There is however a second possibility. Third party software that can load themes into Windows Vista. These programs usually patch the files themselves. One of those software programs that can install Vista themes automatically is Style Selector.

Style Selector is a free 200 Kilobyte portable application that runs on 32-bit editions of Windows Vista. New Vista themes have to be moved into the Styles folder. The Vista theme has to make use of a .styles file to be recognized by the software program.

Vista themes that have been moved into the folder are automatically recognized by the application. Selecting the Vista theme in the list of available themes and clicking on the Apply button will load that theme into Windows Vista.

The Startup box can be checked to apply the Vista theme during startup so that the new theme will be available even after a reboot of the system. The same preferences allow to pick a default font and font size which will then be used as the standard font in Windows Vista.

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Official themes on the other hand have the advantage of being signed meaning that there is no need to tamper with the uxtheme.dll file that protects the operating system from unofficial themes. Vishal over at Ask VG discovered a new signed Windows XP theme that is also compatible with Windows Server 2003 that can be installed without changing system files.

He discovered the theme in the Windows Embedded Standard CTP Refresh distribution and provided download links to it. The theme is supplied as a self extracting executable that installs the theme in the right location in Windows. The theme can then be selected from the Themes tab in the Display Properties.

The main benefit of this theme is that it is signed. Many users will probably still prefer unsigned themes because of the choice of thousands of themes instead of the handful of signed ones. Take a look at my Windows Vista Theme Customization article for information about applying custom themes to Windows Vista or the Windows XP Theme Royal Noir which is also signed.

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One example where taking ownership of files comes in handy is when trying to patch the uxtheme.dll file. Custom themes cannot be applied to Windows Vista without patching that file first and patching the file is only possible with file ownership and the correct user rights. After patching the file users can add and use custom Windows Vista Themes.

Winmatrix forum user XPero wrote a lightweight script that speeds up the process of taking ownership and setting file rights tremendously. All that needs to be done is to execute the Take Ownership application, add the file or files that the user wants ownership of and seize control by pressing the Take Ownership button.

Take Control has a file size of just 160 Kilobytes and works fine only in Windows Vista.

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The Windows Vista theme customization application Vista Visual Master changes that. It is a all in one solution for everyone who wants to customize the Windows Vista theme and appearance. The application can be divided into two sections. The first deals directly with the Windows Vista theme while the second takes care of system settings that relate to the visual appearance of Windows Vista.

One of the most important aspects of Windows Vista theme customization is patching the uxtheme.dll file in Windows Vista to be able to apply custom themes to the operating system. This option is available in Vista Visual Master. The same menu contains an option to change the Windows Vista theme directly to another one.

Other options that relate to the visual appearance of Windows Vista are the abilities to change Windows vista icons, logon pictures and the vista boot screen. All options are easily accessible and there is always an option to restore to defaults with should ease the minds of users who feel uncomfortable about changing system files in Windows Vista.

The second section is just the usual Windows Vista tweaker with the only difference that the available settings relate to visual effects on the system. It is for instance possible to remove icons from the computer deskop, remove shortcut arrows and to disable the changing of wallpapers in Windows Vista.

The main use of the tool is to customize the Windows Vista theme. It works flawlessly and creates backups of the most important files which come in handy if something goes wrong along the way.

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If you’re one of those people, and I believe they are still around, who still likes the Windows XP Luna interface (that’s the lollypop blue one), then this is a download for you.

Rather then transforming XP into that fancy Aero interface, or something too Mac-like or even Ubuntu earthiness, XPize simply turns XP into… XP.

Not quite, but it updates the Luna interface to a more modern look complete with glassy effects and cuts back on some of that bevelly goodness. It still looks like XP, but more in line with 2008 rather then 2001.

XPrize also does a good job of updating all those hundreds of interface quirks which are left over from Windows 95. You know, all those icons buried in the control panel and explorer. In fact the website says it patches 150 system files and updates hundreds of resources.

It’s very similar to the official Windows Royale theme, but with the addition of a new boot screen, animations, icons, logon screen, images, screensavers and more.

Here are some screenshots of the kinds of changes made:

And here is a desktop screenshot:

Does not look that bad, what you think ?

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