[christianclark]

Many people think that PC Users get free software or haxies but that's not true. PC Users do not get free themechangers @ all. Actually, PC Users have to pay A LOT more to use their PC themes. I have done it on my old girlfriend's PC and it is not free @ all. PC Users uses Style XP $20, same as Shapeshifter. And the WinCustomize's stuff cost $50 and up. If you want to make your PC look like a Mac, it will cost $100. Shapeshifter is the Mac version of Style XP; however, Style XP does change the bootX, log-in and panel too. I wish that Shapeshifter do the same things as Style XP, as a Mac User. Shapeshifter should change the whole OS with icons too. Style XP does everything. ShapeShifter is very inexpensive, in my book if you like using a lot of themes. It will be so cool if ShapeShifter will change the theme everytime you start up your computer, that would be cool for many people.

Christian

[sheer]

But you can also patch uxtheme.dll on XP (either manully or with a patcher) and save yourself the trouble (and expense) of going anywhere near Styles XP. Same goes for changing icons/ login screen/boot screen.

[phillryu]

From other posts, it seems that ShapeShifter will support sys icons, application icons, desktop, etc. in future versions, but not log in/boot stuff.

[mac15]

yeah boot and log panels aren't changed so there can be themes for different users on that machine

[Kujo]

Originally posted by christianclark:
Many people think that PC Users get free software or haxies but that's not true. PC Users do not get free themechangers @ all. Actually, PC Users have to pay A LOT more to use their PC themes. I have done it on my old girlfriend's PC and it is not free @ all. PC Users uses Style XP $20, same as Shapeshifter. And the WinCustomize's stuff cost $50 and up. If you want to make your PC look like a Mac, it will cost $100. Shapeshifter is the Mac version of Style XP; however, Style XP does change the bootX, log-in and panel too. I wish that Shapeshifter do the same things as Style XP, as a Mac User. Shapeshifter should change the whole OS with icons too. Style XP does everything. ShapeShifter is very inexpensive, in my book if you like using a lot of themes. It will be so cool if ShapeShifter will change the theme everytime you start up your computer, that would be cool for many people.

Christian

hey, you really shouldn't post about stuff you know absolutely nothing about. the theme changer for windows IS built in. i have been themeing and using themes for windows more then 2 years now and i cant even tell you where to download this stylexp, i have never used it.

[Dace]

Yup, he knows nothing about Windoze or he's just "honest"....ever heard of *cough*Kazaalite*cough*. Customizing XP can be totally free. Can't do the same with Unsanity haxies; besides, I find Windowblinds needs to be refined...Kaleidoscope worked a lot better than WB...so I'd pay for Shapeshifter because I know it works well.

[Kujo]

Originally posted by Dace:
Yup, he knows nothing about Windoze or he's just "honest"....ever heard of *cough*Kazaalite*cough*. Customizing XP can be totally free. Can't do the same with Unsanity haxies; besides, I find Windowblinds needs to be refined...Kaleidoscope worked a lot better than WB...so I'd pay for Shapeshifter because I know it works well.

no man, i didnt say i pirate style xp i said you dont need it. no one does, i have also never used windowsblinds I'm just not a fan.
oh and btw "Can't do the same with Unsanity" sad to say yes you can.

[Lord Sith]

Originally posted by Kujo:
hey, you really shouldn't post about stuff you know absolutely nothing about. the theme changer for windows IS built in. i have been themeing and using themes for windows more then 2 years now and i cant even tell you where to download this stylexp, i have never used it.

As far as I know this is true only if the themer has compiled it as an .exe file.

It can then be switched via XP Control Panel.

"MSStyles" are proprietary to Style XP and can be switched no other way.

Right/Wrong?

[Kujo]

very wrong

[Lord Sith]

Originally posted by Kujo:
very wrong

Explain?

Though I don't have a PC, I do run VPC on my Mac and would like to use some of the MSStyles available but don't want to use StyleXP.

[Dace]

Originally posted by Lord Sith:
Explain?

Though I don't have a PC, I do run VPC on my Mac and would like to use some of the MSStyles available but don't want to use StyleXP.

Style XP is by TGSoft or something like that, MSStyles is by Microsoft. Style XP i believe cracks Microsoft exclusive use of MSStyles and thus uses Microsofts skinning format which btw is a based on windowblinds skinning engine. Windowblinds is much more powerful, has more features and can even skin shellstyles...Since Style XP uses the built in skinning feature its faster and lighter...but Windowblinds now claims it got faster and lighter. thats what I know, someone correct me if I'm wrong.

[Kujo]

your still pretty much wrong, and alot of what you said was opinion. msstyles skins the shell style as well.

but to explain. here.
http://www.belchfire.net/article205.html

there are 2 files at the bottom there one is for sp1 and the other is nonsp1. you download that run it then reboot. now all you have to do is put your themes in mycompter/c drive/windows/resources/themes. then you will be able to right click on your desktop and go to appearance and select any theme you want. like here

http://www.qfrag.com/~kujo/display.png

you really want to stay away from .theme files, what you want is a folder with the theme name and inside a .msstyle and a folder named shell.

[christianclark]

Originally posted by Kujo:
i have been themeing and using themes for windows more then 2 years now and i cant even tell you where to download this stylexp, i have never used it.

Yea, right! whatever! You are too lazy to look for it.

http://www.tgtsoft.com/

Christian

[NetworkShadow]

This really has nothing to do with Mac OS X themes... The OS has it's limits that can't be compared to Windows.

[Kujo]

Originally posted by christianclark:
Yea, right! whatever! You are too lazy to look for it.

http://www.tgtsoft.com/

Christian

no, my point is i dont need it. no one does. thats why i didnt know where to get it. heh

[Fellow2000]

It is really not that hard to understand.

The theme changer is built into windows, that is how you can switch between classic, luna, olive and silver.

The point is, the system file that controls it all, uxtheme.dll only allows for those themes.

But, you can simply replace that dll with a hacked one that will open it up to any msstyle file.

You can also buy styleXP, which does the same thing, and then provides a nice manager for the themes and allows you to change login screens and such. But styleXP is completely unnecessary. If you place all your msstyles in your resources folder, they will automatically show up when you right click>properties>apperance.

So yes, it is free. The only thing that is not is windowblinds, but IMO the top themers are only using visual styles.

Completely free, that's it.

Please don't post stuff you know nothing about. If you paid for style XP I feel sorry for you, but it is your fault for not doing your homework first.

[christianclark]

Originally posted by Fellow2000:
It is really not that hard to understand.
The theme changer is built into windows, that is how you can switch between classic, luna, olive and silver.The point is, the system file that controls it all, uxtheme.dll only allows for those themes.But, you can simply replace that dll with a hacked one that will open it up to any msstyle file.You can also buy styleXP, which does the same thing, and then provides a nice manager for the themes and allows you to change login screens and such. But styleXP is completely unnecessary. If you place all your msstyles in your resources folder, they will automatically show up when you right click>properties>apperance.So yes, it is free. The only thing that is not is windowblinds, but IMO the top themers are only using visual styles.
Completely free, that's it.Please don't post stuff you know nothing about. If you paid for style XP I feel sorry for you, but it is your fault for not doing your homework first.

I didn't paid for it. My old girlfriend paid for it, she's the one who has the PC, not me.

Christian

[Wickedkitten]

no one uses msstyles?

http://www.neowin.net/forum/index.php?showforum=36

[kmkkid]

Windows XP themes aka msstyles were designed by MS to be a locked format. The skinning engine in XP is in fact as others have stated the uxtheme.dll. Microsoft put a lock on XP themeing by requiring signed msstyle files, which obviously only MS can digitally sign and authorize. Since that was a huge limitation, TGTSoft decided to look into a 'fix' which was just a hack. By changing just a few lines of uxtheme.dll code within a hex editor, they figured out a way to crack the signature system, so then any msstyle MS or 3rd party skin can now be used by replacing the original uxtheme.dll with the hacked one. There are many free patchers to do this, but some people didnt trust this because it is hacking a system file. So TGTSoft created Style XP, a theme preview/changer app which hacks the uxtheme.dll in memory, thus causing no ill effects if anything went wrong.

Shape Shifter from what I understand is like Style XP but takes it a bit further and allows for more alterations to be done. This could have been done on XP too, but WB is already way superior to msstyles, so there was no need.

All in all, theming on XP is free if you're willing to replace a system file - same goes for OS X.

Now if I may do a lil plugging: for all you XP users, you should go download the Watercolor msstyle or Watercolor XP WB skin. You know you want to It's professional and functional, and made by me (what more could you ask for ).



Chris

[CeRtiFiedSkitZo]

I think someone said this earlier, and since I was a big theme changer guy for my windows machine at work I know first hand. There's this file called uxtheme.dll that controls the themes in the WinXp. There's a patch out there, where all you have to do is download it replaced the one windows already and that's it. No programs needed, and nothing running in the background. Hell there's even a vuxtheme.dll patcher that you download and installs that patch for you w/ just one click.

After all that is done, you can go sites like themexp.org download themes and unzip them right into the themes folder and you got a new.

[Hi I'm Ben]

Here, it's a repost of what someone already posted.

http://www.imben.net/danecook/uxthemedll.zip

[KoL]

Originally posted by kmkkid:
Windows XP themes aka msstyles were designed by MS to be a locked format. The skinning engine in XP is in fact as others have stated the uxtheme.dll. Microsoft put a lock on XP themeing by requiring signed msstyle files, which obviously only MS can digitally sign and authorize. Since that was a huge limitation, TGTSoft decided to look into a 'fix' which was just a hack. By changing just a few lines of uxtheme.dll code within a hex editor, they figured out a way to crack the signature system, so then any msstyle MS or 3rd party skin can now be used by replacing the original uxtheme.dll with the hacked one. There are many free patchers to do this, but some people didnt trust this because it is hacking a system file. So TGTSoft created Style XP, a theme preview/changer app which hacks the uxtheme.dll in memory, thus causing no ill effects if anything went wrong.

Shape Shifter from what I understand is like Style XP but takes it a bit further and allows for more alterations to be done. This could have been done on XP too, but WB is already way superior to msstyles, so there was no need.

All in all, theming on XP is free if you're willing to replace a system file - same goes for OS X.

Now if I may do a lil plugging: for all you XP users, you should go download the Watercolor msstyle or Watercolor XP WB skin. You know you want to It's professional and functional, and made by me (what more could you ask for ).



Chris

He explain it very well
You can use themes (MSstyles) without paying a cent, you just need to replace your uxtheme.dll. But if you want to use WindowBlind theme you need to pay.