style xp vs. windowsblinds

[Applejuice]

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

[Guest bartekpl]

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. :D

[Neon_Wizard]

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.

[porky]

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! :yes:

[A.K.R.]

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:

[+unabatedshagie Subscriber¹]

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.

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

[YBG]

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.