How To: Remove or Change The Start Button Balloon Tool Tip in Windows

[Elmer B.]

This will permanently remove or change the Start Button "Start" balloon tip.

I'm using ResHack v3.5.2 Beta for this tutorial.

GoTo C:\Windows\en-US and Take Ownership of and then copy the explorer.exe.mui to somewhere safe.
If you are running a 64 bit system you should also modify the explorer.exe.mui which is located in C:\Windows\SysWOW64\en-US

To find all the copies: Goto Start Menu and do an extended search for explorer.exe.mui. You will find several copies, Take Ownership of each and modify the line. If you have no success with saving the files you will also need to Take Ownership of the containing folder. Added 2/22/11

Now open your explorer.exe.mui(s) in ResHack and navigate to String Table 34, line 533. Modify / delete to your liking.
There is a limit of 79 characters if you modify the text.

Before:

STRINGTABLE
LANGUAGE LANG_ENGLISH, SUBLANG_ENGLISH_US
{
530,     "Unable to run command.\nThe folder '%1' has been removed."
533,     "Start" << Line to modify or delete
534,     "&Undo %s"
535,     "Cascade"
536,     "Show side by side"
537,     "Minimize all"
538,     "Show stacked"
542,     "Hide"
543,     "Show hidden icons"
}

After:

STRINGTABLE
LANGUAGE LANG_ENGLISH, SUBLANG_ENGLISH_US
{
530,     "Unable to run command.\nThe folder '%1' has been removed."
534,     "&Undo %s"
535,     "Cascade"
536,     "Show side by side"
537,     "Minimize all"
538,     "Show stacked"
542,     "Hide"
543,     "Show hidden icons"
}

Once you have modified or deleted the 533 entry click the compile script button. Then in the menu bar click File and in its drop-down menu click Save. Close ResHack.

Now go to your original folder(s) again and rename your original explorer.exe.mui file(s) (explorer0ld.exe.mui ?) then copy and paste your modified explorer.exe.mui file(s) into place.

Goto Start Menu\Run and type/paste mcbuilder. Once the window closes Restart your computer. Added: 2/22/11

After a re-boot your start button balloon tip will have changed / disappeared.

Thanks to TWCF member Setedivent and Corey for additional information.

UPDATE: Start Button ToolTip Text Changer will allow you to change the tooltip text of your Start Button or Orb in Windows 7.

[whs]

Sorry Elmer, I was not paying attention. Deleted the post.

[Elmer B.]

No probs. I'd searched every site for this first and couldn't find one. Then I thought "How's he find that"!!

[HappyAndyK]

Another nice new tip - Thanks again Elmer!

[HenryF]

I have edited explorer.exe.mui exactly as described and confirmed that the edited copy is back in C:\Windows\en-US, but the start ballon still there after a restart.

[vdl68]

I have edited explorer.exe.mui exactly as described and confirmed that the edited copy is back in C:\Windows\en-US, but the start ballon still there after a restart.

You have to go to the Action tab and select Update All Resources.

[bkr3]

cool tips i got, but there is no need to remove tool tips for me, if anyone like tips, Go Ahead on Elmer's tutor

[setedivent]

Elmer, thanks so much for the tut and for correctly pointing at the right version of ResHacker to edit MUI files, but... you should update your method with the following infos.

First of all, on a 64bit Windows 7 OS, there are copies of explorer.exe.mui not only in

C:\Windows\en-US
and
C:\Windows\SysWOW64\en-US

(of course the en-US folder being pretty much interchangeable with the localization ID of the language the OS is in, e.g. it-IT)

but also in

C:\Windows\winsxs\amd64_microsoft-windows-explorer.resources_31bf3856ad364e35_6.1.7600.16385 _en-us_61e778c48d52d19b
and
C:\Windows\winsxs\wow64_microsoft-windows-explorer.resources_31bf3856ad364e35_6.1.7600.16385 _en-us_6c3c2316c1b39396

(or something like that.
winsxs is the components store folder,
and, again, the en-us you see in the path is interchangeable with your localization ID string).

So, on a 64 bit OS you should also edit those files.

That said, after you have edited all those MUIs, you need update the MUI cache too.

This is the way:

- Run a command prompt as Administrator
- Move to folder C:\Windows\System32 and type mcbuilder, then press ENTER
- Wait for the operation to be completed, then restart the PC

HenryF check it out, you should now succeed.

[LeeW]

Thanks for the input Setedivent:

The MCBuilder I think is the one process that has been lacking in succeeding, I have tried it several times before without having any luck till doing this.

To add to Setedivents input:
You do not have to run a CMD Prompt, just paste/type mcbuilder in your Run dialog and once the command windows closes Restart your computer ( restarting is a must before seeing results).

[setedivent]

you're welcome ^^

ya, right, also the Run dialog is a choice.
anyway, mcbuilder and restart are necessary, but i'd say also editing all the possible copies of explorer.exe.mui do is: i mean, i'm not sure whether applying a service pack (e.g. windows 7 sp1) leaves the tooltip modified or not, if you don't edit all the copies of the MUI file.
what i know for sure is, after having applied the sp1 yesterday (with all the files edited) the modified tip is still there.

enjoy!



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