Windows users have always been able to customise their PC by changing sounds, display settings, cursors etc. When Windows 95 was released, there was an add on pack called Plus! which included the Desktop Themes programme, a way to change all these elements at once and give the PC a co-ordinated theme. Later Desktop Themes were included as standard with Windows 98 and Windows Me.
So these themes were designed for the following operating systems only...
Windows 95 with the Plus! Pack,
Windows 98
Windows Me. [Though the special web view folder images do not show up in Me]
Windows XP, does not include a theme manager, as they are no longer officially supported by Microsoft, so if you going to regularly change themes I recommend downloading Desktop Architect (NT and 2000 users may be able to use this programme too)
Also for XP you need to set your desktop to the Classic display. Right-click an empty space on the desktop, and then click Properties. On the Themes tab, click Windows Classic in the Theme box. Click OK.
As far as I know, Desktop Themes are not supported in Windows Vista.
The theme files are zipped and include sounds, animated cursors and a web view folder image.
No screensaver is included.
Each theme apart from Fire and Water comes in 2 sizes 800 x 600 and 1024 x 768
To install the file you will need to unzip it.
Windows XP and Windows Me users, right click on the file and choose Extract All. The compressed folders Extract wizard will run, please put C:\ in the Extract to...box.
When unzipping with Winzip, please put C:\ in the Extract to... box and ensure that the Use Folder Names Box is checked.
That should automatically place all the files in the correct folders and sub folders.
To apply the theme, go to the Control Panel (Start>settings>Control Panel) and double click on the Desktop Themes icon. (If this is missing, double click Add/Remove Programs, Select the Windows Set-up tab and check Desktop Themes in the list, you may need your original Windows CD for the installation.)
If you wish you can manually install all the graphic and sound parts of the theme.
Unzip the theme file to a folder, e.g. somewhere in My Documents then...
If you double click a JPG image in XP it should open in the Windows Picture and Fax Viewer. From there you can right click on it and set as a Background. If something else is the default program for opening JPGs. Open the file with Internet Explorer and do the same.
Start> Control Panel> Sounds Speech and Audio Devices> Sounds and Audio Devices
Select the Sounds tab and from there you can select a Windows event and browse for the sound you want to use with that event.
Start> Control Panel> Appearance and Themes On the left should be link to Mouse Pointers. (If you can't see it switch to the classic view on the first Control Panel screen and click Mouse) Change the pointers in the same way you changed the sounds.
You can change the icons for My Computer etc. in the Display Properties. (Either open via the Control Panel or right click on an empty area of your desktop and choose properties.)
Click the Customise Desktop button on the Desktop tab and you'll be able to change the icons there.
If you have any questions or problems with installation please contact Katana
The themes are for personal use only and are not to be distributed via any other means such as another website, FTP, Newsgroups, Yahoo groups, CDs or floppy discs without prior written authorisation.