We are not aware of any significant compatibility issues between Desktop Themes and Windows XP. It is worth noting that the Themes application built-in to Windows XP is functionally equivalent to the old Microsoft Plus! version. Left Side Software's Desktop Themes still offers significant advantages over the MIcrosoft solution.

When you try to preview a .wav file, play a .wav file using Sound Recorder, or play a .wav file that is set as a Windows sound event, you may receive one of the following error messages:

• MMSYSTEM326 No wave device that can play files in the current format is installed.
• Windows cannot play the filename.wav file. It may be damaged or may not be a valid sound file. Replace the file and try again.
• Windows cannot play the filename.wav file. The file may be damaged or may use an unrecognized compression format. To resolve this problem, replace the file or use Add/Remove Programs in Control Panel to install Audio Compression.

This issue can occur if the Fraunhofer IIS MPEG Layer3 (MP3) codec is not installed properly and/or the sound file you are attempting to play was converted from an .mp3 file to a .wav file.

Solution 1:

If you have not upgraded to Microsoft Windows Media Player 6.1 or later, use the Add/Remove Programs tool to install Microsoft NetShow Player 2.0:

1. Click Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel, and then double-click Add/Remove Programs
2. On the Windows Setup tab, click Multimedia, and then click Details
3. Click to select the Microsoft NetShow Player 2.0 check box, click OK, and then click OK

If you have already upgraded to Windows Media Player 6.1 or later, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel, and then double-click Add/Remove Programs
2. On the Windows Setup tab, click Have Disk
3. Type drive:\windows\inf in the Copy Manufacturer's Files From box, and then click OK (where drive is the drive letter containing the Windows folder)
4. Click Multimedia, click Details, click to select the Microsoft NetShow Player 2.0 check box, and then click OK
5. If you are prompted to keep any existing files, click Yes.

If Microsoft NetShow Player 2.0 is not an option on the Windows CD, you will need to download it

Solution 2:

As an alternative, you can also download this small MPEG Layer-3 Codec Installer which has been thoroughly tested on several system configurations. Just install it right over the top of any player or even without a player. It works!

MPEG Layer-3 Codec Installer (233k)

Note: This is not a player and will not overwrite any of the files currently on your system.  It is simply a codec installer, which will enable the ACM Waveform (*.wav) of MPEG Layer-3 to function properly in external programs.

Thanks to The Theme Doctor for the answer to this problem!

Desktop Themes v1.86 introduces a new setting for wallpaper stretching. The Stretch option in the Miscellaneous tab now acts as a global override, but wallpaper stretching can also be set individually for each theme. If the theme you are using has wallpaper stretching turned on (usually by the original theme author), then the theme wallpaper will be stretched to fill the screen no matter what you have the Stretch option set to in Miscellaneous.

The next version of Desktop Themes will improve this situation. In the meantime, you can turn off the theme setting for wallpaper stretching from the Edit Theme tab, under the Wallpaper Settings option.

Several users have reported this problem, in which the sound settings are not maintained between reboots. It does not seem to be a problem with Desktop Themes itself, as sounds assigned through the Control Panel are susceptible to it as well.

The problem actually seems to be caused by the file and pathname to the sound file containing long filenames. If this is the case, the sound setting seems to get "lost" when NT is shutdown. The only solution to this is to use short filenames (8.3 format) for your themes, including the theme names and the names of theme sound components.

When I try to install a Theme I get a message saying "Theme could not be installed!" Why?

If you are using Desktop Themes v1.3 or earlier, you should download the latest version. This version fixed a problem on systems that had Plus! or the Plus! demo installed previously, that could prevent theme installation from working correctly.

Make sure you are letting Desktop Themes install the theme from a temporary directory. If you copy the theme files to the Themes directory yourself, and then try to install the theme with Desktop Themes, it will usually fail.

If this doesn't apply to you, it's possible the theme you are trying to install was badly constructed or has been damaged in some way, and just won't work. Sorry!

I get a message saying "Some components could not be installed." or similar. Why?

Some Themes are put together with components missing; for example, the .theme file may refer to a screen saver, or a certain pointer image, but the theme author forgot to include the file in the theme archive. This error is not serious, and in most cases you won't even notice that the component is missing.

My animated pointers won't animate! Why?

Download the latest version of Desktop Themes. Version 1.76 of Desktop Themes fixed a problem to do with animated pointers.

If you still have problems with animated pointers, there could be several causes:

• You may not be running in 256 color mode (your video card may not support it).
• 32-bit disk access might be turned off. You must turn it back on.
• Your video driver could be incompatible. Users have reported problems with older Diamond Stealth video card drivers.

I have multiple users on my system, and their theme settings are all messed up! Why?

If you are using Desktop Themes v1.4 or earlier, you should download the latest version. This version fixed a problem on systems with multiple users, that could cause the Wallpaper settings of the different users to get confused. Desktop Themes v1.77 and later can even maintain different desktop icon settings (My Computer, Network Neighborhood, etc) for multiple users (note that the original version of Windows 95 does not support different icon settings for multiple users).

How do I get my system back to how it was?

Desktop Themes saves a theme called My Original Settings automatically, the first time it is run. To get your system back to how it was before you ran Desktop Themes, simply select this theme from the list and click Apply. You can also select the <windows defaults> option in the drop-down theme list to reset your system to the Windows default settings.

I just bought a Themes CD, and it still says I have to register Desktop Themes! Why?

First of all, you don't have to register Desktop Themes. It is fully functional without registering. However, the principal behind shareware is that if you use the software you are generally expected to register it.

The CD that you bought, which ever one it was, was not produced by Left Side Software. It appears that there are at least 3 or 4 different themes CDs available (eg "Themes 98"), that all contain a copy of the Desktop Themes program from Left Side Software. The fact that the CD contains Desktop Themes does not mean the CD or the company that produced the CD is associated with Left Side Software. Left Side Software is not responsible for the CD, and does not receive any revenue from the sale of the CD. We do not offer any support for the CD, except as far as we will support the Desktop Themes program.

In short, it's nothing to do with us! The CD just happens to contain a copy of the Desktop Themes program. You have not paid for the Desktop Themes program, and we have not received any money for it. If you use the Desktop Themes program, you are still expected to register it.

If you feel you were misled when you purchased the CD, we sympathise with you but there is nothing we can do. We suggest you contact either the manufacturer of the CD, or return it to the place of purchase and complain.

Please note: We are currently investigating the possibility of legal action against a company called 'Millenium Publishing' who are selling a Themes CD containing an illegal copy of our Desktop Themes product. If you have purchased any Millenium themes products that contain our Desktop Themes software (Desktop Themes 98, Total Themes 98, etc), we suggest you return them immediately to the place of purchase for a refund.