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I am trying to get some visual styles working completely on my computer.

They say I need to patch some files, install the theme, and to get the style working 100%, I also need to replace explorer.exe, shell32.dll, and a few other files.

The problem is, when I do this, after restarting, the computer gives a shell32.dll is missing error and won't load. I have restored my computer to a working state, but that's not the problem. The problem is I want the visual style to work completely, all bells and custom start button included.

If this is a duplicate(I couldn't find a question similar to this on Google or Super User with an answer), please link me in a comment.

studiohack
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Blue
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3 Answers3

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If the visual style operates by hacking the shell, and the hack failed, it's unlikely that it's going to work on your computer. My guess is that whatever custom theme you're using is built for x86 and you're running x64, or vice versa.

Either way, what you're doing is not supported by Windows. You'll have to contact whoever built the theme and ask why their hack is not working.

Billy ONeal
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I have never faced any problems (Windows 7, 64-bit) when trying many of the themes that require such replacements. However, I can still think of a few things you can try:

Make sure your archiving program is 64-bit. If not, it will end up extracting the files into the virtual storage folder SysWOW64 instead of System32. I recommend 7-Zip. If you cannot obtain a 64-bit version of your archiving program, extract the files to another folder (Desktop works best), and copy them using Windows Explorer.

In the off-chance that this fails as well, or if you do not want to risk compromising your system, you can also use something like Anolis Resourcer to extract the relevant resources from the patched system files, and add them to your versions. This may also reduce incompatibilities with Service Packs or other updates between your computer and the theme author's computer.

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Have you tried the Uxtheme Multi Patcher?, usually works for me.

CGA
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