Windows Blinds Alternative?

[Kreuger]

is there an alternative to windows blinds that will support it's themes? or is there anyway to uninstall it and keep the theme it gave you because frankly i dont want it anymore if i can just have the theme i use but if i cant i want a smaller program to do it for me instead of the 40 something mb of windows blinds

[mr_scruff]

40mb of ram using windowblinds?? doesn't sound right. mine uses less than 1mb. The latest versions use less memory than the 'theme' services used by default in windows xp. (You can disable the theme service itself in services.msc and save 25mb of ram).

[Autumnmist]

40mb of ram using windowblinds?? doesn't sound right. mine uses less than 1mb.  The latest versions use less memory than the 'theme' services used by default in windows xp. (You can disable the theme service itself in services.msc and save 25mb of ram).

585320865[/snapback]

Ditto. 40MB of RAM is definitely wayyy out there unless you're running WB 3.x or something!! They are currently betaing 4.4 and 4.3 is the one you can download.

Mine uses 1.36MB right now with a fancy theme; usually it's ~840K.

As mr_scruff said, the Microsoft themes service uses 25MB by default.

And nothing can read Windowblinds themes because Windowblinds has capabilities that msstyles simply can't (change alignment of buttons, give buttons extra functions, different window shapes, etc.). That's why Microsoft itself has licensed Windowblinds to use when they made their XBox and Age of Mythology themes.

Anyway, you should be posting about Windowblinds in the Windowblinds forum. Not in msstyles.

[c4nad14n]

i think he means its 40 megs installed maybe? either way, 40 megs is cheap. and again, to reiterate, nothing can read wb except wb.

[#Michael]

Ditto.  40MB of RAM is definitely wayyy out there unless you're running WB 3.x or something!!  They are currently betaing 4.4 and 4.3 is the one you can download.

Mine uses 1.36MB right now with a fancy theme; usually it's ~840K.

As mr_scruff said, the Microsoft themes service uses 25MB by default.

And nothing can read Windowblinds themes because Windowblinds has capabilities that msstyles simply can't (change alignment of buttons, give buttons extra functions, different window shapes, etc.).  That's why Microsoft itself has licensed Windowblinds to use when they made their XBox and Age of Mythology themes.

Anyway, you should be posting about Windowblinds in the Windowblinds forum.  Not in msstyles.

585321243[/snapback]

Actually 4.5 is in beta and about to be released in about a week or so. The new version will bring per pixel alpha transparency to menus, windows, dialog boxes, etc....something that native msstyles cannot do. Most WB themes uses under 1mb at anyone time but that depends on how graphic heavy the theme is.

I suggest using stardock central and downloading the newest version of WB and giving it another try. You may like it. If not, then you always have msstyles to go back to. But the WB format, .wba , is a proprietary format and cannot be used by another program.

[wilbertnl]

Many WindowBlinds themes are also available as native XP Visual Style.

To activate these styles, I suggest Starskin

Start collecting free Visual Styles at Belchfire, Lightstar and DeviantArt

Starskin uses less than 9MB ram.

Enjoy!

[KoL Veteran]

40mb of ram using windowblinds?? doesn't sound right. mine uses less than 1mb.  The latest versions use less memory than the 'theme' services used by default in windows xp. (You can disable the theme service itself in services.msc and save 25mb of ram).

585320865[/snapback]

I think you are worng

theme service doesnt use 25 MB of Ram

[#Michael]

Many WindowBlinds themes are also available as native XP Visual Style.

To activate these styles, I suggest Starskin

Start collecting free Visual Styles at Belchfire, Lightstar and DeviantArt

Starskin uses less than 9MB ram.

Enjoy!

585321663[/snapback]

Actually very few WB skins can be found as msstyles. Only a select few have been port over.

[insanekiwi]

Many WindowBlinds themes are also available as native XP Visual Style.

To activate these styles, I suggest Starskin

Start collecting free Visual Styles at Belchfire, Lightstar and DeviantArt

Starskin uses less than 9MB ram.

Enjoy!

585321663[/snapback]

cool. gonna give starskin a try.

oh and also welcome to neowin :fun:

[Autumnmist]

Actually 4.5 is in beta and about to be released in about a week or so.  The new version will bring per pixel alpha transparency to menus, windows, dialog boxes, etc....something that native msstyles cannot do.  Most WB themes uses under 1mb at anyone time but that depends on how graphic heavy the theme is.

585321607[/snapback]

Whoops! Yes I stand corrected. They've been updating so quickly I've completely lost track.

[Yehuda]

buy yourself a bigger hard drive!

[spyglass]

40mb of ram using windowblinds?? doesn't sound right. mine uses less than 1mb.? The latest versions use less memory than the 'theme' services used by default in windows xp. (You can disable the theme service itself in services.msc and save 25mb of ram).

585320865[/snapback]

I think you are worng

theme service doesnt use 25 MB of Ram

585321673[/snapback]

____________________________________________________

http://www.blackviper.com

Has themes using between 4 and 12 mb ram...

"Used to display all those new XP themes and colors on your desktop. If you are memory conscious and do not care about the "new" XP look, disable this service to save RAM. I have observed between 4 MB to 12 MB of RAM used for the new themes."

http://www.blackviper.com/WinXP/service411.htm

By the way...this room is for posting completed themes not questions...

[Pink Floyd Veteran]

sorry but I need proof that ms style service used 25mb of ram

and 40mb for windowsblind seems high a bit

[Inplode]

40 megs of ram is WAY to High

[Kreuger]

buy yourself a bigger hard drive!

585322273[/snapback]

you gonna give me the money for it? no, i didnt think so. not everyone is as financially stable as yourself.

-sorry didnt notice i was in this one

-its 40 megs installed, my ram is fine

[TCA]

when i install mine i delete the links and all that other stuff in the all programs for skin studio and bootxp etc etc and delete most of the themes that i don't want or gonna use period and it drastically reduces the size to around 10mb.

[c4nad14n]

Lain -

it doesnt delete your themes, it just hides them unless you press control and then go to desktop properties i believe.

[toadeater]

According to Taskinfo, uxtheme.dll uses ~120K of RAM when running.

[ChrisArr]

As much as I don't mind utheme/msstyles, the uxtheme.dll file even runs regardless of whether or not the service is running. How much it takes up is dependent on the number of windows open. For a reference, use one of those process explorers and disable the theme service, youll see uxtheme.dll running in each of the svchost.dlls/

[struct]

-its 40 megs installed, my ram is fine

585328471[/snapback]

you're complaining about a 40mb big program files directory? wow, that's a new one for me. you would have had a case with my first hard drive (330mb), but any hard drive bought in like the last 5 years should be plenty big enough for a 40mb directory... but maybe that's just me?

[caerma]

Starskin is like StyleXP? or is a new skin engine.

[#Michael]

Starskin is like StyleXP? or is a new skin engine.

585336493[/snapback]

Just another alternative to stylexp.

[NienorGT]

Well... maybe I'll give a new chance to WB if it goes alpha transparency.....

[#Michael]

Well... maybe I'll give a new chance to WB if it goes alpha transparency.....

585337246[/snapback]

ver 4.5 will do that and should be out soon.

[Cyranthus]

shouldnt this just be in the regular Customize XP forum? What is this doing in completed themes forum?