# (GUIDE) How to install Visual Styles on Windows Vista



## Justin

This is a quick tutorial on how to install Visual Styles on Windows Vista as requested by Elmer91. Aero looses it's eye candy after a while.  

First off, you'll need two programs. 
1. StyleSelector which you can download here:
http://www.aeroxp.org/board/index.php?showtopic=11279

2. Second, you'll need a extracting software. I use WinRAR.


STEP ONE:
Once finished downloading StyleSelector, shove the StyleSelector folder in your Documents Folder.





STEP TWO:
The Styles subfolder is where you shove all your downloaded themes in.





STEP THREE:
Obviously, yours will be empty right now but here's a look on how it should be.





STEP FOUR:
Now, the only source I know as of now is DeviantArt. So head on there and click the Categories Drop Down Menu and navigate here:

_Categories>Customization>Skins & Themes>Windows Vista Utilities>Visual Styles_





It'd be best to sort it by Popularity All Time.

STEP FIVE:
After downloading the .rar file containing your Visual Style of your choice, extract the folder containing at least these three important files in order for StyleSelector to recognize it.





STEP SIX:
Open up StyleSelector and your theme should be there! Disable the Basic Style and Start Up checkboxes. Basic Style keeps the default taskbar and Start Up well, I don't know what it does. My friend just told me to uncheck it.





NOTE: When placing the folder in the Styles subfolder, if the three important files are in a Subfolder, paste the SUBFOLDER in the Styles folder.


If you got any questions, reply on this here thread. 


- Justin


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## randomus_r

Actually, I've changed my mind 

It's good to select the 'Startup' option, it applies the theme again if you every restart you PC. If that box isn't checked, you get classic theme and have to apply whichever you want Via StyleSelector again


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## Justin

randomus_r said:


> Actually, I've changed my mind
> 
> It's good to select the 'Startup' option, it applies the theme again if you every restart you PC. If that box isn't checked, you get classic theme and have to apply whichever you want Via StyleSelector again



lol. i never shutdown my laptop. i always put it on standby.


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## patrickv

*quick question*

Hey jnskyliner34, tell me, are you running those with Service Pack 1 ?


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## Justin

yup.


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## Vizy

this is the bomb diggity bomb bomb


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## randomus_r

jnskyliner34 said:


> lol. i never shutdown my laptop. i always put it on standby.



Ya, well I have to 'cause my laptop's lid don't work proper


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## Justin

randomus_r said:


> Ya, well I have to 'cause my laptop's lid don't work proper



XD

*pats randy's head*



oh. i'd like to add. when you're looking for themes on deviantart, don't be surprised by the numerous transparent vista themes. looking for unique styles take some time.


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## Kesava

wow im liking this haha. thanks.
im on a pretty nice OSX theme and downloading a better aero one now. i never realised how plain the normal vista aero theme was haha


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## WeatherMan

WOW that looks awesome!

Looks like ima have a great 5th, my birthday 

(Aint got the right date on cofo, might change that now )

Installing Vista atm, and TDU, just bought grid, and Ima try that out it looks great!!!!

All that stuff you did doesnt involve any software trials does it ?


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## Justin

Bootup05 said:


> All that stuff you did doesnt involve any software trials does it ?



nope. they're freewares.


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## Shane

we need more skins,thanks jnskyliner34 for the tut


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## massahwahl

I unzipped the styles to the styles folder but they dont show up in styleselector anywhere?


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## Justin

ukulele_ninja said:


> I unzipped the styles to the styles folder but they dont show up in styleselector anywhere?


check for subfolders that contain those 3 important files. paste the subfolder and rename it to the actual name on the skin. i don't know why but it sometimes works. one time, my skin didn't work because the a in the name wasn't capitalized.


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## massahwahl

http://dobee.deviantart.com/art/OSX-Tiger-V-visual-style-45911588

Here the one im lookin at, which subfolder do i need and what do i call it?


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## Justin

it's for XP. 

you chose Windows Utilities in the categories section. it has to be Windows Vista Utilities.


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## elmer91

sweet, thanks jnskyliner34. but where can i find winRAR?

and if i wanted to, how do i set it back to the original theme?


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## massahwahl

OH! ok well that explains it...


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## Justin

elmer91 said:


> sweet, thanks jnskyliner34. but where can i find winRAR?
> 
> and if i wanted to, how do i set it back to the original theme?



WinRar
http://www.rarsoft.com/

to restore to vista aero, in styleselector select "default" and apply it.


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## G25r8cer

^^ Note: Winrar is only a 30day trial


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## Kesava

id recommend 7-zip.


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## Kesava

ok so i have an OSX theme installed with style selector and this is what it has ended up looking look.






im not yet happy with it haha, but its getting there


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## G25r8cer

Kesava said:


> id recommend 7-zip.



But 7-zip doesnt handle .rar's does it?


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## Kesava

it handles all those files. and it compresses better then most archivers.

it handles:  7z, ZIP, GZIP, BZIP2 and TAR
RAR, CAB, ISO, ARJ, LZH, CHM, MSI, WIM, Z, CPIO, RPM, DEB and NSIS


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## G25r8cer

Ahh I'll stick to my WinRar.


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## Kesava

well thats a logical decision... hahah
i have winrar as well


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## elmer91

is there somewhere i can get winRAR that isnt a 30 day trial. there was one on the link on the other page, but it was named pocket PC.


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## Kesava

probably not legally...
but there are other programs that do exactly the same thing but are free... such as 7-zip.

haha


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## elmer91

ok. it has a 40 day trial. if i was to uninstall every 40 days, and then re install, will that work? i know some programs it does, others it doesnt.


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## Justin

i've had this laptop for over a year now and had download winrar since. and it's working fine. i get the buy it thing but i never did.


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## elmer91

ok, i noticed a lot of people have the object dock. i downloaded it, and really like it. but i went to download a back ground, but dont know where to zip the files to. and how do you change the icons?( as in making the mozilla icon black, or something to that effect)


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## G25r8cer

elmer91 said:


> ok. it has a 40 day trial. if i was to uninstall every 40 days, and then re install, will that work? i know some programs it does, others it doesnt.



No I dont think that will work. Maybe with a little bit of registry deletions but, prob not.


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## Justin

elmer91 said:


> ok, i noticed a lot of people have the object dock. i downloaded it, and really like it. but i went to download a back ground, but dont know where to zip the files to. and how do you change the icons?( as in making the mozilla icon black, or something to that effect)



download dock backgrounds and icons on www.wincustomize.com or www.deviantart.com

place downloaded background folders here





place downloaded images here


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## elmer91

i downloaded this one, and it wont work. here is the link
http://invaderjohn.deviantart.com/art/TransblackV2-84562092


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## Justin

elmer91 said:


> i downloaded this one, and it wont work. here is the link
> http://invaderjohn.deviantart.com/art/TransblackV2-84562092



did you paste the correct subfolder in that zip file?

paste this folder in your styles subfolder. 





i tried out the theme, pretty slick.


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## patrickv

g25racer said:


> No I dont think that will work. Maybe with a little bit of registry deletions but, prob not.



winrar always says 30 or so days remaining, ive installed it everywhere i go, hasn't expired anywhere... even after 30 days.


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## Justin

yup. same here. winrar's still working even after a long period of time.


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## G25r8cer

What the heck?? Are you sure its the trial? lol


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## G25r8cer

Wohoo I just tried it for the first time and WOW!! Im liking it very much. I'll be busy now for a while. LOL


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## elmer91

with the trial, for those of you all that have had it a long time, do you still get the pop up saying this is only a 40 day trial, with a few options, like close, and buy the program?


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## Justin

yup


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## G25r8cer

Im using Aquos right now and im liking it. Anyone come across a very nice "Dark" style for Vista yet??


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## elmer91

the one i am using is very nice and dark. i love it. it is TransBlackV2


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## Justin

Axenic (using now) 
http://austin8159.deviantart.com/art/Axenic-GRAY-89798171

Transblack
http://invaderjohn.deviantart.com/art/TransblackV2-UPDATE-preview-84544961

Whiteline
http://dimage.deviantart.com/art/White-Line-84937610


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## Justin

found a site to search styles.
http://www.guimods.com/tag/vista-visual-styles/


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## G25r8cer

^^ Sweet   Thanks  Im trying UltimateDark right now


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## Justin

no problemo.  i got tired of scrolling through hundreds of the same transparent aero themes on deviantart.


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## G25r8cer

^^ LOL Yeah me too 

I think I am going to stick with UltimateDark for a while. LOL


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## WeatherMan

Is there anythin around similar for 64bit?


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