Want to create your own desktop theme but aren't sure where to start? Follow the steps outlined here and your computer will be your own in no time.

Computers are a part of our lives now as never before. And they've become part of our homes' decor as well. A fun desktop theme can influence the way you work, your overall mood and even your productivity. There are many good themes available for downloading. But the best ideas are bound to be your own. They will reflect who you are inside. Feeling pensive? Create something artsy to get your juices flowing. Feeling goofy? Why not fill your screen with your favorite cartoon characters? And it's all just a few clicks away.

Once you've decided on your topic, create a new folder to contain all your theme components. For simplicity's sake I usually create this folder within my Themes folder. Then I create a shortcut to the new folder on my desktop for easy access while working on the project. Next, make a checklist of what you will need. Obviously, My Computer, Network Neighborhood, My Documents and Recycle Bin icons are necessities. As for cursors, you will need many. To figure out exactly how many and what kind, open Control Panel and select the Mouse. Click on Pointers and review the list. Now that you have a place to store your goodies and you know what you need, it's time to SURF THE NET for fun stuff!

I usually begin with a background. This is the most dominant part of any theme and as such sets the overall mood. I prefer subdued backgrounds. But you don't have to. Go wild! Anything that can be saved as a bitmap (BMP) file is fair game. Backgrounds can take over the entire screen or be tiled for a neater look. Microsoft Plus! has a setting for stretching the wallpaper to fit the entire screen. I usually leave this as the default setting on my computer.

In addition, to speed things up, you can use JPEG files as backgrounds. More compressed and, therefore, smaller these files are automatically expanded by the Microsoft Plus! themes application before applying the settings of your theme. Ah, you say, but Windows 95's Appearance Dialog Box only lets you choose BMP files. So just how do those speedy JPGs get in your theme? Don't fear, just read on.

Once you've settled on your theme's background and you've lived with it for a spell, right click on your desktop and select Properties, then select the Appearance tab. This is like matching curtains to your wallpaper. Create a color scheme that complements your background image. Save your color scheme with the same name as your new theme.

If you'd rather use a smaller JPEG file in your theme make sure you have the JPEG background file all ready to go in your new theme's folder. Use a graphics application to convert your BMP background file to a JPEG file. For simplicity's sake keep the name of the background file the same.

The secret to using JPEG files with your theme is accessing the theme file itself (after the theme has been saved) in a text editor. To do this right click on the theme file in Windows Explorer while holding down the shift key. This brings up the "open with" choice. Select this and then select Notepad. Yep, good old simple Notepad. Now aren't you amazed? The theme is no more than a text document with certain files assigned to certain events. Look for the Background file and replace the BMP extension with a JPEG extension. Then save and you are all set.

The creation of cursors and icons can be the most challenging part of theme creation. There are free utility applications that basically do the trick, but they don't offer the capability of creating 256-color or larger-size icons.For this the best product I've found is Microangelo, well worth the money if you find the challenge of these tiny masterpieces inspiring. For those less artistically inclined, never fear . . . the Web has solutions for you. There are packages of icons available for downloading. For strictly personal use these are typically free. Finally, you have an amazing source of icons and cursors right in front of you this second. What?! you say. It's true. The Microsoft Plus! theme packs that came with the program are a great source, as well as the icons found in all those themes you've downloaded. Open Windows Explorer and check out your Themes folder, then copy and rename the cursors and icons you like into your new theme's folder and assign accordingly.

Clearly no "real" theme is complete without some movement. How could you stand to wait for your computer to catch up to you without be amused by a teeny cartoon. Again, there are some animated cursor collections available for downloading. In addition, you could create your own. You can try Microsoft's free utility application or the shareware program Microangelo. I won't lie to you, the process is time-consuming. You literally have to create one animated frame at a time. But there are shortcuts like copying the contents of one frame into the next. I'm pleased to say that I've made almost all the animated cursors in my themes and they were well worth the effort.

Background, icons, cursors ... all that's left is sound. This is the part I enjoy the most. Or did I already say that? Anyway, there are likely more sound files on the net than Star Trek sites. Okay, maybe not that many, but still there are a whole bunch. Your selections can be literal, abstract, musical. Your computer can talk to you, bark at you and scare the wits out of you when you're not looking. Use a sound editor like GoldWave to manipulate your sound files. The fun part about assigning sounds is that you can set really goofy sound bites to critical errors. Hopefully, you won't hear too many of those so when you do, it'll make you smile in the middle of a crisis. At least that's how it's supposed to work. Hey, don't sue me, I just write here.

Whoa, you're almost done. Good job. So, is this the complicated part? No. No. No. It really is easy to make a theme. Once all the components have been created and saved in your new theme's folder it's time to assign them and save the new theme. Start with the background. Right click on the desktop and select Properties, select the Appearance tab and choose the BMP file you saved in your new theme's folder (after the theme is saved we will substitute the JPEG file you also created and saved). Now select the color scheme you created (and saved!) earlier. Next, still in Properties, select the Plus! tab and assign your new icons for the My Computer, Recycle bins, etc. Now that wasn't tough, right?

Next open Control Panel and select the Mouse. Click on Pointers and individually select each cursor. Save this scheme with the same name as your theme. Finally, click on Sounds in the Control Panel and assign a sound to each of the key events. Remember, you don't have to have a different sound for each and every event (and, some can be blessedly silent). Save this scheme as well (is it me, or is there a pattern developing?).

At this point your computer should have the new theme virtually in place. That is, the background, sounds, icons and cursors should all be working in front of you this instant. The last step is to open Control Panel and click on Desktop Themes. Select "save as" and give your new theme a name. The absolute last step is to edit the theme in Notepad if you wish to use a JPEG file instead of the BMP file for your background. (Forgot how to do this? Click here.) And the absolute, positively last step is to call your friends and loved ones in to see what you've created!

I resisted changing my startup and shutdown screens in the past. This was not because I'm in love with Microsoft's clouds, but because, frankly, it was a pain in the butt. Well, those difficult days are over. ZDNet offers a wonderful, FREE, little utility called Logo Manager for Windows 95/98. It's terrific. After installing you will have a new tab in your Properties dialog box called Logos. This is the one that Windows 95/98 forgot!

So, now that you can get rid of those clouds . . . where do you find new startup/shutdown screens? Hey, I got you this far didn't I? If you've downloaded my themes visit my Startup/Shutdown Screens page. Also try the XrX Animated Logo page. Here you will find hundreds of static and animated startup/shutdown screens. One note, they are downloadable as SYS files. You will have to rename them back to BMP files because you are using the nifty Logo Manager utility.

Those who want their themes without the work can always get some free downloads from Free Desktop Themez or the highly recommended Theme Doctor site. It's not as challenging of course. But still for the wimps :-), I thought I'd mention it. Finally, if you are  using Windows 95 and don't have Microsoft Plus! (Win98 and WinME have themes built in) try this excellent freeware application instead -- Desktop Architect.

Well, this concludes Theme Making 101. If you create a true masterpiece . I hope you had fun! 

Class Dismissed

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