Visual style

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The term Visual Style ( Engl. Visual style ) was with the release of Microsoft Windows XP embossed and called an appearance of modifiable user interface of the operating system Microsoft Windows .

Modern operating systems (e.g. Microsoft Windows , Mac OS or Linux ) have a graphical user interface (GUI), which presents itself to the user in a certain individual appearance. This appearance, also called look and feel , is defined by a visual style in Microsoft Windows from version Windows XP . With the help of a visual style it is possible to change the appearance of buttons, navigation bars, fonts and color schemes under Windows.

In earlier Windows versions, the basic appearance of the buttons, navigation elements, backgrounds and so on could not be structurally changed, only the color of the interface elements could be adjusted. This is possible to a far greater extent with the introduction of the Visual Styles from Windows XP onwards.

Windows inherently refuses to use Visual Styles that have not been digitally signed by Microsoft . In order to be able to use other Visual Styles Luna (Windows XP) or Aero (Windows Vista / 7) other than those supplied by Microsoft , the verification of the digital signature must be deactivated. This intervention can be done either by changing the Windows system file "uxtheme.dll" on the hard disk (e.g. with the help of the UXTheme Patch program ), or by deactivating the signature check in the main memory (e.g. with the help of of the TuneUp Utilities program ).

Replacing ( modding ) Visual Styles is one aspect of Deskmodding . An interesting product in this context is the Flyakite OS X , which gives the Windows XP user interface the appearance of the Mac OS X operating system from Apple .

Web links

Programs for the use of visual styles

Visual style collections for download

Flyakite OS X