Locking Folder Icons - Is It Possible?

I have several hundred folders that id like to apply custom icons to. I have an app that converts my png files to ico files, and it's easy as pie to assign them in the properties menu of Windows 7.

Here is what worries me.

In the past, when transferring folders to different drives, or having to re-read drives after a fresh install, the folders seem to forget the icon and default to the standard folder image. This would be problematic as I don't want to have to go back and reassign several hundred icons after I've already done it.

Is there a Windows file I can backup in order to restore these icon assignments if they were to be cleared out later, or possibly hard wire it into the folder somehow (like an MP3 does with cover art via its tags)?

 

I'm also open to a program that could lock these icons if necessary, I would just need to know which one.

Any thoughts?

 

The folder-icon associations are stored in the Windows registry rather than being embedded in any way. Any time you you move a folder, you'll break that association and the folder icon will revert to default. I don't know of any program that specifically backs up folder icon registry settings. I just did a google search with "Windows custom folder icon backup restore" but didn't see anything promising.