[guide] how do i use visual styles?

[insanekiwi]

alright fellow neowinians...i used tp post this guide about once a week for new peeps on neowin so i decided to make a new and updated guide for you all smile.gif

thanks to uxtheme rafael aka vortex, larney and dreamz for collaborating with me.

this guide actually contains 3 methods on howto replace the uxtheme.dll and enable the theme-service under windows.

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Using the offcial Neowin Uxtheme Patcher:

https://www.neowin.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=140707

It patches the UXTheme.dll for Windows XP/SP1/SP2 Beta/RTM and 2003 and allows you to use un-signed custom visual styles.

To simply patch the UXTheme.dll file, run the program, it will determine your operating system, then patch the appropriate file and reboot your PC.

To un-patch the UXTheme.dll file, run the program again, and it will un-patch the .dll and then reboot your PC.

official thread here: https://www.neowin.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=308905

This program will patch your uxtheme.dll file so you can use any 3rd party visual

style on Windows XP/SP1/SP2 and Windows Server 2003/SP1. File protection dialogs should

be cancelled and a reboot is required after using this patch.

Patched Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 systems with this program can be unpatched by

running this program again.

What's new in version 4.0

-Added 64-bit support (not 100% work)

-Added few delay (about 2.5 seconds) in some tasks to make it done before doing next

task (which I assume it solve some issues)

-Added Windows Server 2003 SP1 support

-Added stopping Themes service during patching for more success chance

http://www.windowsx.cc/download/nw_uxpatcher.zip

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Larneys Guide:

1) Rename uxtheme.dll in C:\Windows\System32 to uxtheme.dll.old

2) Put the NEW uxtheme.dll into C:\Windows\System32

3) Reboot and delete uxtheme.dll.old (or just leave it be as backup)

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insanekiwis guide:

Q: what do i need?

A: replacer app, uxtheme.dll, 2 minutes of your time.

anyway let's get started:

1) open cmd/run, type "winver" without the quotes and you'll see what version/built you have

2) hop over to http://www.vortex-scratchpad.info/reposito...atches/Uxtheme/ and get the uxtheme.dll for your windows built/version

3) then jump over to http://www3.telus.net/_/replacer and get replacer (it comes with a readme/guide so it's pretty easy to use)

4) execute it, drag'n'drop c:\windows\system32\uxtheme.dll on it, it will create a

backup for you automatically aswell.

5) then drag the NEW uxtheme.dll file on replacer so it gets replaced with the new one.

6) reboot.

7) put the visual style files in C:\WINDOWS\Resources\Themes,i.e.

C:\WINDOWS\Resources\Themes\THEMENAMEHERE

now your themes should be visible in the appereance tab.

apply the visual style of your choice.

done.

i hope this guide is easy to understand. i made it for those who tried the neowin

uxtheme patcher and it didn't work or for people who just don't know (yet) howto handle this little task or don't wanna use 3rd party software like tgtsofts' stylexp.

-insanekiwi

oh and please, don't ask or spam this guide. i don't want it to grow as big as the old one.

i also attached the replacer app in case the replacer website goes down again.

enjoy! happy patching :D

****UPDATE****

all mirrors are down, i put up the files i still had here: http://insanekiwi.is-pimp.com/thumbnails.php?album=11

if you got more files or can host additionally, message me.

Replacer_2.57.zip

Replacer_old_2.37.zip

Edited August 19, 2005 by insanekiwi

[McLaren_F1]

Nice update guide insanekiwi :)

[Larney]

Nice update guide insanekiwi :)

585821748[/snapback]

oh and please, don't ask or spam this guide. i don't want it to grow as big as the old one.

WE KNOW THIS GUIDE ROCKS, NOW ONLY POST FOR HELP, K, THX, BYE

[PeRKoniX]

Is there a tool around that does kind of the same thing as style xp? just a app that cracks the memory somehow to enable themes. I wanna use it for school. Because if we reboot there al system files are returned to normal., so uxtheme patch wont do any good. And style xp is to big and take to much effort to install... Just need a simple app.

Sorry if its a wrong question in this thread...

[YBG]

You're going to have to restart anyway no matter the app I think..

[insanekiwi]

@PeRKoniX: just disable windows file protection: http://www.google.de/search?q=disable+wind...:De-DE:official

[bl00dy.1]

im not seeing my windows version... closest one i see is in XP/SP2 Alpha whichi is 5.1.2600.1154... heres a SS of my windows version. Am i just missing sumthing?

[insanekiwi]

shane: have you tried using the neowin uxtheme patcher? it should determine which version you have and patch the file automatically.

it looks like sp2 rtm + sp3 hotfixes = gdr. i might be wrong tho.

[Larney]

shane: have you tried using the neowin uxtheme patcher? it should determine which version you have and patch the file automatically.

it looks like sp2 rtm + sp3 hotfixes = gdr. i might be wrong tho.

585831091[/snapback]

Your correct. A new KB by Microsoft makes your version look strange like that. Nothing to worry about I'll talk to Rafael about putting that on his site as well.

[vincent]

STYLE XP OWNZ J0O NOOBS i love spyware from themexp.org

</troll>

:p

no seriously, thank you Kiwi, Goatwash and whomever else

[Nelsinho]

thanks again Kiwi :)

[tenchi71]

Some problems with XPPro x64 RTM from MSDN here....

I've tried all the patchers, tried to manually patch using both the newest and an older version of replacer, but nothing is working.

Replacer gives me a copy file failed error.

The patcher just asks me to reboot, and after a full reboot, I still cannot use any themes.

Pretty frustrating. Anyone noticed this with XP x64 and actually got it working? I saw a couple of people posting about this same exact issue, but no fixes, just that replacer should work. But it obviously isn't for everyone. :(

Thanks...

[BeeJAyP]

I was able to replace it in x64 by renaming the old uxtheme.dll, then copying it over, then cancelling file protection,

[SadJoker]

Nice guide, kiwi. (Y)

[Mpower]

Can somebody give m another Link to a UXtheme cuz i think its offline i cant download it :(

[gracefool]

im not seeing my windows version... closest one i see is in XP/SP2 Alpha whichi is 5.1.2600.1154... heres a SS of my windows version. Am i just missing sumthing?

Your correct. A new KB by Microsoft makes your version look strange like that. Nothing to worry about I'll talk to Rafael about putting that on his site as well.

I have the same version - So there is no appropriate version at Rafael's site? Can someone post here when there is? Thanks.

[insanekiwi]

@Mpower/gracefool: looks like windowsxs' site is down atm. i'll tell him to fix this stuff. you two may just try to use this http://www.windowsx.cc/download/nw_uxpatcher.zip then.

[Kocho]

Yep, I get exactly the same thing.

64bit Computer

SP2

And that patcher is the original one, that doesnt work.

[Trickless]

ack i have the same version as Shane: [Version 5.1 (build 2600.xpsp_sp2_gdr.050301-1519)].

not sure which file to get so tried to use the patcher, but then i get...

:-/

[Kocho]

Any news?

[Konnekted]

I have some difficulties with patching uxtheme.dll. There are no .dll files for my OS at http://67.20.160.236:8080/repository/?path=Patches/Uxtheme/ nor patcher (UXTheme Multi-Patcher (Neowin Edition) 4.0) makes it work. I followed guides from every single FAQ here and still system hangs when it runs services during start (when login screen shows). Any ideas?

Thanks for help.

--Konnekted

[Machnicki]

I am having the same problem as Trickless. Help would be greatly appreciated.

[Richard W]

I can't download the UXtheme file because it doesn't seem to exisit for my version:

See attatched.

[Kocho]

Any updates?

[insanekiwi]

i haven't talked to neither larney nor rafael lately. and i don't have the time atm to work on this project. you might wanna contact uxtheme rafael aka vortex.