How to change your Windows Theme

[SilverTears]

So you want to change your regular old ugly windows theme to a different, nice, good looking one. This tutorial will tell you everything you need to know. This is a very short and easy process.


You will need
Windowblinds
or
Theme Manager

I prefer Windowblinds for just changing the theme.



Once you have gotten the program installed, restarted, find a skin you like at Wincustomize
This is the best site for themes and other things, check it out.
Once you are on the site, on the right side you will see a list, select windowblinds.

Find a good skin, when I'm usually looking for a good skin, I filter it by the most downloaded. But thats your choice.

Download the skin, save it anywhere, I prefer desktop because its easy and quick to get to. Open up windowblinds, click load skin, and browse your file and select it and open it. Look for it in your windowblinds selection of skins, it should be there.

Next click Apply Skin and let it load. Now you have your new skin installed. Easy stuff.


Full Skins
If you want a full skin which includes the matching look of the files, skins, wallpapers and other things changed this is where you need Theme Manager. It works just like windowblinds, so basically once it is installed find your file, select it, apply it.

warning: I would NOT recommend getting a bootskin, doing this requres messing with a major windows file, so once you mess it up your screwed, so unless your an expert at these kind of things, I wouldn't worry about a bootskin.




I am not responsible for anything that may happen to your computer.

[Lux Aeterna]

Awesome, ty. Any chance you'd to post a tut for that, too?

[FeNiXSuNfIrE]

not interested personally but im sure alot of ppl will find this very useful. For XP i just used the ol longhorn transformation pack, it had some badass skins and also effected things such as bootscreen/login screen, new wallpapers, icons, sleek matching window skins ect, and u could also have some seksi, thinner, sleeker black start bars.

ever since microsoft released the zune theme however...i havent messed with it

[SilverTears]

Awesome, ty. Any chance you'd to post a tut for that, too?

Np, and post a tut for what? Bootskins?

[Lux Aeterna]

Yeah, I figure someone will need it

[SilverTears]

I don't know how to install bootskins, but if you download and install a suite that has a bootskin Theme Manager will ask you to install bootskins and then you will have it.

[Seekndestroyer]

Hmm.. you left out a rather common alternative which is using a uxtheme.dll patcher and using user customized skins. . I can make a tut for members interested in using this method as an alternative.

[Obfuscate]

I know that Style XP has a boot screen editor if anyone absolutely needs to change theirs.