Best Windows XP Theme software other than StyleXP?

Originally Posted by DragoonKain

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

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.

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Originally Posted by quazi

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.

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.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Originally Posted by Cetra

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.

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.

How ya doing, buddy?