One Set of Themes for All Users?

RadioJoe

amateur geek
I just installed a few additional desktop themes and they are only available to the account the theme was installed. In this case - the Administrator.

How can I make one set of themes available to all users? :confused: Is there a 'Public' version of the Users\username\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Themes folder?

Thanks.

Joe
 

My Computer

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Self Build
OS
Windows 7 Pro 64-bit
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AMD ADA5600CZBOX Dual-Core 2.8GHz
Motherboard
Gigabyte GA-MA77
Memory
8 Gig OCZ
Graphics Card(s)
Asus Geforce 8600GT PCIe
Sound Card
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Dell 19"
Screen Resolution
1440 x 900
Hard Drives
3 160 Gig Western Digital (2 SATA/1 IDE)
PSU
Corsair CMPSU-550VX
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Antec (Server Case)
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Thermaltake on the CPU, Cooler Master case fans
Keyboard
MS Comfort Curve 2000
Mouse
Logitech LX3
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6-meg (if I'm lucky)
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AT&T ADSL - Westell 6100 modem, MSE, Defender, MS Office 2003, Paintshop Pro 11, Browsers: IE8, Opera, Safari
I just installed a few additional desktop themes and they are only available to the account the theme was installed. In this case - the Administrator.

How can I make one set of themes available to all users? :confused: Is there a 'Public' version of the Users\username\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Themes folder?

Thanks.

Joe

Hi Joe,

You could create through Group Policy i guess.
Start > gpedit.msc > Administrative Template > Personalization > Load a specific theme

Try it out and let me know how it goes

Hope this helps
 

My Computer

Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Samsung NP550P5C-S02IN
OS
Windows 7 Ultimate - 64-bit | Windows 8 Pro - 64-bit
CPU
Intel® Core™ i7 Processor 3,610QM (2.30Hz, 6MB L3 Cach
Memory
8 GB
Graphics Card(s)
NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 650M 2GB Graphics, Optimus™ techno
Sound Card
SoundAlive™ JBL 3 Speakers (With sub-Woofer)
Monitor(s) Displays
39.62cm (15.6) SuperBright 300nit HD+ LED Display
Screen Resolution
1,600 x 900, Anti-Reflective
Hard Drives
1TB S-ATA II Hard Drive (5,400RPM)
Or you can put the theme in the C:\Windows\Resources\themes folder and it should still work but it will show up in the installed themes section instead.
 

My Computer

Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Home Brew
OS
Windows 7 Ultimate Vista Ultimate x64
CPU
Core 2 Duo E8500 3.16Ghz @ 3.8Ghz
Motherboard
eVGA 750i FTW
Memory
2x2Gigs Patriot PC2-6400 LL
Graphics Card(s)
Inno3D GeForce GTX260 216 SP
Monitor(s) Displays
ASUS VW222U 22" 2ms Response time
Screen Resolution
1680x1050
Hard Drives
SATA 150GB
SATA II 250GB
USB IDE 750GB Ext.
PSU
HYTEC 600W & Thermaltake 650W Toughpower Power Exp
Case
Thermaltake Armor LCS (Liquid Cooling System)
Cooling
Liquid Cooling System
Keyboard
Logitech G15 Gaming Keyboard
Mouse
Logitech G9 Gaming Mouse
You could create through Group Policy i guess.
Start > gpedit.msc > Administrative Template > Personalization > Load a specific theme
Try it out and let me know how it goes. Hope this helps
The Group Policy Editors is a great tool for customizing. In this case 'Load Specific Theme' only forces one particular theme. It doesn't allow all themes to be "seen" by all users.

I ended up wasting too much time browsing the the other rules in the GPE. A bonehead like myself could do some real damage! :p "Resisting the urge to tweak!" :devil2:

Or you can put the theme in the C:\Windows\Resources\themes folder and it should still work but it will show up in the installed themes section instead.
This may be the answer. I didn't have a lot of time to work with it. I know if I put folders containing theme files it does not recognize the themes. I will probably have to put each individual theme file into the overall 'Themes' folder. I'll experiment tonight and update here.
Thanks!

UPDATE: No luck on Mr Grim's suggestion either. In addition, I tried the 'Globalization' folder. In both cases - the themes are only available to the user whom installed them. I'll keep working on this one.
 
Last edited:

My Computer

Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Self Build
OS
Windows 7 Pro 64-bit
CPU
AMD ADA5600CZBOX Dual-Core 2.8GHz
Motherboard
Gigabyte GA-MA77
Memory
8 Gig OCZ
Graphics Card(s)
Asus Geforce 8600GT PCIe
Sound Card
Onboard & MIA
Monitor(s) Displays
Dell 19"
Screen Resolution
1440 x 900
Hard Drives
3 160 Gig Western Digital (2 SATA/1 IDE)
PSU
Corsair CMPSU-550VX
Case
Antec (Server Case)
Cooling
Thermaltake on the CPU, Cooler Master case fans
Keyboard
MS Comfort Curve 2000
Mouse
Logitech LX3
Internet Speed
6-meg (if I'm lucky)
Other Info
AT&T ADSL - Westell 6100 modem, MSE, Defender, MS Office 2003, Paintshop Pro 11, Browsers: IE8, Opera, Safari
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