Find Windows folders with a fake display name and optionally delete offending desktop*.ini files to reset folder name and behavior

unlocalize.py

"""Find Windows folders with a fake display name and optionally delete offending desktop*.ini files to reset folder name and behavior

Usage: python unlocalize.py [delete]

Renaming a folder via Windows 7-11 Explorer search results, might not change the actual folder name, but just the displayed name in Explorer.
The fake display name is set as a LocalizedResourceName in desktop.ini, and the effect survives even if renaming desktop.ini itself.
Moreover, from this point on any further renaming via Explorer, even not in search results, will only affect the displayed name.
This can lead to data loss e.g. copying a folder with the old name to the same location, unintentionally overwriting the "renamed" folder.
See also: https://superuser.com/questions/1777997/prevent-windows-explorer-to-use-localizedresourcename-when-renaming-file-or-fo
"""


import glob
import os
import re
import sys
import win32api


delete = False  # True will try to delete offending desktop*.ini files in folders with a set LocalizedResourceName
limit_to_locations = []  # Leave empty to find all folders on all drives, or list base locations to scan

if len(sys.argv) > 1 and sys.argv[1].endswith('delete'):
    delete = True
for base in limit_to_locations or win32api.GetLogicalDriveStrings().split('\0')[:-1]:
    for file in glob.iglob(os.path.join(base, r'\**\desktop*.ini'), recursive=True):
        with open(file, encoding='utf8', errors='backslashreplace') as f:
            match = re.search(r'LocalizedResourceName=((?:.(?!\.dll))*)$', f.read(), re.M)
        if match:
            print(file, match[1])
            if delete:
                try:
                    os.remove(file)
                except PermissionError as e:
                    print(e)