How to configure Desktop Themes in Windows XP (307855)

SUMMARY

This article describes how to configure your desktop environment by using desktop themes.

A desktop theme is a predefined set of window elements that help you personalize your computer to give it a distinctive appearance. Themes affect the overall appearance of your desktop, including the background, screen saver, icons, fonts, colors, windows, mouse pointers, and sounds.

In Microsoft Windows XP, you can use the Windows Classic look as your theme, switch desktop themes, or modify elements of existing themes to create new themes and customize your desktop with the appearance that you want.

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Select a different desktop theme

To select a different desktop theme, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, click Control Panel, click Appearance and Themes, and then click Display. Or, right-click an empty area of the desktop, and then click Properties.
2. Click the Themes tab, and then select a new theme in the Theme list.
   
   A preview of the theme is displayed in the Sample box.
3. Select the theme that you want, and then click OK.

The desktop theme is applied to your computer.

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Create your own desktop theme

When you modify any element of a theme, Microsoft recommends that you always save your changes with a new theme name. If you select a different theme before you save your changes, the changes that you made to the theme are lost.

To create your own desktop theme, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, click Control Panel, click Appearance and Themes, and then click Display. Or, right-click an empty area of the desktop, and then click Properties.
2. Click the Themes tab, and then, in the Theme list, click the theme that you want to modify.
3. Make your intended changes to the elements of the theme that you want to modify.
   
   The following list shows individual desktop theme elements and their locations on the Display Properties dialog box tab or in Control Panel:
   • To change the background design, the color, or the position of the background design on your screen, click the Desktop tab in the Display Properties dialog box.
   • To change the icons on your desktop, click the Desktop tab in the Display Properties dialog box, and then click Customize Desktop.
   • To change the screen saver, click the Screen Saver tab in the Display Properties dialog box.
   • To change the color scheme, the window and button styles, or the font size, click the Appearance tab in the Display Properties dialog box.
   • To change the color, the size, and the font settings of individual window elements, click the Appearance tab in the Display Properties dialog box, and then click Advanced.
   • To change your mouse pointer scheme or the appearance of individual pointers, click the Pointers tab in the Mouse Properties dialog box. (Click Start, click Control Panel, click Printers and Other Hardware, and then click Mouse.)
   • To change a sound scheme or to apply a sound to individual program events, click the Sounds tab in the Sounds and Audio Devices Properties dialog box. (Click Start, click Control Panel, click Sounds, Speech, and Audio Devices, and then click Sounds and Audio Devices.)
4. When you finish making the changes that you want, click the Themes tab in the Display Properties dialog box, and then click Apply.
   
   The changes that you make to the theme are saved as Previous theme name (Modified), where "Previous theme name" is the name of the previous theme. This name is displayed in the Theme list, and it is the default name of the theme when you modify it but before you save it with a new name.
5. Click Save As.
6. In the Save As dialog box, type a name for your new theme, and then click Save.
7. Click OK.
   
   Your new theme is displayed in the Theme list and is applied to your desktop.
   
   New themes are saved in the My Documents folder with the .theme file name extension. For example, you might name your file MyNewTheme.theme. To open the My Documents folder, click Start, and then click My Documents.

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Delete a desktop theme

You can delete any theme that you create, install from a CD-ROM, or download from the Internet. You cannot delete the themes that are included with Windows XP, such as the Windows XP and Windows Classic themes.

To delete a desktop theme, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, click Control Panel, click Appearance and Themes, and then click Display. Or, right-click an empty area of the desktop, and then click Properties.
2. Click the Themes tab, and then, in the Theme list, click the theme that you want to delete.
   
   A preview of the theme is displayed in the Sample box.
3. Click Delete.

The desktop theme that you selected is deleted from your hard disk.

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Troubleshooting

When you customize and create new themes, save your changes with a new theme name. If you do not do this, the changes are lost when you select a different theme.

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REFERENCES

For additional information about how to use the Windows Classic theme, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: For additional information about how to enable or disable Windows XP interface components, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: back to the top