• Home
 · 
• Windows API Call/Explanation
 · 
• Create your own Windows XP Shell Theme(7 of the 5 globe ratings)

Create your own Windows XP Shell Theme(7 of the 5 globe ratings)

Tired of Just the Default(Blue), Silver, and Olive Green themes? Do you want to find a way past what MicroSoft claims to say that you cannot create your own Visual Style? This Article Explains it all.

Rate Create your own Windows XP Shell Theme(7 of the 5 globe ratings)

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5

(10(10 Vote))

A Tutorial on Windows Visual 
Theme Creation
Please Note that I cannot guarentee this will work 
with all Resource Editors. I am working on a new way around this, and Visual 
Basic Might Help! I will try to get all the resources out and add them here 
later for you to use. It Takes a long time to get these resources out of the 
Files, but when I do, you might be able to make the files in Visual Basic. I do 
not know where to get Resource Hacker, so if anyone has it please post a link at 
the bottom.
Required:
*Visual C++ or other utility that can update 
resources (This will help you make the new look)
*Windows XP (Who would have thought)
*An artistic ability (Just to create the new 
pics)
*A lot of Time on their hands (I mean a 
lot)
About what you will do:
What we are about to do isn't completly done by updating 
resources. It takes time and the ability to make the new start menu button, task 
bar, and other parts that give Windows XP the new look. In the 
C:\windows\resources\theme Directory, the new theme and its files are stored. 
Copy the Luna.Theme and the Luna Directory to a new place. This will be the one 
we will work with.
The Process:
1)Open your editor
2)Open the file in the luna directory called luna.msstyles for 
resources in VisC++ or in Resource Hacker.
3)You will see different things in here, but the important part 
are the bitmaps. Open one and look at it(If it says it has too many colors then 
export it and open it).
4)Change all the bitmaps to the look you want and rename the BLUE_ 
part in each one to the new name.
5)Go to the next section and look at the colors resource. This is 
the file with the folder names in the Shell folder like NormalColor and 
Homestead. 
6) The next few are self explainatory and are used for internal 
refrence. Update these using the current as an example.
7)The String Table holds the data for the fonts for Large, normal, 
and extra large sizes, and Company Info, and so on.
8)The TextFile Section is for the ones that were self 
explainatory. Themes_INI holds the display info for the display dialog.
9)Version holds the file info.
10) The ShellStyle.dll holds the pictures for the control panel 
and stuff.