How to Patch Windows Vista to Enable Custom Themes (Visual Styles)

xn--p-r-i-n-c-e · 05-08-2008, 09:14 PM

[Only registered users can see links. ]

Have you ever wondered why Windows Vista allows you to choose themes, but there's no way to add custom themes without additional software? The reason is because Windows checks the themes with a cryptographic key, so you have to patch windows to allow custom-created themes to install.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Patching windows isn't necessarily "safe" and shouldn't be attempted unless you are willing to troubleshoot problems. There's also some chance that it would void your warranty, etc etc. The point is that you might encounter problems.

First Step - Download the Patched Theme Files

This is an incredibly important step, as you don't want to rename any files in the system32 directory without having the patched versions for the right version of Vista.
You'll need to browse to the [Only registered users can see links. ] site and download the correct version for your operating system. If you are running SP1, make sure you get the correct version, whether 32-bit or 64-bit.

There are three .dll files included in this package:

themeui.dll
uxtheme.dll
shsvcs.dll

All of these files are normally located in the C:\Windows\System32 directory. Those files will need to be replaced with the patched versions in order to enable custom themes.
Once you've downloaded the files you'll need to extract them using a utility that can process .rar files, like WinRar or the [Only registered users can see links. ]. Make sure that you have extracted the files before you move on to the next step!

Second Step - Create a System Restore Point

You should create a system restore point before moving fowards, just in case there are any problems, so you can roll things back.
[Only registered users can see links. ]

Patching Files Using Take Ownership Utility

Patching these files is easiest if you use the[Only registered users can see links. ], which will help you assign ownership of these files to your user account which will allow you to rename the files.

Browse down to C:\Windows\System32\ and then put the following into the search box so you can see all the files at the same time (make sure to use capital letters for "OR")

themeui.dll OR uxtheme.dll OR shsvcs.dll

Right-click on the files and choose "Take Ownership" from the menu, and then click through all the UAC prompts.
Now you'll need to rename the files and append .old to the end of the file (either right-click and choose Rename or use the F2 key).

At this point you should have 3 files with the .old extension. Whatever you do, DO NOT RESTART your computer at this step, or you'll be using system restore.

Now we need to copy the patched files into the system32 folder. You can just type C:\windows\system32\ into the address bar, and then copy / paste or drag the patched files you downloaded into this folder.

The most important thing here is to make sure that those three files are sitting in the System32 folder. Now you should be able to restart your computer.

Patch Theme Files Using the Command Line

I recommend using the take ownership script above, rather than this method, but for completeness I'll explain it as well.

First you'll need to open a command prompt in Administrator mode by right-clicking the command prompt and choosing Run as Administrator, and then run these commands to take ownership of the files, and then grant access to the administrators group:

takeown /f c:\windows\system32\themeui.dll

takeown /f c:\windows\system32\uxtheme.dll

takeown /f c:\windows\system32\shsvcs.dll

icacls c:\windows\system32\themeui.dll /grant administrators:F

icacls c:\windows\system32\uxtheme.dll /grant administrators:F

icacls c:\windows\system32\shsvcs.dll /grant administrators:F

Note: Whatever you do, don't try and run takeown *.*, because taking ownership of every single file in the windows directory is going to cause all sorts of problems.

Now that you have taken ownership of the files, you can rename the files to *.old by running these commands:

ren c:\windows\system32\themeui.dll c:\windows\system32\themeui.dll.old

ren c:\windows\system32\uxtheme.dll c:\windows\system32\uxtheme.dll.old

ren c:\windows\system32\shsvcs.dll c:\windows\system32\shsvcs.dll.old

Note: at this point you should be very careful to NOT RESTART your computer, because if you do so things will break.

Now you can copy the files that you downloaded and extracted into the system32 directory by running a command similar to this one (adjusting for wherever you extracted them to)

copy c:\users\geek\downloadedfileshere\* c:\windows\system32\

At this point you can now restart your computer.

xn--p-r-i-n-c-e · 05-08-2008, 09:17 PM

How to Un-Patch Your System

If you want to reverse the process, you can simply remove the .dll files that you copied, and then rename the .old files back to .dll.

What To Do if You Have Problems

If you are having any problems, you should unpatch the system first, or can run [Only registered users can see links. ] to put the system back to normal. If you are still having problems, [Only registered users can see links. ] and ask your question there.

Where to Find Custom Visual Styles

If you want to download the custom theme from the first screenshot above, it's called Ways of Light and can be [Only registered users can see links. ].
One of the best places to find custom visual styles is deviantART:
[Only registered users can see links. ]

NEXTLevel

This is one of my favorite themes:

[Only registered users can see links. ].

How to Install a Custom Visual Style

When you download and extract a custom Visual Style, you'll need to copy them into the C:\Windows\Resources\Themes directory, usually into a new folder:

You'll want to make sure that the folder contains the visual style file within it, and not within a subdirectory of the theme folder:

Note: Some visual styles are structured incorrectly and will have problems. Read [Only registered users can see links. ] for more information.
Now that you've patched Windows and installed the theme, you need to open the Classic appearance dialog by right-clicking on the Desktop, choosing Personalize, then Window Color and Appearance. Then you can click the link at the bottom to open the classic appearance properties dialog:

Now you can choose the theme in the list. Note that some themes are based off the Window Aero theme and will show the same name, so if one is selected then just choose the other one. You'll need to have Aero available in order to use a theme based on Aero, of course.

At this point you should be able to see your new custom themes. Enjoy!

05-08-2008, 09:14 PM	#1 (permalink)
xn--p-r-i-n-c-e ––––•(-•þ®ÎÑ¢€•-)•–––– Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: ♥ ♥ ♥ In My Prince$$ HeArT ♥ ♥ ♥ Posts: 7,413 Thanks: 87 Thanked 2,266 Times in 1,391 Posts Reputation: 53643	How to Patch Windows Vista to Enable Custom Themes (Visual Styles) [Only registered users can see links. ] Have you ever wondered why Windows Vista allows you to choose themes, but there's no way to add custom themes without additional software? The reason is because Windows checks the themes with a cryptographic key, so you have to patch windows to allow custom-created themes to install. IMPORTANT NOTE: Patching windows isn't necessarily "safe" and shouldn't be attempted unless you are willing to troubleshoot problems. There's also some chance that it would void your warranty, etc etc. The point is that you might encounter problems. *First Step - Download the Patched Theme Files* *This is an incredibly important step, as you don't want to rename any files in the system32 directory without having the patched versions for the right version of Vista.* *You'll need to browse to the* [Only registered users can see links. ] *site and download the correct version for your operating system. If you are running SP1, make sure you get the correct version, whether 32-bit or 64-bit.* There are three .dll files included in this package: themeui.dll uxtheme.dll shsvcs.dll All of these files are normally located in the C:\Windows\System32 directory. Those files will need to be replaced with the patched versions in order to enable custom themes. Once you've downloaded the files you'll need to extract them using a utility that can process .rar files, like WinRar or the [Only registered users can see links. ]. Make sure that you have extracted the files before you move on to the next step! Second Step - Create a System Restore Point You should create a system restore point before moving fowards, just in case there are any problems, so you can roll things back. [Only registered users can see links. ] Patching Files Using Take Ownership Utility Patching these files is easiest if you use the[Only registered users can see links. ], which will help you assign ownership of these files to your user account which will allow you to rename the files. Browse down to C:\Windows\System32\ and then put the following into the search box so you can see all the files at the same time (make sure to use capital letters for "OR") themeui.dll OR uxtheme.dll OR shsvcs.dll Right-click on the files and choose "Take Ownership" from the menu, and then click through all the UAC prompts. Now you'll need to rename the files and append .old to the end of the file (either right-click and choose Rename or use the F2 key). At this point you should have 3 files with the .old extension. Whatever you do, DO NOT RESTART your computer at this step, or you'll be using system restore. Now we need to copy the patched files into the system32 folder. You can just type C:\windows\system32\ into the address bar, and then copy / paste or drag the patched files you downloaded into this folder. The most important thing here is to make sure that those three files are sitting in the System32 folder. Now you should be able to restart your computer. Patch Theme Files Using the Command Line I recommend using the take ownership script above, rather than this method, but for completeness I'll explain it as well. First you'll need to open a command prompt in Administrator mode by right-clicking the command prompt and choosing Run as Administrator, and then run these commands to take ownership of the files, and then grant access to the administrators group: takeown /f c:\windows\system32\themeui.dll takeown /f c:\windows\system32\uxtheme.dll takeown /f c:\windows\system32\shsvcs.dll icacls c:\windows\system32\themeui.dll /grant administrators:F icacls c:\windows\system32\uxtheme.dll /grant administrators:F icacls c:\windows\system32\shsvcs.dll /grant administrators:F *Note: Whatever you do, don't try and run takeown ., because taking ownership of every single file in the windows directory is going to cause all sorts of problems.* *Now that you have taken ownership of the files, you can rename the files to .old by running these commands: ren c:\windows\system32\themeui.dll c:\windows\system32\themeui.dll.old ren c:\windows\system32\uxtheme.dll c:\windows\system32\uxtheme.dll.old ren c:\windows\system32\shsvcs.dll c:\windows\system32\shsvcs.dll.old Note: at this point you should be very careful to NOT RESTART your computer, because if you do so things will break. Now you can copy the files that you downloaded and extracted into the system32 directory by running a command similar to this one (adjusting for wherever you extracted them to)** copy c:\users\geek\downloadedfileshere\* c:\windows\system32\ At this point you can now restart your computer.

05-08-2008, 09:17 PM	#2 (permalink)
xn--p-r-i-n-c-e ––––•(-•þ®ÎÑ¢€•-)•–––– Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: ♥ ♥ ♥ In My Prince$$ HeArT ♥ ♥ ♥ Posts: 7,413 Thanks: 87 Thanked 2,266 Times in 1,391 Posts Reputation: 53643	Re: How to Patch Windows Vista to Enable Custom Themes (Visual Styles) How to Un-Patch Your System If you want to reverse the process, you can simply remove the .dll files that you copied, and then rename the .old files back to .dll. What To Do if You Have Problems If you are having any problems, you should unpatch the system first, or can run [Only registered users can see links. ] to put the system back to normal. If you are still having problems, [Only registered users can see links. ] and ask your question there. Where to Find Custom Visual Styles If you want to download the custom theme from the first screenshot above, it's called Ways of Light and can be [Only registered users can see links. ]. One of the best places to find custom visual styles is deviantART: [Only registered users can see links. ] NEXTLevel This is one of my favorite themes: [Only registered users can see links. ]. How to Install a Custom Visual Style When you download and extract a custom Visual Style, you'll need to copy them into the C:\Windows\Resources\Themes directory, usually into a new folder: You'll want to make sure that the folder contains the visual style file within it, and not within a subdirectory of the theme folder: Note: Some visual styles are structured incorrectly and will have problems. Read [Only registered users can see links. ] for more information. Now that you've patched Windows and installed the theme, you need to open the Classic appearance dialog by right-clicking on the Desktop, choosing Personalize, then Window Color and Appearance. Then you can click the link at the bottom to open the classic appearance properties dialog: Now you can choose the theme in the list. Note that some themes are based off the Window Aero theme and will show the same name, so if one is selected then just choose the other one. You'll need to have Aero available in order to use a theme based on Aero, of course. At this point you should be able to see your new custom themes. Enjoy!

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