Reader Comments

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

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

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

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!

Awww.. I'm not running GENUINE Windows... lol.. why the Thesaurus-itis? Is MS acknowledging the amount of piracy that is going on...

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.

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.

Wow, this new theme is good enough to make me switch from OS X Aqua. Not.

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?

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.

OS X Aqua - that's that "can't change the color" OS for computers --- Um, no,.. go to preferences>appearance

Mac users go away!

Can Paul post anything without starting a MacOS vs Windows debate? I think it's undeniable that OSX looks a LOT better than XP, but then I need to use my computer, not just stare at it. I also can't afford a Mac that's powerful enough to do what I do. Longhorn should bring Windows back up to scratch in terms of UI look-and-feel, but until then Windows looks worse. But Macs are majorly overpriced, and have much less software available.

The cracks are starting to appear! Bwahahahaha! http://www.wired.com/news/mac/0,2125,67484,00.html

"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!" Wow. Now THAT is ease of use. It's like walking through an abandoned downtown. Wow...look at all the pretty, pretty Windows. Too bad the store manager doesn't have anything to put behind them.

why don't you just get stylexp or windows blinds and have thousand of themes at your disposal.

Why don't they just call it Longhorn and be done w/ it.

"Convert to Mac OS! Become a narrow-minded troll like us! We spend all our time bashing Windows and users on sites like Paul Thurrott's. Remember, if you don't use MacOS, you suck and are a real a$$hole stup1d muthafukka and deserve to die a horrible death."

I wonder how many of those who posted concerning the way that the Royale theme affects Office 2003, actually have a GENUINE copy of it?

I think I'll stay with Microsoft thank you, I'm afraid that if I get an Apple PC, I'll turn in to a complete A#$hole like you.

"I'm afraid that if I get an Apple PC, I'll turn in to a complete A#$hole like you." You are the A#$hole. Your system sucks and you don't even know. I hate users like you, so stupid and illiterite you don't even know that your operating systen is crap. You need a 4Ghz PC to run the next version of Windows, how weak is that? Microsoft is forcing you to upgrade. Idiot. Wake up and smell the coffee. Oh, you are too stupid. Yeah, you windows users really are beneath us.

People running Windows are complete morons. They don't see how crappy their operating system is. It is absolute trash. They must be a bunch of plebian trash, too computer illiterite to realize that their systems aer slow, buggy, and lack the advanced features of OS X Tiger. Spotlight, Dashboard, etc. Stupid fukkin jerks. Do the world a favor, go take a long walk off a short pier, you moronic lemmings.

Your mother must be proud.

People running Windows are complete morons. They don't see how crappy their operating system is. It is absolute trash. They must be a bunch of plebian trash, too computer illiterite to realize that their systems aer slow, buggy, and lack the advanced features of OS X Tiger. Spotlight, Dashboard, etc. Stupid fukkin jerks. Do the world a favor, go take a long walk off a short pier, you moronic lemmings.

Is that stupid Spotlight all Mac OS X "has". It'a about all you people seem to have in support of the supposed superiority of Mac OS X - you know, the OS based on ancient UNIX technology for clunker computers. Yes, Macs really are slow enough to run UNIX! Buy a Mac - double the price - half the MegaHertz - and an old OS to boot and WO WO WO WOW Oh WOW Spotlight !!!! Thing is is that Windows has had an indexing service standard since Windows 2000. And for the past while one's been able to use all manner of related programs to access Windows files system e.g. Google. Spotlight - too little and too late.

great!!! but has anyone saw the skin based on future Wave11 for hotmail for Messenger? That's what I call a skin/theme! Would love to have it to change the look of my XP, or at least included in next Longhorn or Xbox

you dont need a 4 ghz pc to run longhorn, I am running it on 700mhz

I find all these Apple users hanging out at Paul Thurrott's website watching for any little Microsoft f*rt not so shy from being pathetic. Why aren't they intertested in their own platform / OS ? Why do they abandon it to spend their time going over and over and over the Windows user's eXPerience? Don't they have anything better to do? Probably not. Max OS X is not that customizable and after one sees those Taskbar buttons balloon in size a few times one would get awfully bored, eh? And so few software titles to boot. Sad , pathetic almost pitable, the bored to tears Mac OS user gives up and beats a path straight to www.winsupersite.com and windowsitpro. At least here s/he/it can hear about those games never played. About utilities never used. About interesting computing experinces and those fast processors never had. Yup, there are probably more Apple people reading and posting to this website than Windows using people. If those Apple users only knew how conmtemptible their forlorn and psychotic fawning was? It's almost like they are grovelling at the foot of the Microsoft WIndows eXPerience. Yuk. Wretched, eh? Windows users find they doing so pathetic. I'd feel contempt if I didn't feel so much pity. If you Apple users are that interested in Windows just go out and get a copy. The hardware is the most very fast, the software is New Technologies and its' all low cost. Plus the platform is open - no Steve Jobs Nazi grip - you can do what you will with it. Give up the shameless Apple monopoly and use an open platform and give up your servile attachment to white plastic - you will be very glad you did, your pocketbook will be glad you did, and Windows user here will be relieved of your annoying nit-picking grovelling.

Since when is a pretty look an important part of the OS functionality? Infact you can get the ***exact*** OS X Aqua look on windows if you want it from various sources, no need to wait for Longhorn. In the development team here, we still use "classic" look with all enhancements turned off and let the aps benefit from the extra speed this gives. Many Mac enthusiast also loved the look the iMac and other workstations, using a horrible clear coloured plastic cases, IMHO I could not think of anything more awful to look at, but on the other hand the PC Beige is just as horrible. In the end it does not matter though, if the unit does what you need or want it to do.

Hey

I'm a Mac user. I wonder if this theme can be converted for OS X. I won't lie and will say that the Energy Blue theme from Windows Media Center Edition 2005 is beautiful. I will no rest until I can figure out a way to put this theme on OS X.

YO... SOUTH AFRICA BEAT New Zealand IN rugby.. YEAH... Go south africa, number 1 Rugby Team in the World....

ummm... other way round buddy. South Africa got beaten by NZ. In fact, South Africa has never actually had the title of number 1 in the world - lol, that's why they wanted to beat NZ so badly in this game. Sadly, the closest they've ever gotten was this last game - but since they lost they're still number 2. ;) poor kaffa's that can't read scores.

Quote: 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! End Quote Thank you so much whoever found this out. This was the only thing stopping me from using Royale.

I have a genuine copy of XP Pro and 2003 SBE.

I agree with Mac Users that Windows is rubbish and Buggy and no way open, but though more stable Mac OS is even more of a rip off, Listen Windows and Mac Users, ever heard of L I N U X, surely you know what it is, many companies such as Mandrivia (formley Mandrake) did it for free, that is was more stable and fast than either Mac or Windows (definetly windows), and I don't know about Mac OS, but it is definitly more secure than Windows. Everyone, just realise the best things in life are free, and for windows users: you don't have to give up windows, do waht I do: run a dual boot, of course I only run a dual boot for Games that require windows, so just think. Anyway for this topics real reason: I think this theme is very good, and loads of thanks to the person who posted instructions on how to change the colors of Office 2003, because you can't get POublisher for Linux (I don't think) so I have to use windows for that, and I would hate to have the grey in 2003