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Creating Windows XP Themes and Windows Media Player Skins
In the Classical definition of a theme as per Windows 95 through ME, a theme could only change wallpaper settings, color schemes, fonts and font sizes, etc. Now, with the Introduction of Windows XP, a theme came not only to mean a set of configuration settings, but expanded to define the shape of windows controls, how your buttons, title bars and menus should look like, this is what Windows XP introduced to us with the name Visual Style. With the introduction of Windows XP, we all noticed a change of style: the windows now have rounded corners and a distinguished blue color scheme took over the whole look of Windows. This style is called the Luna style. Windows installs with two default themes, one with the Classic Windows 2000 and Me styles, and another with the Windows XP Styles. In windows XP, you could change existing themes, create your own, as well as distribute your themes. In its Windows Media player, you can create your own skins and customize your own visualizations while listening to music. We will start off by introducing the classical concept of themeing and the great things we could do with themes, and follow by explaining how themes work, and what we mean by Visual Styles, and at the end, we will try to show you how you can customize the Windows Media Player skins and visualization as well as create your own.
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