[How-to] Change your system files to reflect Vista GUI

[spacesurfer]

Hi, all. I was playing with Vista Transformation Pack and learned how to easily modify your files with Vista's icons and animations.

I hate install VTP because it makes your system unstable. What I actually do is apply VTP, grab all the files that changed, roll my system back to original state (before VTP), then copy the files using BartPE.

Then, I learned that file versions can vary from system to system and may make your OS unbootable. This happened to me with a different shell32.dll. I couldn't get to my desktop. So, I learned how VTP does the transformation and made my own scripts to modifying your system files. Here's how to do it:

1) Download VTP 6: Vista Transformation Pack 6

2) Run VTP 6. It creates a folder in your C: drive called VTPFiles and unpacks its files necessary for ResHacking. Grab all the .res files and also reshacker.exe if you don't have it.

3) You don't have to continue with the whole installation. If you can cancel, that would be good. If you can't, make sure you had a backup to roll back to.

* It's preferable that you run VTP in a virtual machine so no permanent changes are made to your system. That way, if you mess up, it's only in the virtual machine.

* The first three steps are necessary for your hacked resource files. I'm not sure if I can upload them. If I can, then I would and you can skip steps 1-3.

* You can also copy respatch.bat or use the one that I provided. You'll have to modify the original to reflect mine so the filepaths are found.

4) Make a file called file.txt that lists all the files that you want reshacked.

5) Download and run copyfiles.cmd. This copies all the files from files.txt to Patched_Files folder. Your system files are safe for now.

6) Download and run respatch.bat. If you use the original, make sure you specify that the files are located in Patched_Files folder.

7) Restart in BartPE and back up all the files you will be replacing. Then copy the files from Patched_Files folder to system32 folder. Use replace_files.cmd to automatically make backup and replace files.

Restart and use TweakUI to rebuild your icon cache.

Done.

Downloads: files.txt01_collect_files.cmd02_respatch.cmd03_replace_files.cmd

Edit: Just noticed that applying the dialog.res to comdlg32.dll screws up the open/save dialog for certain programs. It works for simple programs like notepad.exe and ultraiso.exe, but soundforge was messed up. reason is most likely due to the fact that soundforge open/save dialog is a bit more complicated than notepad or ultraiso.

Edited May 17, 2007 by spacesurfer