Another cool utility can be found in the way of Rainmeter, which can display all sorts of gadgets and widgets on your desktop. DeviantArt is also an excellent resource for user-submitted wallpapers, as is interfaceLift. You're probably going to want a new desktop wallpaper to go with your new, shiny theme. It's always best to call it something other than explorer.exe so as to retain the original file. If you ever want to go back to the original Windows 7 theme, simply repeat this part of the tutorial, clicking on explorer.exe rather than the modified version. Click OK to see the Windows orb change to the new theme's sleek, black version. Find explorer2.exe, click on it and click Open. Click on Browse and navigate to your Windows folder. In the Windows Task Manager window, click on the Processes tab, find explorer.exe in the list, right-click on it and click End Process twice.ģ. Click Start, type 'task' into the search bar then click 'View running processes with task manager'.Ģ. Kill explorer.exe and then run explorer2.exeġ. Rename explorer.exe to explorer2.exe and click OK. Find the entry in the right hand pane called 'Shell' and right-click on it. On the left hand side of the folders listed in the left hand pane, click on the small arrow to the left of HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, then the one next to SOFTWARE, then Microsoft, then Windows NT, finally clicking on the WinLogon folder itself. Type 'regedit' into the search box and press enter. Editing the registryģ. This is trickiest and most dangerous part of the tutorial, so it's important to have created a system restore point and to follow the next instructions closely. Click on Start.
The full path is Start > Computer > C: > Windows. Copy explorer2.exe and paste it into your Windows folder. Right click explorer.exe and rename it to explorer2.exe.Ģ. If you're running 64-bit Windows, double click on 圆4. If you're running 32-bit Windows, double click on x86. Navigate to the resources folder that we found earlier.
Our next step is to get rid of that pesky Windows Start orb.ġ. Double click 'clsSharp.theme' and hey presto - you're now sporting a slimmer, sexier interface. The full path is Start > Computer > C: > Windows > Resources > Themes.ģ. The two files you need to copy to your Themes folder will share the same name. Head over to this page and download the ClearScreen Sharp theme. Click on the 'patch files' button and then click 'reboot'.Your machine will now, unsurprisingly, reboot.Ģ. Click on the computer picture shown here on the right.
Download it from here, install and open it. It's free and, despite its name, runs perfectly fine on Windows 7. VistaGlazz is the program used to apply pretty themes.
Print off this webpage that tells you how to use a Windows CD to go back to the restore point that you created.ĭownload VistaGlazz and copy the theme filesġ.
Go to this page and learn how to create a restore point before doing it.Ģ.
We're going to be making delicate changes to your computer's registry performing actions that, should you slip up, will mean that you'll have to use a Windows 7 CD and system restore to get your PC up and running again.ġ. It's highly reccomended that you create a restore point before following this guide. Simply click through the numerical links above this article to browse through them. If, for some crazy reason, you don't like the Clearscreen Sharp theme, we've suggested no less than nine others for you to try out. We're not, though, so we'll just show you how to install it instead. If we were the bosses at Microsoft we'd set it as the default theme of Windows 8.
It's even on par with Mac OS X Lion's default offering.
This guide is going to take you through installing the ClearScreen Sharp theme as, simply put, it's the cleanest, sharpest (hence the name), most visually appetising theme out there. The best place to find them is DeviantArt - a site with a thriving community of talented developers that contains hundreds of free downloadable themes. There are even themes out there to make your PC look like a Mac. Look behind the curtain, though, and you'll discover myriad user-created themes that can visually elevate your desktop to another level. Sure, Windows 7, with its Aero flaunting default theme, is the best looking edition yet, but anyone who wants pure eye candy has generally gone the way of the Mac. Windows isn't known as the prettiest OS out there.