How to - Apply a third-party theme in Windows 7

Since there's still someone has problems with applying a third-party Windows 7 theme. So, i think it is necessary to write a step by step guide. And, here i will take Soliq7.1 VS for Windows 7 as an example. 1. Patch theme. In default, we cannot change to any third-party themes because the feature is locked. But we can patch it. Here are the patched theme files for Windows 7 RTM Build 7600.16385: x86: Patched UxTheme Files for Windows 7 RTM Build 7600.16385 x64: Patched UxTheme Files for Windows 7 RTM Build 7600.16385 After you download them you need to drag these dlls to C:\Windows\System32 to replace the original ones. But i strongly recommend that you make a backup by rename theme to .dll.old, for example, uxtheme.dll to uxtheme.dll.old. 2. Now It's time to download the theme. Unzip the zip file and you will see a theme folder and a system files folder. In the theme folder, there should be a .theme file and a sub-folder. Copy or cut them to C:\WIndows\Resouces\themes. Note: Make sure the .theme file, the folder and the .msstyles has the same name. 3. Here it's time for the system files. In order to have the total effect as the preview do, it is important to replace the original system files with the new ones. For example, in Windows 7, the start orb is controlled by the explorer.exe. If we don't replace it with the new one, the start orb won't be changed. Since the explorer.exe is very important in Windows 7. So we need to take ownership of it. Just download and install Vista Master (compatible with Windows 7). The in System Settings section, hit Context menu Settings. Now in Add tab, check "Take ownership..." and save. Now right-click on the explorer.exe and hit "take ownership of this file". Rename it to explorer.exe.old and put the new one in. Do the same for the other dlls. Note: Do not foget to CHECK OUT THE VERSION OF SYSTEM FILES. x86 for x86 syste; x64 for x64 system, or you will lead to a system crash. The system files in Soliq theme is for x86 ONLY. The x64 version is coming soon. 4. Now you are done. Right-click on the desktop - Personalize. Here you will see a list of themes installed on your computer, hit the Soliq to take effect. If you have any question, just leave a comment below or just drop me an E-mail at: mary-jane at live.cn. And if there's any mistake, let me know as well. Thank you. .