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.

The Vista Live Shell Pack for Windows XP is a collection of three shell packs for Windows XP that turn the visuals of Windows XP into a Windows Vista looking interface. The three packs distinguish themselves only by color from each other. They are available in baby blue, gray and pink (gosh) (via Techyard).

Changes to Windows XP require the patching of the file uxtheme.dll. This file refuses changes otherwise and does not allow the installation of any themes that have not been officially released by Microsoft. Vista Live Shell Pack comes with an installer that includes the uxtheme.dll patcher making it very easy to install the new themes.

The installer provides a list of files that will be installed on the system. It turns out that the pack installs and modifies lots of files on the system, especially those with icons and other graphic information in them.

Many other files get updated as well if the user chooses so. Some noteworthy ones are the boot logo, logon screen, screensaver, the installation of Windows Vista fonts, the skin and some applications (ViOrb, TaskSwitchXP and RebIC). Everything can be unchecked in the installer. The installer can create a system restore point which is important to do in case something goes wrong during installation.

The official XP themes have the advantage that they can be used right away. Royal Noir is a Windows XP theme that was discovered about two years ago. It comes as a blue and black theme with great contrasts.

Installation of Windows XP Royal Noir. Just download the Royale Noir package and unpack it on your computer. The contents have to be moved to windows\resources\themes\royal noir. A click on the luna.msstyles file should be located in the royal noir directory will activate the theme and bring the Display Properties to the front.

The default color scheme will be the blue one which will be shown as Royal in the Color Scheme menu. A click on the Color Scheme pulldown menu will display the second option entitled Royal Noir which will change the blue color to black upon selection.

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 ?

The color scheme for menus is changed as well using bright colors that remind me of sand and sun. I personally do not like the background images that much but the color scheme itself is very eye friendly. Several icons are exchanged as well. The My Computer icon for instance has been changed into a sunshade.

I personally would do a search on Flickr for Brazilian beaches and find a more suitable image for the background and leave all other settings as they are. This would also get rid of the big Microsoft logo in the lower right corner of the desktop.

Please click on one of the smaller pictures to see a full size version of it:

Praias Buzios:

Praias Florianapolis:

Praias Jericoacoara:

Praias Noronha: