Windows XP Theming - A Tutorial by Aero

The patch for uxtheme.dll has instructions included (provided you don't just use the multipatcher utility). It is a pretty straight forward replacement, and doesn't cause many headaches. Just make sure to back up the old file with an appropriate name change.

Happy theming!

 

thanks a lot aero, u rock!

 

AstonShell looks pretty cool, but SharpE is free. and i'm a cheap bastard

 

just wanted to show..

 

From where I can get Icon sets for Icon Tweaker?

 

Here: http://www.crystalxp.net/galerie/en.cat.1.htm

 

you are what you listen to

 

Lokster thats pretty pimped out . The resolution is pretty darn big though so its much easier to do that. My notebook only goes to 1280x800 which isnt awesome. Though the desktop im building (way higher resolution) Im going to max it out with theming - basically use everything I know.

 

thanks. 1600x1200 reso, advantage of standard screen vs, widescreen. this is my lappie, and thought might inspire some people to start pimping out their desktops.

Visual style. jaguar aqua blue
wallpaper. i got it from a friend are you what you listen 2?
progs object dock, yahoo widgets

 

Yeah I noticed the resolution..

I know everything you used except the wallpaper . But its pretty hard to know where someone gets there wallpaper considering there are tons out there.

 

progs
icon packager
theme patcher 5.0
objectdock
firefox with pimp skin
yahoo widgets

 

Hmm, How do you hide the start menu?

 

the apple is my start menu. didnt have to hide it =)

 

Many programs can hide the start menu. The one that does it for Lokster is (most likely) the same one I use....Object Dock

Programs like OD and DesktopX, along with all-in-ones like Brico Pack and Vista Trans Pack will also hide/change the start bar. Avedesk should do it too.

Oh the choices!

 

Here's mine. Got the VS from deviantart, cursors from customize.org, and the background from a googled Bliss.

Well, you can't see the cursors, but they're OSX cursors.

 

Can you use UXtheme to change the desktop theme and icons without running any background program? Is it possible to run a Dock without using a program? Thanks

 

Bricopacks have already been mentioned. Although you cannot really customize many things, it
completely changes the looks of Windows Xp, and best of all, it's as simple as a single click. Ideal for
noobies like me, or people too scared to mess with all the programs in this thread (that's me, too ).

I got mine from http://www.crystalxp.net/.

Cheers.



P.D. By the way, when people ask about hiding the start menu, i guess autohiding the taskbar
is not an option for them. That's how i get rid of it... well, sort of.

 

The uxtheme.dll patch is not a program. It just changes that particular device driver to allow windows to use non-licensed themes. From that point on you can download individual themes that change the appearance of windows. However, you'll usually need a program for changing system-integrated icons.

Docks are all programs...some take more memory than others. I use Object Dock Plus, and, to me, it was worth the $20.

 

Current:



My next one is going to be on my desktop (im building one) resolution 1440x900...It will knock you out of the chair when I finish theming it . Im going to use every site and every thing I know to theme it but at the same time keep it clean like all my desktop screenshots.

 

My desktop (2 backgrounds):






Programs/Websites used:

Deviantart.com: background pictures (I wish searching through archives would be easier, but great resource)

Rocketdock: the objectdock, haven't tried the others but I love this one

Rainlender: desktop calendar, simple, lightweight, looks great

podXP: system tray and weather, very lightweight, looks great

Oh yeah I keep my startbar on autohide, so I can still access the startmenu and shutdown. Most of the time though, I just set my dock and systray to always on top, and that works well.


PROS:

- All free programs, websites.
- All very lightweight on the resources. Memory usage by program: Rainlender - 4.8 mb, podXP: 1.1 mb, Rocketdock - 6.8 mb. Basically don't worry about slow downs with this setup.
- desktop clutter free
- looks great
- Rocketdock has tons of very cool included skins, mine is the Vista black skin

CONS:

- Rocketdock will go up in mem usage depending on the icons you use. If you use your own high quality PNG icons, and a lot of them, expect your mem usage to be higher. I just use the included icons and the normal windows icons. They won't look as super sharp, but blown up they still look great (when I mouse over).
- Rocketdock will not automatically hide under programs of superior priority. For example, it will still show up over games and movies, as I set it on 'always on top'. I have to manually switch to 'always on bottom' when doing these things. Other programs like podXP have a smart 'always on top', staying on top of programs like firefox, but under games and movies. Support says they'll implement a selective 'always on top' in their next release.
- podXP crashed on me (just) once in weeks of usage. ctrl + alt+ del solved the problem at the time

CONCLUSION:

If you're looking for an easy way to revamp your desktop w/o going through different themes and widgets, etc, my customization is a good way to go. Light on the resources, pleasing to the eye, and easy to set up!

 

what program did you used on the top icons? object dock? it's nice!

 

Its object dock with custom icons .

Thanks

 

My new theme. It's an aero theme from deviantart using WB5.

 

Aero, do those ObjectDock icons come in a pack? Or do they have to be downloaded individually? I really like them and use most of those programs there. I'd be great if you could tell me their names Thanks!

 

Well you can get packs but I tend to not go with them. I like individuality so I choose out each of my ObjectDock Icons from www.wincustomize.com.

Its been a long time since I got them, and have them saved in a folder ever since. There are quiet a lot and well telling their names will mean me finding each one manually again .

If you like any let me know, I will upload them and you can then download them.

 

Does anyone know if you can change the icons with uxtheme because I don't want to download any progs. Thanks

 

Nope you cant, sorry.

 

My WinOSX