StyleXP is a

computer program A computer program is a sequence or set of instructions in a programming language for a computer to execute. Computer programs are one component of software, which also includes documentation and other intangible components. A computer program ...

designed to modify the graphical user interface of

Windows XP Windows XP is a major release of Microsoft's Windows NT operating system. It was released to manufacturing on August 24, 2001, and later to retail on October 25, 2001. It is a direct upgrade to its predecessors, Windows 2000 for high-end and ...

. As of version 3.19 features include modifying themes, explorer bar, backgrounds, logon screens, icons, boot screens, transparency, cursors and screensavers.

History

Created by TGTSoft, StyleXP is an alternative to other skinning programs such as

Stardock Stardock Corporation is a software development company founded in 1991 and incorporated in 1993 as Stardock Systems. Stardock initially developed for the OS/2 platform, but was forced to switch to Microsoft Windows due to the collapse of the OS/ ...

WindowBlinds WindowBlinds is a computer program that allows users to skin the Windows graphical user interface. It has been developed by Stardock since 1998, and is the most popular component of their flagship software suite, Object Desktop. It is also avail ...

and

Object Desktop Object Desktop (OD; previously the Object Desktop Network or ODNT) is an online software subscription service created by Stardock for OS/2 and relaunched for Windows in 1997. Object Desktop includes most graphical user interface customization and ...

How it works

StyleXP works by patching a DLL file named uxtheme.dll. Uxtheme.dll by default prevents users from installing themes that are not digitally signed by

Microsoft Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology corporation producing computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services headquartered at the Microsoft Redmond campus located in Redmond, Washing ...

. By patching this DLL, StyleXP can install themes that are not digitally signed. Earlier versions of the program patched the uxtheme.dll file on disk, while newer ones do so in

memory Memory is the faculty of the mind by which data or information is encoded, stored, and retrieved when needed. It is the retention of information over time for the purpose of influencing future action. If past events could not be remembered, ...

Popularity

The program's popularity has risen in the several years past Windows XP's release, with several sites opening up that provide free skins to the public. These skins have also become more popular after free uxtheme.dll patchers were released.

Visual Style Creation and Editing

The most popular method of creating or editing visual styles was through TGTSoft’s StyleBuilder application. This program provided a user friendly interface to import, edit, or create new visual styles to suit your needs. Image editors can be assigned to edit or replace bitmaps or png files that are contained within a theme’s *.msstyle file. Later versions of the application have added functionality to allow editing of the shellstyle.dll file which skins the popular tasks sections seen on the left side of explorer windows, as well as some control panel applets. Pretty much any element of the visual style can be edited. You can change the look of anything from the

taskbar A taskbar is an element of a graphical user interface which has various purposes. It typically shows which programs are currently running. The specific design and layout of the taskbar varies between individual operating systems, but generally a ...

, title bars,

start menu The Start menu is a graphical user interface element used in Microsoft Windows since Windows 95 and in other operating systems. It provides a central launching point for computer programs and performing other tasks in the Windows shell. It is name ...

, progress bars, or control widgets. The sizes of elements can be changed as well. A few of the most popular examples would include thinner taskbars or compact start menus. StyleBuilder also allows editing of theme colors (such as the background color for dialog boxes and standard menus). Of course there are some limitations to visual style edits, since the theme must work within the guidelines of the Windows XP style engine. However, with some experimentation there are options that can be added or edited which may give more control over how an element is skinned.

Windows Vista compatibility

Uninstalling StyleXP from a machine that has been upgraded to Windows Vista will cause most system icons to become corrupt. The solution is to delete the registry key: ''HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Current Version\Explorer\Shell Icons'' The

uninstaller An uninstaller, also called a deinstaller, is a variety of utility software designed to remove other software or parts of it from a computer. It is the opposite of an installer. Uninstallers are useful primarily when software components are install ...

blanks out the values, rather than deleting them. A clean install of Vista doesn't have the "Shell Icons" folder.Vista Discussion Forum
/ref> StyleXP is not compatible with later versions of Windows, but there are alternatives similar in terms of operation. These are commonly referred to as "uxtheme patchers" despite later Windows versions requiring patches to different files.

References

Utilities for Windows Windows-only software Graphical user interfaces