Microsoft Gives Royale Theme to All Windows XP Users

A Web Exclusive from WinInfo
Paul Thurrott
WinInfo
InstantDoc #46363
WinInfo

Thanks to Allen H. and Jim W. for this item: Microsoft New Zealand has officially released the Windows XP Royale theme, which Microsoft originally designed solely for Windows XP Media Center Edition (XP MCE) 2005 but later also ported to XP Tablet PC Edition 2005. Now all XP users can download this sharp-looking theme, which features the new Microsoft Energy style and a few new backgrounds. Find out more about the theme at the Microsoft New Zealand Web site.

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It's about time! :-) wonder if MS New Zealand will get its hands slapped for this.

Anonymous User May 09, 2005 (Article Rating:

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Heh heh! That bliss.jpg is class. Kiwi customer service rules.

steveburkett May 09, 2005 (Article Rating:

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Does strange things to Office 2003. All the blue is gone, and its now grey :(

Anonymous User May 09, 2005 (Article Rating:

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Installing this theme does indeed make Office 2003 turn a sickly grey. This is because Office responds to changes in the system theme so it fits in.

But it can be fixed! First, revert to the original Luna theme. Then rename C:\WINDOWS\Resources\Themes\Royale\royale.msstyles to luna.msstyles. Next open C:\WINDOWS\Resources\Themes\Royale.theme in notepad. Find the [Visual Styles] section about half way down, and change the PATH value to match the renamed Luna.msstyles.

Now apply it - you just fooled Office into thinking that you're using Luna, when you're actually using Royale!

Anonymous User May 10, 2005 (Article Rating:

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Awww.. I'm not running GENUINE Windows...

lol..

why the Thesaurus-itis? Is MS acknowledging the amount of piracy that is going on...

Anonymous User May 10, 2005 (Article Rating:

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You can do it manually if you get your hands on a copy of a running Media e.d. and simply transfer the Royale theme to your Windows\Resources\Themes folder on your WinXP Home, Pro, or WinServer.

It's a very nice theme.

msgstephen May 10, 2005 (Article Rating:

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I like that theme. Microsoft should provide some more official themes, Olive, Silver and Blue just don't cut it anymore. Only the classic themes are truly customizable but they look pretty crap still.

Anonymous User May 10, 2005 (Article Rating:

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Wow, this new theme is good enough to make me switch from OS X Aqua.

Not.

Anonymous User May 10, 2005 (Article Rating:

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OS X Aqua - that's that "can't change the color" OS for computers running [straining?] at 1.03 MHz with those massive 40 Gig harddrives and that cost mega-bucks? The one where the mouse has only one button to make sure you can't right-click? The one that even my second 1.5 Gig Sempron powered x86 computer with 80 GB Harddrive running Windows can outspeed outstore and outdo at every turn?

msgstephen May 10, 2005 (Article Rating:

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Microsoft's Gives Royale Theme is ok I guess, but truth to tell, its not much different than the default "blue eye candy" theme. I.e., boring and it looks like ut was designed using crayons.

Anonymous User May 10, 2005 (Article Rating:

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