Two image problems with CommandBars

 I have two problems with specifying the icons for my toolbar buttons:

1.  I cannot get the ImageManager's design-time button editor (the tool to draw icons and load them from BMP) to import a bitmap.
At design time, I bring up the Properties dialog,
I select the ID in the Icons list at the left,
I select the "Normal" icon in the list at the right,
then I choose Import and Export > Import from Bitmap.
In the Open dialog I choose my BMP file.
The bitmap  (16 x 16) shows up in an Import dialog, and the preview looks correct.  So from that dialog I click the Import button.

And then......  nothing happens. The image was not actually imported.  Back on the Properties dialog, I still see the default red circle-with-bar.
There is no error message; the import just didn't change anything. 

Is this a known problem?  Is there a known fix?   


2.  Through code I'm able to load bitmaps that I can use as button icons.  But, if I choose a size other than 16 x 16, then at runtime the image is squished (to fit in a 16 x 16 box, I'm guessing), and because of the squishing, the icon looks terrible.  
     I need to be able to support 18 x 16 icons,  for backwards compatibility reasons, and I can't edit the icons myself as some are in third-party libraries that I don't even have access to; so, I need to be able to load 18 x 16 icons.
     Does the product support that?  Is there some property I can set to tell the CommandBars to use an image size other than 16 x 16 ?