Windows XP themes - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Themes customize the appearance of the Windows operating system without changing its functionality (with the exception of the new Windows Aero

Windows Aero

Windows Aero is the graphical user interface and the default theme in most editions of Windows Vista and Windows 7, operating systems released by Microsoft. It is also available in Windows Server 2008, but is not enabled by default. Its name is a backronym for Authentic, Energetic, Reflective and...

theme, which adds certain functionalities).

Luna, Royale, Zune and Embedded are official themes designed for Windows XP

Windows XP

Windows XP is an operating system produced by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops and media centers. First released to computer manufacturers on August 24, 2001, it is the second most popular version of Windows, based on installed user base...

by Microsoft

Microsoft

Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...

. Since Windows XP, themes include visual styles.

By default, the Luna theme is preinstalled on Windows XP

Windows XP

Home / Professional, the Royale (Energy Blue) theme is preinstalled on Windows XP Media Center Edition

Windows XP Media Center Edition

Windows XP Media Center Edition is a version of the Windows XP operating system designed to serve as a home-entertainment hub. The last version, Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005, was released in October 2004.-Versions:...

and the Embedded theme is preinstalled on Windows XP Embedded. All of the themes are compatible with all Windows XP editions

Windows XP editions

Windows XP has been released in several editions since its original release in 2001.Windows XP is available in many languages. In addition, add-ons translating the user interface are also available for certain languages.-Home and Professional:...

Compared to previous versions of Windows, the new scheme has a larger emphasis on the graphical appeal of the operating system, using bitmaps

Raster graphics

In computer graphics, a raster graphics image, or bitmap, is a data structure representing a generally rectangular grid of pixels, or points of color, viewable via a monitor, paper, or other display medium...

throughout the interface with rounded edges on each window.

Since Luna's introduction, the scheme has been supplemented in Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005

Windows XP Media Center Edition

with Royale, and Royale Noir, a Zune

Zune

Zune is a digital media brand owned by Microsoft which includes a line of portable media players, a digital media player software for Windows machines, a music subscription service known as a 'Zune Music Pass', music and video streaming for the Xbox 360 via the Zune Software, music, TV and movie...

-derived edition of the Royale scheme.

Luna has been removed entirely in Windows Vista

Windows Vista

Windows Vista is an operating system released in several variations developed by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops, tablet PCs, and media center PCs...

in favor of Windows Aero

Windows Aero

, though the underlying graphics architecture is still present in Vista for machines that don't have the capability to use the Desktop Window Manager

Desktop Window Manager

Desktop Window Manager is the window manager in Windows Vista and Windows 7 that enables the Windows Aero graphical user interface and visual theme. The Desktop Window Manager requires video cards supporting DirectX 9.0 and Shader Model 2.0. DWM is not included with Windows Vista Starter edition...

. The Windows Vista Basic theme is used on such systems.

Luna

Luna (meaning Moon in Spanish, Bulgarian, Slovene, Serbian, Romanian, Russian, Latin, and Italian) is the codename for the default visual theme

Theme (computing)

In computing, a theme is a preset package containing graphical appearance details, used to customize the look and feel of an operating system, widget set or window manager....

of Windows XP

Windows XP

.

Officially known as Windows XP style, the theme is available in three color schemes: Default (blue) (codenamed NormalColor), Olive Green (codenamed Homestead), and Silver (codenamed Metallic). The code names for these color themes can be observed in the file paths.

Windows Classic theme

The "Windows classic style" theme is also available in Windows Vista and Windows 7 but must be enabled by the user. Users accustomed to older Windows versions such as Windows 2000

Windows 2000

Windows 2000 is a line of operating systems produced by Microsoft for use on personal computers, business desktops, laptops, and servers. Windows 2000 was released to manufacturing on 15 December 1999 and launched to retail on 17 February 2000. It is the successor to Windows NT 4.0, and is the...

or Windows 98

Windows 98

Windows 98 is a graphical operating system by Microsoft. It is the second major release in the Windows 9x line of operating systems. It was released to manufacturing on 15 May 1998 and to retail on 25 June 1998. Windows 98 is the successor to Windows 95. Like its predecessor, it is a hybrid...

may find it more comfortable to use. In addition to turning off visualizations, this option will also offer better performance. The classic theme is also used for Safe mode

Safe Mode

Safe mode is a diagnostic mode of a computer operating system . It can also refer to a mode of operation by application software. Safe mode is intended to fix most, if not all problems within an operating system...

and Win32 console

Win32 console

Win32 console is a text user interface implementation within the system of Windows API, which runs console applications. A Win32 console has a screen buffer and an input buffer, and is available both as a window or in text mode screen, with switching back and forth available via Alt-Enter...

windows in Windows XP.

Royale theme

Royale (also known as "Media Center style" and the blue color scheme is also known as "Energy Blue") is a GUI

Gui

Gui or guee is a generic term to refer to grilled dishes in Korean cuisine. These most commonly have meat or fish as their primary ingredient, but may in some cases also comprise grilled vegetables or other vegetarian ingredients. The term derives from the verb, "gupda" in Korean, which literally...

art

Art

Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....

concept produced by Microsoft

Microsoft

and introduced in 2004 directed for Windows Media Center

Windows Media Center

Windows Media Center is a digital video recorder and media player developed by Microsoft. It is an application that allows users to view and record live television, as well as organize and play music and videos...

desktops and Windows XP Tablet PC Edition Tablet PC

Tablet computer

A tablet computer, or simply tablet, is a complete mobile computer, larger than a mobile phone or personal digital assistant, integrated into a flat touch screen and primarily operated by touching the screen...

s.

It is composed of a new wallpaper

Wallpaper

Wallpaper is a kind of material used to cover and decorate the interior walls of homes, offices, and other buildings; it is one aspect of interior decoration. It is usually sold in rolls and is put onto a wall using wallpaper paste...

(inspired by Windows XP Bliss

Bliss (image)

Bliss is the name of a Windows bitmap image included with Microsoft Windows XP, produced from a photograph of a landscape in Sonoma County, California, southeast of Sonoma Valley near the site of the old Clover Stornetta Inc. Dairy. The image contains rolling green hills and a blue sky with cumulus...

), a desktop theme and skins

Skin (computing)

In computing, a skin is a custom graphical appearance achieved by the use of a graphical user interface that can be applied to specific software and websites to suit the purpose, topic, or tastes of different users....

. The new Energy Bliss wallpaper is heavily inspired by the original Bliss

Bliss (image)

but now is generated artificially with computer graphics

Computer graphics

Computer graphics are graphics created using computers and, more generally, the representation and manipulation of image data by a computer with help from specialized software and hardware....

(CG) rendering

Rendering (computer graphics)

Rendering is the process of generating an image from a model , by means of computer programs. A scene file contains objects in a strictly defined language or data structure; it would contain geometry, viewpoint, texture, lighting, and shading information as a description of the virtual scene...

.

The concept presents a brilliant, relucent, vivid and faux-reflective color

Color

Color or colour is the visual perceptual property corresponding in humans to the categories called red, green, blue and others. Color derives from the spectrum of light interacting in the eye with the spectral sensitivities of the light receptors...

scheme with intense blue

Blue

Blue is a colour, the perception of which is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a wavelength of roughly 440–490 nm. It is considered one of the additive primary colours. On the HSV Colour Wheel, the complement of blue is yellow; that is, a colour corresponding to an equal...

and green

Green

Green is a color, the perception of which is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a wavelength of roughly 520–570 nanometres. In the subtractive color system, it is not a primary color, but is created out of a mixture of yellow and blue, or yellow and cyan; it is considered...

colors.

Availability

The Energy Blue theme was made originally available in December 2004 and is available for everyone. On April 7, 2005, Microsoft New Zealand made the wallpapers for the New Zealand theme available for download through Windows Genuine Advantage on the Microsoft website. It is possible to install the theme on non-Media Center Editions of Windows XP by manually expanding the installation cabinet file

Cabinet (file format)

In computing, CAB is the Microsoft Windows native compressed archive format. It supports compression and digital signing, and is used in a variety of Microsoft installation engines: Setup API, Device Installer, AdvPack and Windows Installer.Though Cabinet was originally called Diamond, its .CAB...

. Due to the freeware

Freeware

Freeware is computer software that is available for use at no cost or for an optional fee, but usually with one or more restricted usage rights. Freeware is in contrast to commercial software, which is typically sold for profit, but might be distributed for a business or commercial purpose in the...

nature of this package, it is being delivered on popular download websites already hacked, such as Softpedia.

Microsoft also released a Windows Media Player

Windows Media Player

Windows Media Player is a media player and media library application developed by Microsoft that is used for playing audio, video and viewing images on personal computers running the Microsoft Windows operating system, as well as on Pocket PC and Windows Mobile-based devices...

visualization

Music visualization

Music visualization, a feature found in electronic music visualizers and media player software, generates animated imagery based on a piece of music...

and skin. The skin was released in Experience Pack for Tablet PC and is available for free but has a closed-install for Windows XP Tablet PC Edition devices. It is also possible to hack

Hacker (computer security)

In computer security and everyday language, a hacker is someone who breaks into computers and computer networks. Hackers may be motivated by a multitude of reasons, including profit, protest, or because of the challenge...

the cabinets and get it running for Windows XP

Windows XP

Royale Noir theme

The Royale Noir theme looks like a darkened version of Energy Blue, having a blackish and bluish to purple tint. Royale Noir has a black start button, which changes to green when the mouse hovers over it.

As Royale Noir was leaked and not finalized by Microsoft, it has been noted for some imperfections.

Zune theme

A few weeks after Royale Noir was leaked, Zune was officially released as a new desktop theme to accompany the release of Microsoft's new Zune

Zune

media player. Just like Royale Noir, Zune appears to be based on the Energy Blue theme. Zune displayed a brown to light shadow style. The Zune theme was the first to include a different color start button from the green XP one or the original grey one from the Classic theme.

It is not known whether or not Royale Noir was a beta for Zune. However, this is most likely not the case, since it can be said that Luna is the inspiration (beta) for Royale (Energy Blue).

Embedded theme

“Embedded” theme was taken from “Windows Embedded Standard CTP Refresh” edition. It is similar to Energy Blue, featuring a mix of dark blue colors combined with a new wallpaper.

Third-party themes

Third-party themes can only be used if the file uxtheme.dll is patched to allow unsigned themes. Patching the file is not sanctioned by Microsoft.

Luna

Windows Classic theme

Royale theme

Availability

Royale Noir theme

Zune theme

Embedded theme

Third-party themes

See also