Overview

Installing custom made Windows 7 themes can little bit difficult than you think. Hers is a comprehensive step by step tutorial that will teach you how to do it.

Prerequisites
There are two methods to install custom themes, you can follow method 1 or medhod 2.

Are you trying to install an unsigned Windows 7 theme?
Disclaimer: Backup files
Method 1: Patch files uxtheme.dll, themeui.dll and themeservice.dll
Method 2: Unsigned Themes Services

Questions & Answers
Troubleshooting Method 2
Download My DLL files (64-bit only)
Where do I have to copy my Windows 7 themes to? How do I actually INSTALL them!
There are system files! How do I replace them?

Installing .Themepack Themes vs. Installing Unsigned Themes

Before we start, answer this question:
Do you want to install a theme that has the file extension .themepack or is it a complex shell theme that actually changes the appearance of your operating system and has the file extension .theme and usually comes with a whole folder of files?

If the answer is that it is a .themepack theme, you can install the theme with a simple double-click. If it’s not, then proceed with the next step.

Before installing 3rd-party themes: Create a backup

Microsoft does not allow you to use themes that modify the shell of Windows 7 or other parts like the Start orb or the taskbar. In order to install those themes you will have to patch your uxtheme.dll, themeui.dll and themeservice.dll, which can be found “C:\Windows\system32\”.

Before you try to install any themes please make a backup of those files!! I won’t repeat this and you are doing any changes at your own risk, I don’t take any responsibility.

Method 1: Universal Theme Patcher

Alternatively, you can download the Universal Theme Patcher created by deepxw that works with Windows XP SP2 SP3/2003/2008/Vista SP1 SP2/Windows 7, 32bit(x86)/64bit(x64). This won’t create another background process, instead it will patch your files.

Download Universal Theme Patcher.

This patcher will automatically patch the following files on Windows 7: uxtheme.dll, themeui.dll, themeservice.dll

In order to patch the files, you will to run this with administrator privileges. To provide admin rights, right-click on the file and select “Run as administrator”:

The tool will automatically create a backup of the file, so it’s totally safe, because you can always restore the original file:

One last step: To install 3rd party themes, you have to copy the complete folder to C:\Windows\Resources\Themes

Click here for more instructions where to copy your Windows 7 themes

Method 2: Background Service UXStyle Core

The first and probably easiest way to install Windows 7 themes is to use the UXStyle Core tool (created by Rafael withinwindows.com).
The UXStyle Core tool can downloaded from http://uxstyle.com/

This tool will create a new process “UnsignedThemesSvc.exe” that is running in the background and will allow you to run 3rd-party themes properly.

After rebooting your PC, you should check if the service “Unisgned Themes” is started. To do that follow a few instructions:
1. Click on Start
2. Enter services.msc into the search field
3. Enter “U” and look for the service “Unsigned Themes”
4. Double-click it and click on “Start”
5. If it could not find the specified file, you should download

One last step: To install 3rd party themes, you have to copy the complete folder to C:\Windows\Resources\Themes

Click here for more instructions where to copy your Windows 7 themes

Troubleshooting Unsigned Themes service

Error:
Windows could not start the Unsigned Themes service on local computer.
Error 2: The system cannot find the file specified.
Fix:
Download Microsoft Visual C++ 2008 Redistributable Package
x32 Download
x64 Download

Sidenote: Before you use the UXStyle Core, you should deinstall any previously installed UXTheme.dll patches. The UXStyle Core is working on Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7.

If you have problems installing unsigned themes after installing UXStyle Core, check if the service is started: Enter “sc start UnsignedThemes” into command line or follow the instructions above.
Reboot your PC after installing UXStyle Core!

UXTheme.dll x64 Build 7100

I uploaded my own dll files, but you should only use them if you are using Windows 7 Build 7100 (RC) x64:
Download UXTheme.dll x64 7100

If you found this tutorial useful, please retweet it, submit it to digg or stumbleupon. I would really appreciate it.

Where should I copy my themes to?

To install your 3rd-party themes you have to copy your themes to the folder C:\Windows\Resources\Themes
Let’s take a peek at that folder to understand how it works:

The themes folder has some .theme files but also a folder called “Aero”. This folder is part of the Aero theme (aero.theme). The folder MUST have the exact name of the .theme file (in this case Aero). The folder name is case-insensitive.

Now let’s take a peek at a typical 3rd-party theme:

A folder and a .theme file! For now, it doesn’t really matter what is in that folder. Now, when you extract the folder and .theme file you have to make sure that you are not creating a subfolder for the theme, it has to be exactly like above! If the folder Midnight and Midnight.theme are in a subfolder your theme won’t be recognized.

What should I do with shell32.dll, explorer.exe and other system files?

Many themes will include system files that you have to replace, e.g. explorer.exe, shell32.dll or other system files. You have to replace them to fully install your themes.

Be advised that modifying system files can render your system unusable! Always be VERY careful when you replace system files.

Read our tutorial: How to replace system files in Windows 7

Here is the steps you need to know inorder to change desktop icons:
1. Right-click on your desktop – Click on “Personalize”
2. Click on “Change desktop icons”
3. Assign each icon manually after clicking on “change icon”

After that click on “Change icon” and you already know how to change a desktop icon:

Simply browse to the folder where you store all of your desktop icons and double-click on it.

Change Special Icons

There are many “special” desktop icons. To name a few, there are icons for:

• Printers
• Fonts
• Programs
• Favorites
• Folders
• Documents
• Videos
• etc

Allow themes to change desktop icons!

Before you download and install any themes from here, you should make sure that the following option is checked.

Right-click on your desktop and click on “Personalize” on the bottom”:

Click on “desktop icons” and make sure that the option “Allows themes to change desktop icons” is checked:

It’s very easy to install new cursors, you can do it in few steps . Here is a tutorial that will show you how to install and apply new cursors in Windows 7.

1. First you have to download some Windows 7 Cursors

2. If the Cursors are zipped then unpack/unzip all of the cursors:

3. You can put the Cursors anywhere you want or you can put them in: C:/Windows/Cursors.
Simply copy the entire folder into this Windows subfolder.

4. Open the Control Panel and click on “Mouse” :

5. For every mouse gesture you can define your very own cursor.

Click on the very first entry “Normal Select” and then click on Browse.

Now go to the folder where you placed the Cursors or Windows cursor folder where you copied all your cursors to (C:/Windows/Cursors.)
Select the cursor you want to apply for this mouse gesture and click on “Open”.

6. Repeat step (5) for every other mouse gesture and apply a cursor for :

Help Select, Working in Background, Busy, Precision Select, Text Select, Handwriting, Unavailable,
Vertical Resize, Horizontal Resize, Diagonal Resize 1, Diagonal Resize 2, Move, Alternate Select, Link

7. Click Apply/Ok to change the cursor.