the bitmap you made and my computer icon you extracted earlyer into the 256 color 98 explorer you made earlyer. Self explanatory at this point if you have gotten this far you should be able to figure it out now.

Replace the icons in the original shell32.dll from 98 with the network and trash icons you extracted earlier again self explanatory at this point.

Save the files. and copy them back to the 98 computer.

In dos mode rename C:\windows\explorer.exe to .old and paste the modded explorer.exe there. Do the same thing with the shell32.dll file C:\Windows\system\shell32.dll that way you can go back if you messed somthing up somhow. If you went the extra step with the Mydocs.dll do the same thing.

Restart the computer.

If the icons have not changed to the 2000 Icons do not panic. It is becasue the shelliconcache file is still caching the old ones.
Make sure you have unhid system files and delete the shelliconcache file in C:\windows then reboot.

If that didn't work. In display properties, effects tab check view as large icons then uncheck it.
Tweakui rebuild icons also works.

How to get the Colors right of the tool bars and the desktop.

You can do like I did which was click advanced on the apperance tab in display properties on a running XP or 2000 computer and use the color values to create a new theme under 98 or you can just download my reg for it and add to your registry.