Windows themes

dean_ham · 21 Oct 2006 at 15:56

Ive seen some screenshots of peoples desktops and u lot have some nice themes. What programs are you lot using, any any websites i can download some themes from, guides also welcome!
Thank you

Dean

Meatball · 21 Oct 2006 at 17:46

www.deviantart.com

Street · 21 Oct 2006 at 18:37

I was just about to ask the very same question.. Was clicking on the new thread button and I saw this five lines down

Am bored with the three choices Windows gives you..

Cheers for the link!

MarcLister · 21 Oct 2006 at 19:03

I too cannot stand the default XP theme. Especially now I've seen the light. I use the XPM Classic theme with the Tango icon pack.

XPM Classic home page: http://www.web9design.com/Portfolio/xpm-classic
XPM Classic RC3 @ DeviantArt:http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/20901820/?qo=2&q=xpm+classic+boost%3Apopular+age_sigma%3A24h+age_scale%3A5+in%3Acustomization%2Fskins%2Fwindows%2Fvisualstyle+in%3Acustomization%2Fskins%2Fwindows%2Fvisualstyle (No idea why the official site only has RC2 btw)
Tango icon pack: http://vertigosity.benpbrown.com/index.php?page=download

Windows with XPM Classic and Tango icon pack looks just luvverly!

Course soon we'll have to start all over again with Vista. :rolleyes:

bledd · 21 Oct 2006 at 19:08

luna royale http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/40772637/

MarcLister · 21 Oct 2006 at 19:11

bledd. said:
luna royale http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/40772637/

Does look quite nice. But one slight major problem, it is in French.

Whilst I do speak some French, I don't really want to switch over permanently.

Meatball · 21 Oct 2006 at 19:14

As I said above use the UXTHEME Patch and go here and choose a theme. I recommend:
1) Luna Element
2) Fresco

bledd · 21 Oct 2006 at 19:20

MarcLister said:
Does look quite nice. But one slight major problem, it is in French. Whilst I do speak some French, I don't really want to switch over permanently.

thats just the screenshot

a visual style is just a bunch of bitmaps that overlay the default windows skin, and some have a few explorer modifications and font settings, language has nothing to do with it

Kezmo · 21 Oct 2006 at 19:21

http://www.4impressions.net/v3/html/index.html

MarcLister · 21 Oct 2006 at 19:22

bledd. said:
thats just the screenshot

a visual style is just a bunch of bitmaps that overlay the default windows skin, and some have a few explorer modifications and font settings, language has nothing to do with it

Twas a joke my good man. Twas a joke.

Liquid_Entity · 21 Oct 2006 at 19:48

MarcLister said:
I too cannot stand the default XP theme. Especially now I've seen the light. I use the XPM Classic theme with the Tango icon pack.

XPM Classic home page: http://www.web9design.com/Portfolio/xpm-classic
XPM Classic RC3 @ DeviantArt:http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/20901820/?qo=2&q=xpm+classic+boost%3Apopular+age_sigma%3A24h+age_scale%3A5+in%3Acustomization%2Fskins%2Fwindows%2Fvisualstyle+in%3Acustomization%2Fskins%2Fwindows%2Fvisualstyle (No idea why the official site only has RC2 btw)
Tango icon pack: http://vertigosity.benpbrown.com/index.php?page=download

Windows with XPM Classic and Tango icon pack looks just luvverly! Course soon we'll have to start all over again with Vista.

i cant seem to get these to install in xp ?

I did the tango thing and installed that, but the XPM Classic RC£ i cant get to install

MarcLister · 21 Oct 2006 at 19:51

Liquid_Entity said:
i cant seem to get these to install in xp ?

I did the tango thing and installed that, but the XPM Classic RC£ i cant get to install

Yeah the XPM Classic installs via a .msstyle file. You need the UXTheme Patcher 5.0. This patches XP to let you double click on a .msstyle file and install it that way. Someone else posted a link earlier in the thread, this is it I think.

http://www.softpedia.com/get/Deskto.../UXTheme-Patch-For-Windows-XP-SP2-Final.shtml

Download that, run the exe and it should patch XP. Then try the XPM Classic file again.

Liquid_Entity · 21 Oct 2006 at 19:54

MarcLister said:
Yeah the XPM Classic installs via a .msstyle file. You need the UXTheme Patcher 5.0. This patches XP to let you double click on a .msstyle file and install it that way. Someone else posted a link earlier in the thread, this is it I think.

http://www.softpedia.com/get/Deskto.../UXTheme-Patch-For-Windows-XP-SP2-Final.shtml

Download that, run the exe and it should patch XP. Then try the XPM Classic file again.

thanks, i went so far as to get a uxtheme.dll from the web but not an actual patcher doH !

bledd · 21 Oct 2006 at 20:03

didn't see the

MarcLister · 21 Oct 2006 at 20:03

bledd. said:
didn't see the

Should have gone to SpecSavers.

collisster · 21 Oct 2006 at 20:09

can people post screenies of the tango icon pack?
thank you please

Radiation · 21 Oct 2006 at 20:57

I wouldn't mind having a change of theme but do you have to install this patch thingy?

Are there any compatible xp themes that are a bit more safe and easy to use?

MarcLister · 21 Oct 2006 at 22:25

collisster said:
can people post screenies of the tango icon pack?
thank you please

This isn't where I got the Tango icon pack from. It is however where the Tango icon project originated.

http://tango.freedesktop.org/Tango_Screenshots

Radiation said:
I wouldn't mind having a change of theme but do you have to install this patch thingy?

Are there any compatible xp themes that are a bit more safe and easy to use?

You just run the UXTheme patcher exe. Once that has run, Windows can now be used to install any .msstyle file. You just double click on a .msstyle file and it should install itself. I think Windows then changes to the new theme there and then. I found it quite easy to do myself.