One of the improvements in Windows 7 is the multiple choices and new way of organizing the Personalize section of the Control Panel. Among the new things is out of the box support for themes. A theme is a set of desktop backgrounds, window color, sounds and screen savers. There are several themes included with Windows 7 as you can see from the screenshot below.
Since I chose to install the English language version of Windows 7, but with Norway and Norwegian as my choices for location and keyboard layout those are the options available to me in the RC. After having roamed around the net, I knew there to be additional localized themes somewhere in the OS. Enabling these are quite easy, and I will lay out the procedure here in 5 easy steps:
Step 1: Folder Options
Open up the Start menu and start to type Folder Options in the search pane. The Folder Options should be the first result, now hit enter to open it up.
Choose the View tab and select to Show hidden files, folders and drives. Then unselect Hide protected operating system files (Recommended). Click Apply
Step 2: Open up Explorer
Open up Explorer and browse to C:\Windows\Globalization\MCT . In this hidden protected system folder you will find this;
Step 3: Select the Themes you want.
Each one of those folders; AU, CA, GB and ZA contains localized information as well as themes for those countries. Navigate your way into each one, open the Themes folder and doubleclick on the Windows Theme File. That theme is now activated, and will be available for you under Your Themes in the Personalize section of the Control Panel.
Step 4: Open Folder Options and redo your choices there.
Go back to the Folder Options and make sure you now select Don’t show hidden files, folders and drives, and that you select Hide protected operating system files (Recommended) and then click Apply
Step 5: Open up Personalize and Choose Your Theme
Right click anywhere on the desktop and choose Personalize from the right-click-menu that appears. If you double-clicked and all available localized themes in the MCT folder in step 3 your Personalize section should look something like this now;
Voila!
That’s a great post. Not sure why it was mistakenly flagged inside the Clubhouse, but I’m unflagging it so it should appear shortly.
Actually, you don’t have to do any of the “show protected operating system files” stuff.
Skip steps 1 and 5 and do this instead:
1. Press Windows+R and enter “c:\windows\globalization\mct” (without the quotes)
2. Open each theme folder as instructed above.
3. You’re done.
NOTE: The Windows key is usually to the left of your space bar. On some laptops it’s in the top-right of the keyboard.
If you leave OS files visible, you can get into all sorts of trouble.
Thanks for the great article!
Best,
-Auri
Sorry, I kinda skipped that you *still* need to double-click each theme as instructed. 🙂
Best,
-Auri
Thanks for the tip Auri. That is a smarter way to do it than the one I presented in the post above. And as you say – leavin OS files visible could get you in trouble.
Thanks again.
works gr8 thx
sweet tip it kinda works with some vista themes also
I have actually found an even better way;
1. Click the Start orb: type c:\windows\winsxs
2. In the search box type: *.theme
3. Doubleclick the ZA, US, GB, AU and CA themes
4. Done!
its not working!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
i mean it its not working!
hey abo kevin your another way is not working too!
What do you mean? Which version of Windows 7 are you using? Are you following the instructions exactly as written? I doublechecked just now, and it does work as written above… Are you running the OS as an administrator or a standard user?