i dont know which one to use and i was wondering which one has more styles for it and which one is more or less complictad, also which one takes up more RAM.

windowsblinds takes more memory, but you can do more with it.

On this board, a lot of people prefer MSStyles. It's really a personal preference. Some people don't like running an additional skinning program on top of XP. But, some people claim Windowblinds is faster than Windows XP internal theming system (i.e. Running Windowblinds and shutting off the Theme Service). You should try both and see which one you prefer. I would probably try MSStyles first since it would require very minimal changes to your system.

Wrong. to use an alternate msstyle you have to PATCH a system file. With windowblinds you dont do anything.

i prefer using Window Blinds, nice features..

i choose both

WRONG, it takes infact far less memory
You don't get the BS service pack issues with it, it's far more advanced and takes even less CPU!

Windowblinds is a better and more complete solution but it has less "nice" style skins than what you can get on here. plus it's bucks.

StyleXP is better...

WRONG. It all depends on the theme you use. A theme with heavy animation and such will use both more RAM and CPU cycles.

Why not just use UXTHEME.DLL hack and not pay a dime for it? No additional overhead at all. Works just as good as anything else, if not better. And it is totally free.

Wrong.

WB takes less memory.

i don't use any of those 2 because i don't like the fact using a 3td party app justo apply themes/visual styles.

they both are bloated and crap, but windowsblinds is better than the 2
uxtheme.dll all the way
if u really want a third party app, use tune up utilities 04

U can disable themes service in windows xp if u use windowblinds.

You are both WRONG. Visual Styles require you to patch your Uxtheme.dll system file, while WindowsBlinds requires you to install a program, and to turn off the Windows default theming service if you want it to run faster. Also, WindowsBlinds hooks the Appearance tab of the Display Properties dialog box, which can be frustrating at times. With Visual Styles, all you need to do is to patch your Uxtheme.dll file. There are no installation programs and additional programs to run in the Tray.

icecaveman, you are only half - right.
XanDaMan, you are completely wrong.

Yes, with WindowsBlinds, you do not need to care about what service pack you use. However, WindowsBlinds is a resource hog - unless you turn off the default theming service. And it can be quite a hassle for newbies to turn off a "service".



This is another contributing factor to the amount of resources any Windows Themes (Visual Styles, WindowsBlinds) can use. For example, a theme that is rather large will hog more system resources, compared to smaller and simpler ones. Visual Styles suffer from this problem too, but the problem is usually felt the most in WindowsBlinds, because of the extra features it provides (sound effects, toolbar skinning, progress animations, animations in elements of the interface itself, and much more).

I used to use windowblinds - and loved it, until I found the styles here. Visual styles are generally much better (according to me, at least) in comparison to windowblinds skins... see for yourself!

Windowblinds skins tend to be bloated because people think that they NEED to use all the skinning capabilities of skinstudio. Visual styles artists tend to make minimalistic, yet very attractive styles (most cannot be perfectly turned into windowblinds skins)...

I would just hack uxtheme.dll - it's not as though something horrible will happen to your computer... and it really won't that slowly (same as current...)

both are pretty gentle on system resource imo. what should matter is the skins. there are more visual styles available than windowblinds skins (arguable but the good ones are always available in visual style). some people will also argue you can import visual style into skin studio and convert, but the result is not perfect and why not just use visual styles.

right now i'm using windowblinds for the 0px border (can't do it w/o messing up some dialogs with visual styles). i'm a bit annoyed that matlab isn't skinned by windowblinds but it is by visual styles.

so whos right? lol

It really depends on your personal preference. It's a complicated and controversial "battle" of sorts. I have a lot of things to do right now, and I don't have time to post some long - winded message right now, but I suggest that, if you do not have the money and experince, get Visual Styles.

I am not wrong A.K.R. Talk to frogboy about it yourself. To use a msstyle you have to patch a system file [the uxtheme]. Windowblinds does not touch any system files and is easyier to Install. Wb's Useage varys on how well the skin was put together, and even with the theme service enabled, Windowblinds CAN still be faster.

EDIT : And btw, if you actually read any documentation, about the apearance tab, Hold Ctrl when u right click on desktop properties. I for one don't see how this is "frustrating". I have purchased Windowblinds, but i still use msstyles the most.

Try out both, and see what takes your fancy. Fanboys ruin the whole "experiment" experience.

Visual Style is a generic term guys...




Then just set the option to have WB not run in the tray

Both skinning engines require a program that runs, Windowblinds just doesn't hide it's exe behind a generic system process.

I just use window blinds with the xp theme service turned off. Most of the themes I use take around 700k ish of memory and it doesn't slow my computer down.



* I wish someone would pin one of these threads so that a new one doesn't appear every couple of weeks *

I used Windowblinds before, but I had to reinstall Windows.
I used standard visual styles for about 2 months, but then I grabbed Windowblinds again, and I have to say that windowlinds runs much faster on my comp
And IMO skinstudio is much more useable than stylebuilder, it's easier to make own "skin remixes" with skinstudio than stylebuilder

I've used both in the past, and I like Windows blind for all of it's nice features, but I rather go with StyleXP because I'm not looking for something complicated and big. With style XP you can do what ever you want without any complications.

I think StyleXP is better, just because you don't have to pay for it. And it's got more themes already installed. xptheme.org recommends StyleXP.

I have to go with StyleXP. GENERALLY the styles are smaller, and clean looking. It runs smoothly without any problems, or a possibility of crashing. Window Blinds TENDS to use up more CPU, and CAN slow down your PC. Also, I haven't found a useable Window Blinds skin yet. I find all of them are bulky and unclean.

StyleXP all the way!

OK, OK, to clear things up, here's a guide. In the future, you will not become confused by it.

When I say Windows Themes, it can be both WindowsBlinds or non-WindowsBlinds. When I say Visual Styles, it means non-WindowsBlinds themes. When I say WindowsBlinds Themes, I mean WindowsBlinds.

OK, back to the discussion. Naturally, I'm inclined to Visual Styles as I have lost trust in Stardock's programs. However, I do understand that some people do prefer WindowsBlinds for some reason.

A number of factors can influence your decision on these two formats. The major ones (in my opinion) are: speed, ease of use and efficiency, features, "look" (a.k.a. eye candy), your computer, and cost.

Firstly, the "faster than Visual Styles" claims. These claims comes from WindowsBlinds supporters, and I'm unable to verify this claim as it may be a one - sided view. however, if you have a faster computer and operating system, WindowsBlinds may take advantage of it and run faster.

When it comes to ease of use and efficiency, WindowsBlinds can be quite confusing, especially if you use it together with Visual Styles. A thing that turns me away from WindowsBlinds is the fact that it hooks the Appearance tab, and you need to hold down control to get the "normal" Appearance tab, and only for that session of the Display Properties dialog box. It will revert back to normal when you open it the next time without holding down the Control key. If you ask why, it's because once WindowsBlinds hooks the tab, you can only apply WindowsBlinds themes. Try Visual Styles with WindowsBlinds, and it messes up everything.

But talk about features, and WindowsBlinds wins outright. Microsoft never made their Visual Styles format (.msstyles) public, and it only contains basic features to skin Windows. However, WindowsBlinds was made for the public right from the beginning. You can do everything that you want with WindowsBlinds. Change the caption buttons' position? Of course! Redo the Explorer toolbar? Easy! Change where Windows put the caption bar? You can! Make your own progress animations? Of course! Throw in animations? You are welcome! And all in one simple *.wba file! If you use Visual Styles, you need third - party programs or hacking DLLs to change them. That, as far as I know, is one of the main drawbacks of Visual Styles.

Eye candy. That's the single most important thing here when it comes to skinning. By now, you should know that WindowsBlinds have a lot of features thrown in. Unfortunately, these features (mostly) are for eye - candy. Whether they have any real use or not is still being debated. And to compound matters, many WindowsBlinds themes abuse these otherwise wonderful features. Also, many WindowsBlinds themes have bad colours and/or are too clunky for normal use. You can take a look here if you don't believe me. Visual Styles does not fare well either, as since Visual Styles is a more "reachable" format, more amateurs are likely to use it. Look here if you do not believe me. However, there are still good Windows Themes out there. Good Visual Styles seems to outnumber good WindowsBlinds Themes, in my opinion. This is a matter of personal perception; I can't really give you advice on this.

And your computer plays a big part too. The slower your computer, the slower both formats are. WindowsBlinds seem to perform a bit more poorly on slower computers than Visual Styles, and better on faster computers (read: this is my personal opinion). If you have a good graphics card, a fast processor, and a good amount of memory, then you should be considering WindowsBlinds. Otherwise, stick to Visual Styles. Slow computers and WindowsBlinds seem to have something against each other.

Finally, cost. When I say cost, I mean monetary cost. The full version of WindowsBlinds requires money, otherwise you are stuck with something that is worse than Visual Styles. Consider whether you are willing to spend money on what is basically "eye - candy". As for Visual Styles, although it can be inconvenient at times, however, it's completely free. All you need to do is to replace a system file, widely available on the internet. However, it can be quite frustrating when you replace the system file. I myself have run into some problems while trying to patch the Uxtheme.dll file.

Anyway, judge it for yourself. I have to take a rest now after typing so much, but not before this one final note:

It's the hacked uxtheme.dll you don't have to pay for.

The themes that come with Style XP are pretty hideous IMO. Personal preference I presume. And no, you don't have to pay for Style XP, well not for a month. After that you have to pay $20 I believe.