Working with Themes

Working with Themes
Themes have been a part of Windows for a very long time. Ever since Windows 95 was released, themes made it possible to save the configuration of the fonts, colors, visual style, wallpaper, mouse cursors, and even the sounds that are used. Throughout the years, not a lot has changed in the theme world. Originally, you had to have Microsoft Plus to use themes, but now, the ability to use themes is included in all of the latest Microsoft operating systems. Additionally, when themes were first developed, they did not keep track of visual styles, just because they didn’t exist. Now, the theme format has expanded to allow for the new Windows feature.


Why are themes still important to talk about even though they have been around so long?
Because they provide a unique way to save all of your computer’s visual settings as well as audio settings so that you can easily change all of them at once. You don’t have to customize each of the different elements of the windows such as the font and colors every time you use them.Themes make your life easier. These next few sections are going to show you how you can use themes and make your own so that you too can benefit from the convenience they offer. Changing the current theme When you install Windows XP, Microsoft includes two themes: Windows XP and the Windows Classic theme. By changing the themes, you can turn on and off the new Windows XP look. Also, remember that you can make your own themes, which I will get to in the next section, so that you can easily switch between your own theme sets. When you do so, after you spend time customizing the look of XP, making changes to window metrics, sounds, visual style, cursors, wallpaper and so on, they can be saved to a theme file so that you will never lose your changes. Changing the themes is actually pretty simple. It is all done through the Display Properties Control Panel applet. To change themes, follow these steps: 1. Right-click the desktop and select Properties. 2. Display Properties will then load and will be displaying the Themes tab. 3. Next, just expand the drop-down box under Theme, as shown in Figure 4-1, and select the theme that you want to use. 4. When you have selected the theme, click OK to save your changes.

Once you have hit the OK button, the new theme will be applied. This process may take a few seconds while the changes are being made. Now that you know how to change a theme, it is time to make your own.

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Removing the text below the icons

Removing the text below the icons
Icons and text always go together. Every single icon on your desktop has to have a label below it. If you have a lot of icons on your desktop, the text under the icon is very valuable. However, if you have few icons on your desktop, you can get away with just using the icons alone. Doing so will result in a much cleaner interface. Amazingly, your desktop will look much simpler and cleaner without the labels below the icons. How is it possible not to display the text? Well, it is actually just a trick. You are not really removing the text under the icons. Instead, you are replacing the name of the icon with some characters that the computer will not display. Renaming the icons would be very easy if all that was involved was clicking the name and pressing the spacebar a few times. Unfortunately, that is not the case, because Windows does not allow you to enter in a space with the spacebar. Instead, you can use the ASCII code for a space. Every character that is used in the computer is stored in the PC as a code for a character. For example, the ASCII code for an s is 0115, the ASCII code for a copyright sign is 0169, and so on. You will be interested in the ASCII code

let’s rename some files. 1. Start with the first icon that you want to rename: right-click it and select Rename. 2. Select all of the text, and erase it with the Backspace key. 3. Now, enter in the ASCII code for the space, so make sure your Numlock is on, and just press and hold the Alt key while typing in 0 1 6 0 on the numpad on the right of the keyboard. 4. When you have finished typing in 0 1 6 0, let go of the Alt key and the blank space will be inserted. 5. Then, just press Enter to save the new name. If you want to remove the text of multiple icons, then you will have a problem with the instruc- tions because each shortcut or item must still have a unique name. One easy workaround is to enter in the ASCII code as the previous directions indicate, and then add a space using the spacebar after it. The first icons will have the ASCII space code + one space, the second icon will have the ASCII space code + two spaces, and so on.

Removing the text below the icons also allows you to do some fun things with the placement of your icons. Try removing the name of several icons. Then, turn on large icons, if you have not already done so, and line them up just above the taskbar, as shown in Figure 3-5. This will give you a setup that is similar to the bar on Apple’s OS X. Although your icons won’t be animated and bounce around, you will be able to set up your interface so that it looks like the OS X setup.

Renaming the Recycle Bin
The Recycle Bin is a great feature of Windows, but it is very difficult to customize the name. Unlike other system icons on the desktop, you cannot just right-click it and select Rename. The only way to rename the Recycle Bin is to hack the Registry. This is not as simple as the method for the other icons, but you can easily get through it. To get started, let’s assume that you want to rename the Recycle Bin as Trash Compactor: 1. Click the Start button and select Run. 2. Then type regedit in the box and click OK. 3. When the Registry Editor is started, you will want to expand the HKEY_CURRENT _USER, Software, Microsoft, Windows, CurrentVersion, Explorer, CLSID, and {645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E} folders.

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Customizing Desktop Icons

Customizing Desktop Icons
The first time I started up Windows XP, I was shocked to find only theRecycle Bin icon on the desktop. Where were the rest of the icons? Did the install screw up? Microsoft is starting to transition away from the desktop that we are all used to with previous versions of Windows. With the introduction of the Start panel, the same icons on the desktop are just not needed. Now, the desktop looks much cleaner and more visually appealing because there are not 50 icons on the screen blocking your view of the wallpaper.

I have to admit, I like the clean interface, but I miss some of the icons that used to be on the desktop. Thankfully, you can do a number of different things to customize the desktop to bring back some of the old icons and also customize them so that you can preserve the clean look while restoring functionality. The next several sections will show you how you can get your desktop looking the way you want it to by taking advantage of hidden features and tricks.

Removing all icons from the desktop
No matter how hard I try, I always end up with a lot of junk on my desktop. From programs that I download and documents that I was too lazy to save elsewhere as well as new program links that seem to pop up from nowhere, there is never an end to the war that I fight with my desktop to keep it clutter-free. I like to be able to see my desktop wallpaper and not have my view of the wallpaper blocked by useless icons. One great way to win the never-ending desktop war is to just disable the desktop’s ability to show the icons and instead place the most common desktop icons, such as My Computer and the Recycle Bin, on the Quick Launch bar. Disabling the icons on the desktop is actually a very simple task. Most people never know about this feature, because it is placed where you would really never expect it. To get started, just right-click Desktop. Then expand Arrange Icons By and select Show Desktop Icons to unselect it. After a few seconds, the icons will disappear. Don’t worry, the icons and folder on your desktop were not deleted. If you ever want to turn the icons back on, just repeat the preceding steps once more. This is a very simple way to quickly clean up the desktop. It’s sort of like sweeping the dirt under a rug. The desktop clutter is still there, but you just can’t see it. Customizing the icon drop shadow effect One cool new feature of Windows XP is the Use Drop Shadows for Icon Labels on the Desktop. This new effect really makes the icons stand out from your wallpaper and makes them much easier to read when you are using a background, such as a photo, that has both light and dark spots. Unfortunately, depending on your computer’s hardware configuration, you may or may not be able to experience this cool new effect. If you have a newer computer that has an average graphics card, you will have no problem using this feature. But if you have an older graphics card, then you may be out of luck.


The Use Drop Shadows for Icon Labels on the Desktop can be turned on or off. Depending on the wallpaper that you are using, you may like or dislike the feature. I really like the new effect, but if you like having a clean and crisp interface, I recommend disabling the effect. Follow these steps to turn the feature on or off:
1. Click the Start button, and select Run. 2. Key in sysdm.cpl and click OK to launch system properties. 3. Click the Advanced tab, and then click the Settings button under the Performance section. 4. While on the Visual Effects tab, scroll down to the bottom of the box. 5. Locate Use Drop Shadows for Icon Labels on the Desktop, as shown in Figure 3-1, and check or uncheck the value, depending on what you would like to do. 6. Click OK to save your changes. 7. Click OK once more to close the System Properties window.

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