Can I change the system's "Browse for Folder" dialog globally?

Solution 1:

short answer, yes you are stuck with it

long answer:

the function you are mentioning is the SHBrowseForFolder() function in Shell32.dll. This function is linked and executed from thousands of programs, so unless you are writing a specific program that you want a modified dialog for, what you desire will not be possible without modifying or replacing shell32.dll (which is for all intents and purposes, beyond the scope of this site).

here is the documentation for the function: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/bb762115%28v=vs.85%29.aspx

if you simply want to change it within a program you are writing, search for the specifics of your langague/platform to find tutorials (they are copious).