Help with Sysmetrix

Bushman, a Sysmetrix skin consists of a background bmp which is overlaid with various text, bargraphs and other graphics. To remove the recycle bin from a given sysmetrix skin you will most probably have to edit the background bmp in photoshop and then edit the theme itself in sysmetrix configuration to remove the overlays. You can find out the name of the background bmp from the configuration menu.

Make backups first and good luck...

That's what I thought and that leaves me out cold. I don't know how to edit an image. I'm trying to figure things out but it's to confusing for me. I guess I'm stuck with the way the skins are until I can create my own.

dude, don't give up so easily, use this as an opportunity to learn some image editting - which you will need to do when you get round to making your own skins. I's like anything else, a bit daunting when you are completely new to it, but you slowly pick things up. If you make backups first then you have nothing to lose by experimenting.

dunno if you knew but you can find the themes/bmps in the sysmetrix installation directory - usually C:\Program files\Sysmetrix\Themes

give it a whirl m8, you might be surprised at what you can do - good luck

I appreciate your vote of confidence and I will try some more.

To get rid of any recycling bin images or anything, all you need to do is edit the configuration of the sysmetrix skin. You don't need to delete the images. For example most recycle bin files in sysmetrix are dual state images. Click that in the configuration of the skin and highlight and delete the reference for recycle bin and the image will disappear. For text references just delete any recycle bin references in the text information part of the configuration.

Realize too, that when you start deleting intergral parts of the operating system, you may be compromising its integrity. The recycle bin is an intergral part of the operating system. You can remove it from your desktop but, it will still reside in your root C: drive. If you do more, you can expect system errors and minidumps and maybe system crashes. It's similar to the problem people complained about when trying to delete Internet Explorer. It was a intergral part of the communication system. Everyone makes mistakes and not all software is completely bug free and compatible. That is why the system was created this way. Why do you think we now have system restore as well? Sometimes it is neccessary not only to restore a file(recycle bin) but also to restore the entire operating system too(system restore). I'm just saying its best to leave the system the way it was made, unless you want problems. The operating system is flexible but if you push it too much, you may cripple it. Or you can go to Linux and create your own operating system.

woah there dude!

I'm fairly sure that Bushman is only referring to sysmetrix when he talks about removing the recycle bin. He's a bit cautious when it comes to bitmap editting so let's try not to alarm him with talk of creating his own operating systems.

Thanks Tiggz. I may not know how to edit bmg but I know better than to do what ChasUGC mentioned. The recycle bin has the option of deleting things permenitlly and that's what I do. I also remove the icon from my desktop with Power Toys XP. Here is a great example of how discussions become off track and the person posting a need for help is lost. I already knew that I would have to edit the bmg but I don't know how. So instead of getting the help on how I get a lecture on how not to screw with my OS.

Bushman : How about contacting the author of the skin ? He could easily remove the bin for You.

Yea but there are too many of them plus I'd like to know how to do it myself.

Too much help and advice, I guess. I try to limit it in the future.

Ah, okay. I thought You wanted that for a specific skin.

Bushman, I explained everything in the first paragraph(to do it yourself) for editing and moving the images from sysmetrix. Then, just save the configuration using the save button. There is also a help file called sysmetrix documentation that explains the images and their relationship to the program. The file image for the recycle bin is called RecycleBin.bmp

The problem comes tho when there are references to the recycle bin in the actual bitmap background itself, which is (possibly) what is stumping Bushman, in which case the only recourse is to edit the background.

You have to explain what you mean Tiggz. I have made many sysmetrix skins and there are no references in the actual bitmap itself. The bitmap is just a image. It changes because it is set to reference the action of the recycle bin in the skin configuration. It is on and off. It is a split image. Half of it for off and the other side for on. For example, if you don't want it to change, you can just copy one side to the other. The image is split equally in size. For example if the image is 46x46 then, 23 pixels will show horizontally in the desktop image when it is off and 23 when it is on. Vertically, the image is always 46 pixels. IF you want a different image, then you must choose a image that fits the size of the area you want to place it in, and then copy it to dual panels so that it will not change when the recycle bin switches on and off. And then save it as the new Recyclebin.bmp file in that themes folder. The safe way to do this is to open the RecycleBin.bmp file in a image manipulating program, and use half of the horizontal size shown and all the vertical size. That way you will be sure it will fit in the desired skin.
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Sorry for not making myself more clear Chas - I simply meant that as well as the configurable recycle bin bmps that overlay the background bitmap some skins have references to the recycle bin "hard-coded" as it were to the background image itself. For example, you might draw a background image with various containers for all your relevant sections such as time/system resources/email/recycle bin etc etc, and you might choose to include titles for the sections in some manner drawn onto the background image itself. So, within those containers you place your configurable dual state (or whatever) images, but at a later date if someone uses sysmetrix configuration to remove those, the container title remains because it was drawn onto the background.

Hope that clears it up

Okay I get ya. And you're right if the recycle image is on the background the only way to remove it is to modify the background with a paint program.

People, People this is getting way out of hand and even more complicated (for me). I know how to edit the sysmetrix skin by changing things that I can. I do so to every skin I use. All I wanted to know (and maybe this is my fault) is there any way other than editting the bitmap to remove the recycle bin. There isn't from what I can tell. Please this is the part that makes me trip. Instead of keeping things simple and straight forward things get out of hand and the real issues are lost. I thank you for answering my questions even if it took numerious, and some what confusing. All I needed was a simple answer. Tiggz and ChasUGC yall got into the mechanics of skinning about which I have no knowledge about. KISS, Keep It Simple Stupid. I mean no one harm by that but it's how I feel about this stuff.

Look, I'll try one final time. Browse to the sysmetrix theme folder and find the theme. Then, open the main background image of the sysmetrix that you want to change. If the recycle bin image exists in that picture then you have to modify it with a paint program. If it doesn't exist there, then you can delete the image in the sysmetrix configuration. After the KISS insult though, I'm done. We only tried to help you.

I'm real sorry you took offense to the KISS thing. I wasn't trying to insult anybody it's just that after all was said and done I still wasn't (and still isn't) any closer to figureing it out. Again I apologize to anybody who took offense.
[Message Edited]

It depends on how the skin was created on how you have to get rid of it. Some people make the bin part of the background, others a dual-state or interactive button and text. If it's part of the background, all you can do is edit it out ( which you don't want to mess with). If it is a button, you can simply it from the theme, but the space for it in the background will still be there. You can either use this space for other info or...... you're back to having to edit the background to remove it.

Hope this helped a little. Editting the background is really simple though. I do it in MSPaint.