How-to Archives

How to install and apply third party themes in Windows 8.1

We here at Winaero love Windows customization and we post several custom 3rd party visual styles and themepacks from time to time. We have a HUGE and amazing collection of themes for changing the look-n-feel of Windows. But Windows doesn't allow 3rd party themes by default, so we need to unlock Windows to be able to use those themes.

Note: If you are not a Windows 8.1 user, please refer to the following article.

With every new Windows release, Microsoft makes some minor changes to the theme engine and/or its format. This leads to the situation where for every single release, you need a special software (a so called UXTheme patcher) which supports that new release. Windows 8.1 is no exception.

To use third party themes in Windows 8.1, you should follow these simple steps.

How to enable fast XP-like Event Viewer in Windows 8

NT6, whose era started with Windows Vista, has introduced a new Event Viewer with ~~blackjack and hookers~~ filters and categories. Although they are quite useful and allow you to locate any system event/error easily, the Event Viewer is VERY slow. Those of us who have used Windows XP/2000 still remember how fast and compact the Event Viewer was in Windows XP. It can still be useful if you only quickly want to see the last few events which happened on your system. Windows Vista, 7 and Windows 8 still contain the old Event Viewer application, but it is just not enabled by default. Today I am going to share with you how to enable it.

Windows Registry Editor for dummies

Often, our tips mention the Windows Registry and Registry Editor. What exactly is the Registry and what is RegEdit? Those are who are familiar with Windows for many years need no explanation, but those who are new to Windows will find this post useful.

Today, I am going to explain the fundamentals of Registry Editor. I will also cover command line arguments, essential methods of working with this program and more. Read below if you are interested.

Configuring language settings in Windows 8

With Windows 8, Microsoft has "re-imagined" the Language settings Control Panel. The most notable changes have been made to the way users switch input languages and to the Language Bar. Even some power users have been having issues with configuring language settings and have been asking me for help when they moved to Windows 8. So, today I will share several tips to make your life with configuring languages on Windows 8 easier.

How to install third party themes in Windows 8

Ever since Microsoft introduced the theming engine in Windows XP, they don't allow visual styles (themes) which are not digitally signed by themselves to be used. Windows 8 is no different in that regard, so we need to patch certain system files to be able to use these themes. In this tutorial, I will show you how you can use third party themes:

Option 1 (Recommended): UxStyle

Install the UxStyle software developed by Rafael Rivera. The main benefit of this app is that it keeps system files untouched on disk and works transparently in memory.

Just follow the instructions in the installation wizard.

How to prevent Windows 8 from automatically logging in the last user

If you have multiple user accounts in Windows 8 (e.g. one for yourself and another for your family member), you may notice a new annoyance in Windows 8 - it signs in the last user automatically who shut down/rebooted the PC. Most users would not like to be signed in automatically and would instead prefer seeing a list of users at the logon screen, from where they can choose which user account to login with. Today, we are going to share a way to prevent Windows 8 from automatically signing in the last user. Let's start.

How to disable Start Screen animations completely

Some time ago, we shared with you a simple tutorial on how to enable advanced animations for the Start Screen in Windows 8. But many people do not like any animation on the Start Screen because they prefer a fast and instantly responsive UI. Today, we are going to share a very simple method to disable Start screen animations.

How to restore the missing Briefcase feature in Windows 8 RTM

Although Windows 8 offers you several "modern" data synchronization solutions such as SkyDrive and Microsoft Account, they both are limited - they are dependent on the Internet. You may or may not know about the old "Briefcase" feature which was removed from Windows 8. It offers you simple two way data synchronization which was offline and could be used with removable drives. Someone at Microsoft decided to remove it from the brand new release of Windows 'cause he thought perhaps that the feature was too outdated. If you miss Briefcase, here is a simple solution for you.

How to create a shortcut to the Shut Down Windows dialog in Windows 8, Windows 7 and Vista

Since Windows Vista, the classic Shutdown dialog is accessible only with the help of a hotkey. You have to minimize all windows, then click to focus on the Desktop and finally press Alt+F4 to make it appear. Instead, Microsoft offers you an expandable submenu for the "Shutdown" button in the Start Menu of Windows 7 and Windows Vista. Things have changed for the worse again with Windows 8: no more Start Menu, no more quick access to Shutdown functions. Today, I going to show you how it is possible to display the familar classic Shut Down Windows dialog with a single click.

How to get desktop gadgets and sidebar back in Windows 8

As you may have noticed, Desktop Gadgets and Sidebar are missing in Windows 8 RTM. Personally, I don't miss gadgets since I did not use them. But a lot of people have been missing them. If you can't live without desktop gadgets, there is good news for you: desktop gadgets and sidebar can be made to work in Windows 8.