Folder Tweaker

Folder Tweaker is an easy to use utility designed to help you change the icon and the background of any folder on your computer.
The application is pretty easy to use and boasts a rather simple interface with intuitive features and minimum configuration needed to change icons and background.
It's enough to provide the path to a specific folder and then choose an icon and a background straight from the main window. By default, the application automatically reads the Windows built-in icon packs, but you can also use your very own icons stored on local disks.
Changing the background image is again easy as pie because it's enough to browse for the photo you wish to use and open it with Folder Tweaker. Additionally, you can change the info tip and the text color, which can be black or white.
Unfortunately, Folder Tweaker doesn't provide a feature to restore configuration to the original settings and automatically remove the new background and icon. Plus, it doesn't even create a backup, so in case something goes wrong, you have to solve the problems manually.
Still, a good thing about Folder Tweaker is the fact that it places an entry in the Windows Context Menu, thus allowing you to customize a folder just by right-clicking on it.
Folder Tweaker works okay on Windows 7 too, but keep in mind that you need administrator privileges to make modifications to your folders.
Overall, Folder Tweaker is a freebie that does what it says without hampering computer performance at all. It is easy to use and, what's more, it's extremely friendly with hardware resources all the time.