Windows Vista’s user interface is a lot better than its predecessor Windows XP. We all know that. But still there are many “theme addicts”, like me, who wouldn’t (or couldn’t) be satisfied with the default look and feel of Windows Vista or would quickly get bored of the look and feel of the operating system’s UI. So, if you are of that category then how do you customize Windows Vista’s theme?

By now, you should know that Windows Vista, by default, does not allow you to install custom themes other than the ones signed by Microsoft (Vista Aero, Vista Basic, Vista Standard etc.) But don’t lose hope on seeing a custom look on your Windows Vista computer.

There are 2 ways to patch Windows Vista to allow custom themes,

• the easy way
• the dirty way (I call it “dirty” because it involves hands-on plumbing work).

If you don’t want to get your hands dirty then there is a simple tool that makes life easier to patch the files to let Windows Vista allow custom themes.

Enter VistaGlazz.

VistaGlazz is a simple utility that you can download from CodeGazer. VistaGlazz allows you to patch the files on Windows Vista to allow custom themes. All you do is run VistaGlazz and follow these instructions and VistaGlazz will do the dirty work for you.

Patch the core files

Step-1:

If you haven’t done yet, download VistaGlazz from CodeGazer.

Step-2:

Run VistaGlazz from where you’ve downloaded. VistaGlazz gives you this dialog. Click the “I agree” button.

Step-3:

VistaGlazz will display this dialog. By default, VistaGlazz displays the first icon (“Patch Style” button, the one with the monitor) without the green tick mark like this,

Click on the icon. VistaGlazz will patch your system files and when done will ask you to restart the computer. Let it restart.

Step-4:

Once the computer restarts and comes back up and running, run VistaGlazz again. This time you’ll see the “Patch Style” button having a green tick mark. Congratulations! you’ve successfully patched your Windows Vista installation to allow custom themes.

Step-5:

Now, go download some of your favorite Windows Vista custom themes. You can try some of the themes from these locations,

• http://browse.deviantart.com/customization
• http://www.neowin.net/
• http://www.winmatrix.com/
• http://www.joejoe.org
• http://www.aeroxp.org
• http://www.crystalxp.net

Undo Changes

If you are having trouble with your computer’s look and feel after you’ve patched the files then you can get back to the original files by follow these steps,

Step-1:

Launch VistaGlazz.

Step-2:

Click on the “Patch Style” button (the first icon) again and VistaGlazz will provide you with the option to unpatch the files (which in turn will undo the changes that you’ve made with VistaGlazz).

Patch the Aero Transparency Issue

If you are not happy with Vista Aero’s lack of transparency on maximized windows, then you can follow these steps to get transparency on the maximized windows as well,

Step-1:

If VistaGlazz is not already running then launch VistaGlazz.

Step-2:

Click on the second icon (that has a color palette). (It’ll have a gray color shield icon by default)

Step-3:

VistaGlazz will patch your Aero style and restart the Windows Desktop Manager (WDM). Your screen will flicker and for a moment might lose its transparency. Once things settle down in a minute then VistaGlazz will change the gray shield into a green shield with a tick mark. Congratulation! you’ve now successfully patched the Aero transparency issue. Enjoy the new transparency on maximized windows.

Now you have your Windows Vista capable of allowing custom themes you might be interested to try these themes,

• Windows 7 theme for Windows Vista
• Vista Blue RTM theme for Windows Vista Basic
• More Windows Vista Themes…

In another article I’ll show you the dirty way of patching the files to allow Windows Vista handle custom themes. Stay tuned and subscribe to DemoGeek.com Feed for up-to-date updates.

Credit: Screenshots from CodeGazer.