Visula styles (theme) for Win XP

Hope this is a legal question, if not please Mod's put it to the trash.
I want to give my Desktop a new touch and looking arround for a new theme. I only find themes for which u need to install a third party software like Stardock etc. Don't like that. Does anybody know a side where themes are available which can be installed after patching the uxtheme.dll?

 

Is it really illegal? Never thought so. I saw internet flooded with uxtheme.dll hack.

http://www.neowin.net/
http://www.deviantart.com/

Infact I failed to use these themes on my system. I am using now Vista Inspirat Brico Pack.

 

That's the question!

 

you can get themes from here -
http://www.neowin.net/forum/index.php?showforum=36

MS knows all about them, they only don't like themes which are rips of theirs, like kol's vista stuff.
http://www.winmatrix.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=6750

i don't know how legal it is, but with something like this i'd still do it if it wasn't legal.

 

I never really thought if it was illegal or not, Microsoft doesn't care much anyways.

This thread seems to suggest it is illegal though i personally dont care.

 

Man, I've used this myself, and trust me it rocks!

Download from here: http://www.softpedia.com/get/System/OS-Enhancements/Vista-Transformation-Pack.shtml

This software product was tested in the Softpedia labs on: 12 January 2006

Hmmmm, sometimes you ought to be selfish to yourself.

 

the Brico Pack patches the UXTheme.dll too i'm fairly sure it does anyway. it might patch even more than just the UXTheme.dll even

you can check if this is correct by downloading this -
http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/29511577/

then unpacking it, and clicking on the file to change the theme. i can't remember the name of the file, but sometimes there'sw another file which looks the same, but doesn't launch the windows theme window

EDIT i forgot, that theme uses an extracting exe, i've used it in the past without problems. but, i suppose you should scan it first

here's a winamp skin to go with it lol
http://www.customize.org/details/44309

some more winamp, or if you use linux, bmp, xmms skins -
http://www.deviantart.com/view/7982893/
http://www.customize.org/details/44309
http://www.customize.org/details/45495
http://www.customize.org/details/22835
http://www.customize.org/details/34700
http://www.customize.org/details/44163

 

Then I think Vista transformation Pack does rather more thn Brico packs.
So all this tuff is illegal?

 

maybe a grey area

MS isn't ever going to do anything about it. until they do something about it i don't see any problems.

 

Ya really grey. I agree.

 

But even they themselves are openly posting about many visual styles/themes. I can,t understand it.

 

The Brico Packs exchange in hundreds of system files the icons. I had the GANT Brico pack, and i am waiting for the new Buuf Brico Pack with the new icons of Manhattan.

The thing is that some system files get realy big.
shell32.dll 8MB -> 50 MB

 

u can get stuff from deviantart like everyone else said. window blinds is ok if you can get over the third party thing but it kinda messes wiht the computer

 

thats true. i just used google to find that page

 

there's a really cool windows theming thing which looks like the suse video in my sig called WindowFX. check out the flash video of it here -
http://www.stardock.com/products/windowfx/

 

Try this: http://www.themexp.org/

^Ale

 

They bundle adware together with their art masterpieces. I read their EULA in the installer before....

 

... but I chose only those without installer

^Ale

 

True, why go there when you can go to deviantart and get the latest and they got the biggest database. themes from themexp come from deviantart so.. what else to say.