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Since its release in October 2001 to much fanfare, hundreds of millions of people have adopted Windows XP as the choice of operating system. Even with the release of its successor, Windows Vista, a lot of people still continue to use XP. Most people know how to change the desktop wallpaper and have changed it to something more personalized from the default wallpaper. But some of you still use the same bland start, taskbar and windows, and you have to agree that it’s looking a bit dated. There are programs that you can purchase such as TGTSoft’s StyleXP and Stardock’s WindowBlinds that allow you to do such. But if you’re cheap like I am, and don’t mind doing a bit of extra work, read on.

Here’s your typical desktop:

And here’s one of a thousand themes you can choose from after following the instructions:

IMPORTANT: Back up any important information before proceeding. Although I have never had an issue with a system failing to boot to Windows after doing the steps below, you can never be too careful and I don’t want to be held responsible for a lost thesis or dissertation paper.

First thing you need to do is download a program that patches the uxtheme.dll file on your Windows XP machine. There are a lot of different places offering programs to do so but for this example, I’m using the one that has worked best for me. The program is called UXTheme Multi-Patcher and can be downloaded from the link below:

http://www.windowsxlive.net/downloading-uxtheme-multi-patcher

Once you’ve downloaded the program, unzip the file using your program of choice. Once the file is unzipped, run UXTheme Multi-Patcher 6.0.exe.

Step 1: Click ‘Run’ if you are presented with the dialog box below

Step 2: Click ‘Patch’

Step 3: Review the information and click ‘OK’ if it is correct

Step 4: Sit back and wait. DO NOT click ‘OK’!!!!

Step 5: Sorry, I wasn’t able to take a screenshot but you’ll see the following words in a
dialog box.

– Windows File Protection –
Files that are required for Windows to run properly have been replaced by unrecognized versions. To maintain system stability, Windows must restore the original versions of these files.
Insert your Windows XP (Professional/Home) Service Pack (1/2/3) CD Now
Retry // More Information // Cancel

Click Cancel

Step 6:  Sorry, I wasn’t able to take a screenshot of this one as well but you’ll see the following words in a dialog box.

– Windows File Protection –
You chose not to restore the original versions of the files. This may affect Windows stability. Are you sure you want to keep these unrecognized file versions?
Yes // No

Click ‘Yes’

Step 7: Now you can click ‘OK’ to the dialog box pictured in Step 4.

Step 8: Click ‘OK’ to restart

Now that you’ve patched the file, you’ll need to find some new styles for your system. You’re looking for files called msstyles. You can find them by ‘google-ing’ the words ‘download msstyles XP’. Here are a few of the sites I like to download msstyles from:

Studio Twenty Eight - http://www.studiotwentyeight.net
deviantART - http://browse.deviantart.com/customization/skins/windows/?order=5
Skinbase - http://www.skinbase.org/Skins/msstyles/135

*Be careful of is that you are downloading msstyles for XP and not Vista.

Once you’ve completed downloading the files, it’s extremely important that you follow the steps below to get Windows to properly detect the new styles.

Step 1: Double click the file and unless you have another program associated with zip files (in which go to step 3), you should see the following Window. Click ‘Extract all Files’ in the left hand column.

Step 2: Click ‘Next’

Step 3: Make sure to extract the files to C:\WINDOWS\Resources\Themes and click ‘Next’. It’s extremely important to extract files to this folder or they will not become selectable.

Step 4: Uncheck ‘Show extracted files’ and click ‘Next’

Step 5: Click ‘start’ and then ‘Control Panel’. From the ‘Control Panel’, click ‘Display’ and select the ‘Appearance’ tab. You’ll notice on top of the original ‘Windows Classic style’ and ‘Windows XP Style’, you’ll have the msstyles that you extracted. In this example, I have extracted Aquanox, gfxOasis, and MaxiM. Choose the theme you extracted and click ‘OK’.

And hopefully you’ll reap the rewards of your hard work and have a new, fresh looking desktop like the one pictured at the start of the article.

Come back in a week or two for Part 2 of DIY - Free Windows XP Facelift, where I will provide you with a couple freeware utilities that will add some new flash to your Windows.