Do You Use Microsoft Themes on Windows 7?

I'm curious as to how many people download and use the theme packs for Windows 7.

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/downloads/personalize/themes

I download them for some of the great wallpapers they have, but pay no attention to anything else as it really doesn't change much as far as the actual UI goes.

 

8,244 views 26 replies
Reply #1 Top

I download them for some of the great wallpapers they have, but pay no attention to anything else as it really doesn't change much as far as the actual UI goes.
End of quote

 

Yep, for the wallpapers! :thumbsup:

Reply #2 Top

No, I rely completely on my collegues,  The WinCustomize Community  :star:

Reply #3 Top

Never used them....;)

Reply #4 Top

Never saw them before...but I'd use the walls. :grin:

Reply #5 Top

Yes I do then, make my own themes with them, I have 33 off theme now

 

Reply #6 Top

Sometimes only wallpapers. For a quick change only and then usually go back to backgrounds made by people here.

Reply #7 Top

I don't think the Themes are equal to what WindowBlinds can do but sometimes you run across wallpapers that make you pause and take in the scene.  Majority of my wallpapers are from WC but some are from other places.  :sun:

Reply #8 Top

I use the walls and sounds from them. (Angry Birds is my favorite) WindowBlinds does the rest. :thumbsup:

Reply #9 Top

There are a couple of them that say RSS. If you plug them in and use them a while (hour) you get about 100 choices for wallpaper. One says "BING" on everything, the other not. Move them from the appsdata directory they are downloaded to and you have wonderful choices. I sort them into directories to use with the rotating wallpaper feature of DesktopX  DeskScapes (or use the built-in one for Win 7)

Reply #10 Top

I've downloaded them for the wallpapers. In fact, I'm using one of the wallpapers now because it looks awesome with what I'm working on.

Reply #11 Top

No. Don't use them. Do like the walls tho.

Reply #12 Top

Sorry, but in my opinion these are not themes, they are merely Aero recolored. A true theme is something that is built from the ground up, not merely a recolor with different wallpapers.

Reply #13 Top

One of the first articles I did was how extract the walls from them with zip-7... 

Reply #14 Top

Quoting LightStar, reply 12
Sorry, but in my opinion these are not themes, they are merely Aero recolored. A true theme is something that is built from the ground up, not merely a recolor with different wallpapers.
End of LightStar's quote
Hell yeah you nailed that one Tom ! :star: :star: :star:

Reply #15 Top

Quoting DrJBHL, reply 13
One of the first articles I did was how extract the walls from them with zip-7... 
End of DrJBHL's quote

But I can't seem to download them without their applying themselves....so I don't bother.. Too much hassle.

Reply #16 Top

Quoting RedneckDude, reply 15
Quoting DrJBHL, reply 13One of the first articles I did was how extract the walls from them with zip-7... 

But I can't seem to download them without their applying themselves....so I don't bother. Too much hassle.
End of RedneckDude's quote

Go to the MS themes page.  Link

R-click on the Dowload link and select Save target as.

Use 7zip and extract the themepack, get the folder called DesktopBackground.

Have a nice day. :sun:

 

 

Thanks to Doc for the 7-zip tip.

Reply #17 Top

Quoting RedneckDude, reply 15

But I can't seem to download them without their applying themselves....so I don't bother. Too much hassle.
End of RedneckDude's quote

"Right click -> save link as" is too much work, ay?

Trade your PC in for an etch-a-skecth...

Reply #18 Top

Quoting Wizard1956, reply 16

Use 7zip and extract the themepack, get the folder called DesktopBackground.
End of Wizard1956's quote

Why use 7zip?

Rename the downloaded file to .zip (unless it's a .theme file - not an archive) and open with Windows Exploder.
Much easier.

Reply #20 Top

Quoting Snowman, reply 18

Quoting Wizard1956, reply 16
Use 7zip and extract the themepack, get the folder called DesktopBackground.

Why use 7zip?

Rename the downloaded file to .zip (unless it's a .theme file - not an archive) and open with Windows Exploder.
Much easier.
End of Snowman's quote

Use 7-zip otherwise, opening the downloaded folder will install the theme, which you might not be interested in having.

http://drjbhl.joeuser.com/article/403446/Part_II_How_To_Extract_a_Wallpaper_From_A_Windows_7_Themepack

7 zip relates to the .theme as a zip, while renaming doesn't work... the file becomes inaccessible/unopenable.

Reply #21 Top

Quoting DrJBHL, reply 20

7 zip relates to the .theme as a zip, while renaming doesn't work...
End of DrJBHL's quote

Sorry to burst your bubble, but if I can do it, so can anyone else.

But hey... What do I care.

 

Reply #22 Top

It works with iZarc. Just saying.

Reply #23 Top

Island Dog i have one word for you "vikitech" ,you want walls there's more there than you have hdd space ;P ,to get at the walls as they're in some kind of .exe that loads the theme just use a zip extraction program,it's the same as tooth extraction without anesthetic but less painful ,i use the walls on my comp as well as on my original xbox,modded of coarse happy hunting :grin:

 

http://www.vikitech.com/windows-7-themes

 

edit: once link is clicked stay on the page there's a few themes that are in slide show mode,obviously they look even better coupled with a blind

 

 

 

Reply #24 Top

I've downloaded some purely for the wallpapers, but the rest is irrelevant with Stardock software in use

Reply #25 Top

I use them quite abit for the wallpapers, they are pretty much the only ones i use these days, other than Deskscapes animated ones.  But yes, they dont do much for the UI skinning thing, window blinds is so much better at that. 

I have found that some of the themes do include sound theme packs too, which are cool.  Wish there was more sounds available for people to make sound schemes with.  Hey now thats an idea ! :) how about a gallery on wincustomize of just sounds files we can download and make our own sound schemes with sound packager.

cheers

GigaByte69