Best Windows XP Theme software other than StyleXP?
 

I have Style XP, but for some reason it has some bug. Random times when I reboot my theme will be Windows Classic, instead of the theme I use when I rebooted.

So I'd like to switch and use another program. I used patch XP before I switched to Windows XP SP2, but I've read that the uxtheme.dll patch for SP2 doesn't work as well and has issues.

Just patch your uxtheme.dll file.

Why do people even bother with StyleXP or any other bullshit like that.

WindowBlinds works well.

www.wincustomize.com

Currently, I'm using something called Windows Transformation Pack, which is basically the Windows Aero Skin.

http://windowsxlive.net/

Because of the reason I said above. I read in some forums that patching it caused issues.

Anyone who has told you there are problems with patching an SP2 uxtheme.dll is a moron.

OK, I've used it on multiple SP2 computer for quite a while and have had no problems.

As well as the fact that styleXP and the patch do exactly the same thing. StyleXP just does it through memory, making you have to have a constantly running process.

I second windowblinds. There's a new crack for version 5 that actually works if you're not intending to pay for it.

And obviously a handful of computers run by the same person probably all running similar sets of programs is a great representative sample of the entire computer population.

Jesus merv, stop acting like cam.

Just Install the latest version, or reinstall the current version you have and it should fix that problem as it did for me when it started to act up. The thing that I like about StyleXp is that it uses only 1-2 mb of Ram, and WindowsBlinds usually tends to use alot more to do the same thing at the end of the day.

May I also suggest as an alternative shell replacements such as Astonshell and Litestep as they have some crazily nice themes and functionality.

But of course as Merv says you can always just patch uxtheme.dll and your good to go.

Funny thing, it actually does cause issues. Using patched uxtheme.dll's can lead to "Floating point errors" when running various installers and programs. It's not a serious problem because changing the theme back to windows classic will prevent the errors, but it definately can cause problems, regardless of what you've experienced.

Keeping that in mind, I still recommend just patching the uxtheme.dll file over any of the other options.

I've patched uxtheme.dll on MANY different computers with MANY different hardware and software configurations and have never ran into problems. This includes my own computers and school computers. I even did it on my Server 2003 box.

Don't really know what to say other than just do it.

That's because the actual patching doesn't do anything, but many themes not normally allowed by windows cause issues with some programs.

And the other thing to add is programs like StyleXP have built in program exclusion where it will not attempt to skin programs that are known to cause issues. Patching uxtheme.dll results in blanket skinning and quite a few programs don't get along with this.

That's what I was referring to. Never ran into a problem because of skinning, period. Additionally, I've had terrible experiences with skinning programs such as StyleXP and especially WindowsBlinds. One should think that a third party application taking over Windows' theme services would be shaky at best.

And patching your uxtheme.dll is doing what differently? As has already been mentioned, StyleXP does basically the same thing, but protects against themes that cause errors in programs, something a mere patch will not.

Need we get into a pissing fight here? :boxing:

Obviously, if you want less bloat on your computer, use uxtheme patcher. If you don't care, use StyleXP or windowblinds. And if you don't want to ever run into errors, don't use either :p.

But even more seriously, I recommend uxtheme because it hasn't cause me problems ( /w multiple installs/configurations/programs/computers). And dare I say that any problems that people have had with it, I would guess, would probably have been caused by either the specific skin, or by a dumbass program.

I've used that patch over a dozen times across 4 computers and many formats.

It works perfectly. There's no way in hell I'm going back to windowblinds or anything like that.

Let me explain this clearly since some people don't understand (OMFG I USE IT ALL THE TIME AND IT AWLWAYS WORKS U ARE DUMB IF IT DOESNT).

Just because it works for you doesn't mean it works for everyone. Patching uxtheme.dll can cause problems due to the unrestricted nature of its theme allowance. Period.

I'm not saying he shouldn't use it, but this argument that it doesn't cause problems because you haven't had them is ridiculous.

This is true that it "can" cause problems. I will admit that being unsigned change, it definitely "can" potentially cause problems.

Then again, windowsexplorer crashes nearly every other day so tell me which I should try to keep off my computer :biggrin:

But seriously, dude we totally understand what you are saying. But you also have to consider that StyleXP and WindowBlinds also bring there own set of problems, but you seem to dismiss these without a thought. StyleXP is a system hog no matter what way you look at it, and I have used it and had buggy problems with it.

Every program has potential of causing problems and bringing incompatabilities. But you have to see what works best for you and the stuff that you use/do with your computer. And I definitely think the OP should give uxthemepatcher a try being that it is completely free, as bug free as anything else out there, and is not a resource hog.

It is best not to refer to your experience or knowledge of isolated bugginess as the status quo or norm for something. Obviously looking at the uxtheme forum there aren't even questions or mentioning of problems. I really think you are pointing out a spec of imperfection and blowing it into proportions unneeded by the OP.

I am 100% sure that this whole argument all depends on WHAT SKINS you are trying to enable. Specific skins I'm sure can f something up good. But that is why you need to be careful using something you download off the int-r-net (imagine that).

Wow, when did I say it was the norm for it to be buggy? I've only experienced one theme out of about 50 that have caused problems, but unlike everyone else here, I'm letting DragoonKain know exactly what problems uxtheme.dll caused. It's sure a hell of a lot more helpful and honest than saying it causes no problems because it didn't for you.

That's true.

Merv Burger was just out of line and overly dramatic (as usual ;) ). It's good that Dragoon knows it is possible to have problems, but the conversation seemed to be leaning to "over-dramatazation" of uxtheme problems.

Name one theming program that doesn't cause problems. I guarantee you that the uxtheme patcher is the lightest, most bug-free way at changing your windows appearance.

It may cause problems for you, but that's the case with every other theming program at the moment.

And yes, you're right. My argument was flawed. But I was hoping that no reader would take my comments as an assignment for Logic 101. If I were searching for a program I'd be grateful to hear individual results, thus being able to determine which program will likely work best for me.

It's not lighter at all. StyleXPs service size is determined by the theme being used but it keeps the built in WinXP themes service at a constant size. Patching the uxtheme.dll causes the built in WinXP themes service to grow in size. So if you are using a 2 meg theme and the standard themes service uses 5 megs, then a system using StyleXP would have a 5 meg SVCHOST process and a 2 meg STYLEXPSERVICE process. A computer using the uxtheme.dll patch would have a 7 meg SVCHOST process.

They use the exact same overall amount of system resources.

My vote goes for the uxtheme patcher, as that's what I use. Early versions of StyleXP were horrendously buggy, and I disliked it a lot. Not sure about the new versions, but I don't feel like cracking/buying it. The uxtheme patcher is also free and you don't need a lot of knowledge to apply it. Simple and fast.

Anyway, it may not be the best, but that's what I like.

Fuck all this Windows crap. If you want a real pain in the ass then get yourself a Linux distribution and try to get all the unnecessary fancy shit working. Though oddly enough, as I say this, I've got shadow and transparency effects running and it has yet to fuck anything up for me.

Say, isn't there a version of Fluxbox/Blackbox for Windows?

You're right. I remember using windowblinds and, after disabling the themes service, flaunting the fact that I was using less memory than users running the default XP setup.

However, with 1gb+ of system memory being the norm nowadays, who's counting? For most computers, the resource difference between uxtheme, stylexp and windowblinds is negligable.

I say that uxtheme is "light" because you don't need a third-party program running in the background. Perhaps "integrated" and "natural" are better words. I don't need any extra software to manage my themes, just the usual rightclick>properties>appearances. I also dislike using any software that costs you money in the first place, and cracks add their own problems with possible bugs, etc.

Of course, windowblinds can skin more things than uxtheme, so it comes down to preference--I personally don't need a ridiculously overhauled visual experience.

On top of that, has anyone noticed that good windowblinds themes are hard to find? It seems like 99% of them are bulky and oversaturated. Good VS themes are still difficult to come by, but just not as much as how WB themes are.