What about the icons in pifmgr.dll?

Raymond Chen

Some time ago, I discussed the intended uses of the icons in progman.exe and moricons.dll and we even looked at those icons (progman.exe, moricons.dll).

But what about pifmgr.dll?

The pifmgr.dll file was added in Windows 95. Its job was, as the name might suggest, to manage PIF files, which are Program Information Files that describe how to set up a virtual MS-DOS session for running a specific application.

Whereas the icons in moricons.dll were created with specific programs in mind (list) and the icons in progman.exe were created for general categories of applications, the story behind the icons in pifmgr.dll is much less complicated.

The icons in pifmgr.dll were created just for fun. They were not created with any particular programs in mind, with one obvious exception. They were just a fun mix of icons for people to use for their own homemade shortcut files.

	MS-DOS logo
	Umbrella
	Play block
	Newspaper
	Apple with bite
	Cloud with lightning
	Tuba
	Beach ball
	Light bulb
	Architectural column
	Money
	Desktop computer
	Keyboard
	Filing cabinet
	Desk calendar
	Clipped documents
	Crayon with document
	Pencil
	Pencil with document
	Dice
	Window with clouds
	Eye chart with magnifying class
	Dominos
	Hand holding playing cards
	Soccer ball
	Purse
	Decorated tree Wizard’s hat with wand
	Race car with checkered flag
	Cruise ship
	Biplane
	Inflatable raft
	Traffic light
	Rabbit
	Satellite dish
	Crossed swords
	Sword and shield
	Flail weapon
	Dynamite and plunger

I don’t know if it was intentional, but I find it interesting that clouds were the theme image for Windows 95, and we have a window with clouds. At the same time we have an apple with a bite, but the bite is on the left hand side, as opposed to the right hand side in the logo of Apple Computer.

Coincidence? Tip of the hat? Subtle jab? You decide.

Author

Raymond Chen

Raymond has been involved in the evolution of Windows for more than 30 years. In 2003, he began a Web site known as The Old New Thing which has grown in popularity far beyond his wildest imagination, a development which still gives him the heebie-jeebies. The Web site spawned a book, coincidentally also titled The Old New Thing (Addison Wesley 2007). He occasionally appears on the Windows Dev Docs Twitter account to tell stories which convey no useful information.