Windows 7 themes for Windows XP

Filed under: OS Updates, Windows, Freeware

Windows 7 themes for Windows XP

by Brad Linder Jun 18th 2008

Update: we've added a new post that includes several newer options - for both XP and Vista!

Sure, we don't actually have any real idea what Windows 7 will look like. But if you believe the screenshots floating around the web, the next version of Windows will look an awful lot like Vista. With a few new effects. And so when the folks at DeviantART decided to put together a few Windows 7 themes for Windows XP, it shouldn't come as a surprise that the themes look and feel a lot like Windows Vista.

That said, they're much prettier than the default themes available for Windows XP. Unfortunately, Microsoft doesn't make it easy to install third party themes for Windows XP. Officially you're pretty much stuck with Windows XP, Windows Classic, and a Microsoft Zune theme. So the first thing you need to do to install a third party theme is to install a program called UxTheme Patcher.

If you're running Windows XP SP2 or earlier, you can download a Windows 7 theme and UxTheme Patcher in one fell swoop at MegaLeecher. Just unzip the file and click the multi-patcher file in the UX Theme Patcher Folder and then click the Windows 7 M1 VS.msstyles file in the Windows 7 M1 VS subfolder in the Themes folder.

But the included UxTheme Patcher isn't compatible with Windows XP SP3. So if you have SP3 installed, you'll need to download and install a patcher from another location. Once you've done that and rebooted your system, you should be able to install third party themes like the Windows 7 theme. Just don't expect it to look like much other than a Windows Vista theme.

What are some of your favorite third party themes for Windows XP? Let us know in the comments.

[via Life Rocks 2.0 and Shell Extension City]

Tags: themes, uxtheme, uxtheme-patcher, windows-7, windows-7-theme, windows-xp, windows-xp-sp3

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

Rawker said 3:13PM on 6-18-2008

are the people that are into themes and such still using xp..
i thought they would all have upgraded by now.
i figured the only people still using xp are all the low end PCs

Josh said 5:00PM on 6-18-2008

Um... yeah. That's exactly why Microsoft kept extending support for XP. My old PC just died on me (surge destroyed the power supply) so my family bought a new one. Vista. I absolutely hated setting it up for them. Thankfully, I stay away from it by using my MacBook.

Inutriv said 2:38PM on 7-07-2008

Some still use XP because they don't want the various problems and issues associated with Vista. They want an OS that actually works properly - they stick with XP.

Jash Sayani said 3:16PM on 6-18-2008

I prefer Leopard themes....

Windows interface is far behind compared to Mac OS X's.

DiRT said 9:39AM on 6-19-2008

Ugh. I can't stand the look of OSX. The first thing I did was install ShapeShifter and download an XP theme.

Eggbrook said 3:27PM on 6-18-2008

First i use xp and my machine is not low end Rawker I have an Core 2 duo E6850 with 2 gigs of ram and an 8800GT. And my favorite xp theme is royal which is a media center theme which only needs to be unzipped and dragged into the resources folder in Windows

Brad Linder said 3:28PM on 6-18-2008

My understanding is that the Royal theme was abandoned by Microsoft before it was ever officially released. I would have mentioned it in the post, but Microsoft sort of pretends it doesn't exist.

hazard said 6:34AM on 6-19-2008

Royale Noir is the best Theme for WinXP. Got it from DLS article a few years back. Sure there are smicker Themes out there but can't beat Royale Noir for simplicity and no fuss config.

hazard said 6:34AM on 6-19-2008

http://www.downloadsquad.com/2006/10/30/royale-noir-lost-xp-theme-discovered/

Dagwood said 3:37PM on 6-18-2008

I use a modified version of the Zune theme. I comes with 5 or 6 extra colors, including a complete Royale Noir. I like to blue or Smokey purple.

westudi said 3:43PM on 6-18-2008

Interesting. I like the Zune theme, but wouldn't mind changing it a tad. Is there a link available for that modified Zune theme?

Dagwood said 4:06PM on 6-18-2008

I think this is where I got it. The best skin for XP I have ever seen.

Zune Final - 8 colors.

http://www.skinbase.org/rate.php?skins=38166

westudi said 6:34PM on 6-18-2008

Awesome, thanks.

Zach G said 4:20PM on 6-18-2008

Thanks for the links. I'm liking the Zune theme as well. Thanks

Quikboy said 4:21PM on 6-18-2008

Lots of those look like a mix of Vista and Windows Live. And then maybe some Aurora.

I'm not sure if they go well together, but themes are cool.

scotty said 4:59PM on 6-18-2008

"Classic" theme FTW!

I've tinkered with using various themes (both the official Microsoft and user-made ones) and in the end have come to sticking with the boring looking Classic. It's the fastest, cleanest, most subdued, stays out of your way and allows you to get your work done.

When you get right down to it, the OS itself should not be what takes center stage -- the OS should be there to effectively and efficiently put the applications front and center. Glossy themes for the OS, especially ones with 3D effects and other eye candy, detract from this goal, and take up system resources from the applications.

kingkool68 said 8:56PM on 6-18-2008

My favorite theme is Crystal DLB - http://dlb-.deviantart.com/art/Crystal-dlb-2-1-11969354

Clean, slick blue theme and it is actually more compact than the standard bar.

ep3dan said 6:36AM on 6-19-2008

how do i get the theme to stay after i restart the computer? it goes back to windows classic. thanks

Francis said 7:42AM on 6-24-2008

It never happen to me before but after SP3 it started reverting to classic theme if I use WinXP Manager to do some tweaking. This happens even when happens on a new OS installation so I am sure its something to do with SP3.

Just go to Admininstrative Tools>Services
Scroll down to Themes, right click, choose properties and change startup type to automatic

Naseer said 6:37AM on 6-19-2008

I love the Xbox Xtreme theme -
http://gametorrent.blogspot.com/2007/11/xbox-theme-xtreme-xp-20.html

| 1 | 2 | Most Recent | Next 20 Comments

Featured Time Waster

Civiballs is a beautiful, soothing physics puzzle Time Waster

I have an absolute weakness for physics games, and while Civiballs isn't the strongest physics-based game, what it lacks in the physics department it makes up for a few times over in style and fun.

In Civiballs, you are presented with a few colored balls, and your goal is to get those balls into the same-colored urn on the level. The "civi" part of Civiballs is that there are 3 sets of levels to play, each representing a different civilization. While the civilization doesn't affect gameplay, the artwork for each level is beautifully themed to it's appropriate era.

To play the game, you are given only one tool - a sword with which to cut the chains that are holding the balls. The puzzle part of the game is in figuring out what order, and with what timing to cut each chain. Do it right, and all the right balls end up in the right urns, with no stray balls entering an urn (a no-no). Do it wrong, and you get to start over again.

Civiballs is not terribly deep on gameplay; the entire game can be completed in about 15 minutes. But if you enjoy this type of game, it will be a very enjoyable 15 minutes.

View more Time Wasters